Ensemble Camp

#1 Music is more fun together. Not only do you get to play with friends (with new or old) … also the complexity and beauty of the music you can make is increased with more participants. The whole is more than the sum of the parts. It is one of the most musically satisfying activities to make music together.

#2 Learn really important musical skills that will improve your solo playing. In an ensemble, you have to stay in tempo and can’t stop if something goes wrong. You learn how to count better, to listen better, to keep going and stay together even when a mistake is made. All of these skills will make you a better solo musician as well.

#3 Cultivate empathy, listening and skills needed to work together well in a team. The key to a successful ensemble group is sensitivity and close listening to each other while still playing your own part. From the rehearsal process to the final performance, members have to work together.

(Note: You must be enrolled in lessons at Flourish to register for Ensemble Camp)

The sky is the limit when it comes to musical pairings and selections! Some examples we have had before:

• Guitar, Piano and Voice student who performed “Skyfall” by Adele
• Voice duet, performed “The Stepsister’s Lament” from Cinderella
• Cello, Violin and Piano student who performed “March” from Carmen by Bizet
• Piano and Voice student who performed “When I Ruled the World” by Coldplay
• Piano duet who performed “Linus and Lucy” from Peanuts
• Piano trio who performed the theme from the “Avengers”, and theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean”
• Custom group of 5 pianos, 1 cello and 1 violin all performing Ms. Joy’s arrangement of “Chopsticks”

We group students together based on who signs up for camp, keeping in mind their age/level and what music they like. Then we pick a piece of music and often arrange it in a custom manner for that specific group. (ie we write parts for each ensemble member)

If you have any requests (for partners and/or music selections) just let us know and we will do our best.

• I got to play in a group of people for the first time
• I really enjoyed playing with my siblings 🙂
• It was really nice to play with other people. It also helped me to count better and give the whole notes 4 beats.
• I would love to do this more often!
• You get lots of time to practice
• It’s fun
• I learned a song and a half in 4 days
• It teaches you how to cooperate and play well with other musicians
• It’s really fun and you’ll learn a lot
• I liked my group and we had fun playing and fixing our piece. I also really liked the song we got to play.

#1 Small ensembles. You may play or sing in a large ensemble at school (choir/orchestra/band etc). That can be a lot of fun. But you are one in many other musicians. In a small ensemble, you are a featured role in the group; your participation is an integral part of the success of the ensemble. Students have to rely on each other, rather than on an adult conductor or teacher.

#2 Varied instrument groupings. Because Flourish offers instruction in various instruments, you can potentially have a group that includes other instrument or voices.

#3 Rehearsal all happens at camp under teacher supervision; no need to arrange rehearsal times with other students outside of camp! We want to make this as easy on the parents as possible 🙂