Cleveland Heights is home to a new breed of music educators who have taken their love of great chamber music to the next level by successfully building an integrated chamber music coaching program at the high school level.

The diverse population of the Cleveland Heights community supports their balanced high school music programs of about 300 students in band and orchestra and an additional 250 students in the choral program. It is not uncommon for students to play a string or wind instrument and also sing in the choral program (a trend that has musical benefits for both ensembles).

Director Frederick Mayer began the high school Chamber Ensemble program in 1992 as a way to bring in additional coaches for sectionals, but that was merely the beginning of a long term goal which has achieved above and beyond his own expectations. Cleveland Heights High School now has a well balanced program that includes a dozen student chamber ensembles coached once a week by local professionals with the financial cost being supported by not only the band and orchestra boosters, but by the school district itself.

There are currently 12 unique student chamber music ensembles in the program including the "Capricciosa" String Quartet (coached by Anne Mateyo), Freshmen String Quartet (coached by Edward Ormond), "Fellow Cellos" (coached by Frederick Mayer), Chamber Strings (coached by Fredrick Mayer), "Seragliocla" Clarinet Quartet (coached by Charlotte Simpson), the "Hot Mamas & Sexy Papas" Woodwind Quintet (coached by Lynette Cohen), Saxophone Quartet I (coached by Bill Hughes), Saxophone Quartet II (coached by Burny Pelsmajer), Brass Choir (coached by Harry Herforth), Brass Quintet (coached by Chris O’Hair), Trombone Choir (coached by Scott Elliot) and the Percussion Ensemble (coached by Andrew Herenson).

Each ensemble has a weekly rehearsal with their coach and in most cases, one additional weekly rehearsal on their own. Emphasis on chamber music begins at the middle school level where students are expected to participate in solo and ensemble contest. The greatest difference is at the high school level where ensembles are established for the entire year with a regular coach to learn a wide variety of repertoire. On top of a well organized and well funded program the students also enjoy an added benefit of these after-school chamber music rehearsals: academic credit as an independent study.

Learning from his experience Mr. Frederick Mayer presents his recipe for a successful chamber music program beginning with what simple resources are needed and followed by a straight-forward ten-step plan for developing such a program at your school.

1. MONEY ­ solicit your Board of Education, booster organizations, private donations and start writing grants.

2. COACHES ­ active, freelance and retired music professionals and educators, local college and conservatory students.

3. MUSIC - begin building a chamber music library based on your own state solo & ensemble list. Listen to the suggestions of your coaches and the requirements of the performances along the way. Local music stores, Luck’s (string music: 1-800-348-8749), King (brass: www.rkingmusic.com), Steve Weiss (percussion), Eble (woodwind). Catalog your chamber music library separate to your large ensemble works and have that information available to your students and coaches.

4. REHEARSAL SPACE AND TIME ­ You should be present or available during rehearsals at your school. Serve as facilitator for the coach by making sure rooms are available, set-up, and parts are ready for rehearsal. There always seem to be "ideal days" for many groups to either practice on their own or with their coach. Maintain good rapport with your academic colleagues so that, if necessary, an ensemble can use a classroom for rehearsal.

5. STUDENT MUSICIANS - Willing musicians always seem to be in abundance; the trick is to get them in the right combinations both in terms of instrumentation and matched abilities. Musicians are among the busiest students in the school. Be empathetic and creative when arranging rehearsals, however, the ultimate responsibility for the sound of the group rests with the performers; that’s what makes chamber music successful.

1. Acquiring Financial Support

2. Recruiting Ensemble Coaches

3. Forming groups

4. Scheduling

5. Communication

6. Selecting music

7. Finding Performance Venues

8. Managing the "Gig"

9. Using Publicity

10. Obtaining Academic Credit

1. ACQUIRING FINANCIAL SUPPORT Remember, money and coaches are inexorably linked. More than 85% of the CE budget is used to pay coaches; the remainder is spent on sheet music and miscellaneous. Each coach receives an honorarium per service and typically one coach works with only one group.

A. MONEY FOR COACHES may come from any philanthropic source. Start with in-house grants from booster club, PTA, or administrative fund. This will become the "seed money" that will grow the funds to support the program. DON¹T EXPECT ALL OF THE MONEY TO COME FROM A SINGLE SOURCE! By broadening the funding base you also broaden the friendly support network so that more entities share ownership in the program. Initially five granting agencies funded the Chamber Ensemble program at CHHS for the first three years.

B. ENDOWED DONATIONS can create semi-permanent coaching positions and also help defray coaching costs overall. An example at CHHS is our brass choir whose coach paid from an endowment.

C. THE ULTIMATE GOAL is to establish a fully funded line item in your Board of Education music budget takes time, perseverance, seizing opportunities and establishing goodwill. It can be and should be done.

2. RECRUTING ENSEMBLE COACHES is vital since they are the backbone of the chamber ensemble program. Use an interlocking, ever-expanding network to meet, contact and recruit coaches year-round. Sometimes coaches will suggest colleagues for you to contact. It’s impossible to have too many potential coaches. Keep resumes of local musicians on file. As program director, you may have to fill in when coaches are absent, but work with coaches to find short-term substitutes. When recruiting coaches, conduct a face-to-face interview at the location where coaching will occur, if you plan to hire them.

A. SCHOOL DISTRICT MUSIC STAFF are a natural place to begin, but compensating them is difficult when your local union has the perception that other coaches ("outside" instructors) are teaching students in the building that is a "closed shop". If your union is sensitive to this topic negotiate with the union president to work out details to everyone’s satisfaction. Our compromise the these union concerns was to pay the hourly rate paid to substitute teachers: $17.50 an hour.

B. VOLUNTEER COACHES should get paid something since that establishes a link between the coach and their responsibilities to the program. Maintain a "Service Invoice" for each coach and keep service records up to date. Payments can be made monthly or after a completed rehearsal cycle, or at mutually agreed upon times (if possible pay all coaches at the same time).

C. RETIRED MUSIC EDUCATORS will benefit your program with experience and a willingness to assist. Although they have flexible time schedules, be aware that retirees may have extensive vacation schedules too. Be ready to fill-in when they are not available.

D. FREELANCE MUSICIANS have tight schedules but make good coaches because of their current active role in the musical community. For some freelancers the honorarium may not be enough money. When working with coaches never quibble or negotiate regarding money. AXIOM #1: Artist/coaches place a value on their time. Respect the monetary value that they set. To ask a coach to work for less often means they will withhold their best efforts and energy from the project. Our students deserve the best. AXIOM #2: as director I can only pay a specific amount per service and pay each coach the same. If I cannot afford a coach I will tell them and ask them to recommend someone else.

E. COLLEGE OR CONSERVATORY STUDENTS expands the function of the Chamber Ensemble program to include a training ground for coaches. Some points to consider when recruiting college students:

1) Make sure that college student coaches have dependable transportation.

2) Check their semester schedule to find out where the collegiate/public school schedule doesn’t fit and plan to fill-in during those weeks. Never assume, always ask ahead of time.

3) College students rarely complain about the amount of the honorarium. Graduate students are usually more reliable and more experienced than undergraduate students.

4) Often college students will use the ensembles they coach as a springboard for portfolio and resume references in forthcoming job applications.

F. CONFLICTS will occur in the teaching schedules of the coaches. Make it the coach’s responsibility to find someone to fill-in if they must be absent and then the coach pays the substitute directly.

3. FORMING GROUPS

A. Have all students interested in an ensemble sign up; if specific students want to form an ensemble together, ask them to sign up as a group. With this list of interested students you can start to form groups that have standard instrumentation and fill-in with non-standard groups where necessary.

B. "DISPARITY SPELLS DISASTER" Create chamber ensembles with musicians of roughly equal skill level. Wait until initial seating auditions have been completed or have students play a placement audition. Avoid "I want to be in a group with my friend".

C. LOOK FOR THE TSUNAMI EFFECT ENSEMBLE which only occurs when the right combination of players happens along at the same time.

D. Each group should pick a name for their ensemble that meets your approval.

E. STRING ENSEMBLES can start in the early fall as soon as groups are formed (after fall seating auditions) and coaches can be secured. A continuing string quartet can get you through fall gigs as you await the end of marching season.

F. WIND AND PERCUSSION ENSEMBLES typically start the week immediately following the end of marching band (since they are used to after-school rehearsals this keeps them on a similar, but lighter schedule). Have their coaches lined up well in advance so that once marching season is over they begin the next week without too long of a pause.

4. SCHEDULING. Once groups have been established and a coach assigned to each group the real work begins: scheduling rehearsals and getting ensembles up-and-running.

A. The ensemble and the coach must meet to find a COMMON MEETING TIME and the ensemble must find an additional rehearsal time to work together on their own. Use the beginning or end of large ensemble rehearsal for these brief scheduling meetings.

B. As a rule, PULLOUTS from large ensemble rehearsals are not the best idea. Ensembles and coaches have used lunch periods, before/after school times, rehearsing at school or at an ensemble member’s home (instant social environment with food).

5. COMMUNICATION

A. PHONE NUMBERS and e-mail addresses of all students should be distributed to the coaches and vice-versa. Attendance is crucial and so is communication. It’s everyone’s responsibility to stay informed when situations arise that prevent a full rehearsal.

B. FINDING REHEARSAL SPACE can become a problem when many groups are formed and all have the same preferred practice day. Use colleagues’ classrooms, closets and "out-of-the-way rooms" after music area rooms are filled. Make sure ensembles clean and return their area to exactly the same condition as it was prior to their rehearsal.

C. Allow each CE member to fulfill an INFRASTRUCTURE JOB: librarian, contact person, set-up, snack organizer, social director, musicologist/researcher, phone tree, to name a few of the jobs. Each chamber ensemble has its own unique needs and ways of organizing themselves.

6. SELECTING MUSIC is made easier thanks to the many State Solo & Ensemble lists that are available both regionally or nationally. This is a superb starting point for music selection although not the "end-all" for your search for good repertoire.

A. EXPERIENCED COACHES can often suggest the right pieces at the right time, but they may also depend upon your expertise as an educator who knows the ensemble members.

B. Keep coaches and ensemble members informed of the PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE and what is expected at each. Each ensemble learns both serious and lighter musical selections. That way you have the right music for the right occasion.

C. ENSEMBLE ORGANIZATION begins with using 3-ring binders to organize their parts. Because the venues are often quite different, try to keep chamber music separated from large ensemble music by using some form of alternative music organizer. This avoids a myriad of problems: having wrong music; music being left behind, etc.

D. ENSEMBLE MEMBERS MUST EACH HAVE A SCORE for "score homework" by marking cues in their part from what they observe in the score. Although it takes time initially to train students how to read the score and mark their parts with cues, this makes rehearsals much more effective and meaningful.

7. FINDING PERFORMANCE VENUES begins with your solo and ensemble festivals both at the local and state level. All ensembles are expected to participate.

A. CE also perform at pre-concert recitals which precede each of the five major IMD performances. All pre-concert and in-school recitals are videotaped for future perusal. Videotape review is an important part of the learning process in CE. Some of the large chamber ensembles (brass choir, percussion ensemble, chamber strings) may perform on stage during concerts.

B. Occasionally, students organize informal recitals in class. These are also video taped.

C. There are invitations to participate in workshops and competitions. One of our guest coaches, Marcia Ferrito has created chamber music workshops for HS students in this area at Kent State. Also the Cavani String Quartet in residence at CIM does the same.

D. IN-SCHOOL PERFORMANCES are the bread-and-butter of making the Chamber Ensemble program indispensable to administrators who can establish future funding for the program. Play for the Board of Education, community-school receptions, assemblies, ceremonies, school events of all kinds to add "a touch-of-class" to any event. That’s how administrators may see it; we see it as yet another way students grow and develop musically and emotionally.

E. VISITING THE PERFORMANCE VENUE is the responsibility of the ensemble members to make sure that they understand where to set up and play and answer the important questions such as accessibility to chairs and stands. It is a MUST to get the lay-of-the-land.

F. They are also instructed to directly contact the person requesting the performance to make sure everyone understands the order of the program at the event. Select the music that is right for the occasion. All ensembles must be prepared to play both serious and light selections depending on the occasion.

8. MANAGING THE "GIG" Requests for chamber ensemble performances are numerous, especially around the holidays and in the spring when there are an abundance of recognition ceremonies and end-of-the-year banquets. There are four important procedures for handling gigs:

A. ALL REQUESTS MUST BE IN WRITING since this allows the person requesting the performance to more carefully plan the use of the ensemble’s musical contribution. Once you have a written request in hand, Xeroxed copies can be distributed, posted and discussed with CE musicians and coaches. Once CE musicians check their calendars and can confirm a date, they take charge of finalizing specific arrangements of the gig with the person who requested it. Directors also have a written record of the request for their files.

B. NEVER ALLOW STUDENT TO PERFORM WHERE ALCOHOL IS SERVED since you run the risk of losing you teaching license and possible legal charges. Question the person requesting the CE specifically about the presence of alcohol at the performance site and explain to them the importance of a straight-forward answer.

C. THE REQUESTING PERSON MUST PROVIDE "SOMETHING" FOR THE PERFORMERS. Never send a CE unless there is either food or money involved. Students who play at a reception should be fed. Civic or private groups can either pay the

performers directly or make contributions to the music department. These contributions allow for the purchase of more chamber music. If the requesting organization won’t at least feed students then you should make arrangements to provide something for the performers.

D. ASK THE REQUESTING PARTY TO SEND A THANK YOU NOTE. After the gig copies of the note (sometimes with photos) are posted and distributed among the ensemble and your school administration building incentive and support for the program.

9. USING PUBLICITY It is possible to become swamped with requests once your chamber music program takes hold of your school and community. We try and fill every legitimate request, but sometimes we have to say "No". Although students are really great about playing gigs at some point it becomes more of a time commitment than is reasonable to ask of students.

A. MUSICALLY PREPARED ensembles are the only groups that should be allowed to accept gigs. The best publicity is when they play in public and the audience enjoys their musical contribution to their event.

B. A PROFESSIONAL LOOKING SIGNBOARD at the performance site will let the audience know to whom they are listening. Print the ensemble names on placards with velcro on the back so that the same board may be used for multiple ensembles and performances.

C. PARENTS SHOULD BE AWARE that chamber ensembles are available to perform at events so that they can spread the word and request performances themselves. Rarely do we play the same venue twice (except for pre-concert recitals) so each gig is different and may be new and unusual experience for the musicians (much like the trombone choir performance at a local Masonic Temple).

D. CONFLICTS with over-booking and over-performing may occur from time to time with a busy schedule. Contact the requesting party and honestly tell them the situation and welcome a future request.

Chamber ensemble students also receive pass/fail academic credit (.5 for the school year) for fulfilling "Independent Study" course requirements. There are between 50-60 students enrolled in this course each of the last two years based on the course outline for Chamber Ensemble "Independent Study". Next month Band & Orchestra News will present a detailed course outline for use in establishing academic credit for chamber ensembles at your school as well.