PICKING A SHOW
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Honest assessment of your ensemble's capabilities is essential for choosing shows that challenge appropriately without overwhelming. This systematic evaluation prevents the common trap of overestimating abilities and ensures student success.
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Learn how to honestly evaluate your group's capabilities using systematic assessment methods.
Key Learning Points
1. Multi-Dimensional Assessment
Evaluating technical skills, musical maturity, work ethic, and ensemble dynamics to get a complete picture of capabilities.
How To:
Use structured assessment tools covering individual skills, section strength, ensemble cohesion, and rehearsal effectiveness. Gather input from multiple instructors.
Director Insight:
"I used to focus only on technical ability and ignored work ethic. Big mistake. A motivated group with moderate skills will outperform a skilled group that doesn't care.”
Watch Out For:
Relying only on audition results, ignoring ensemble chemistry, or letting a few strong players skew your assessment of the whole group.
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Ensemble Assessment Rubric
Individual Skills Checklist
2. Growth Trajectory Analysis
Understanding not just current ability but how much growth you can realistically expect during the preparation period.
How To:
Look at historical progress data, consider returning vs new members, and factor in instructional time available. Map expected growth curves for different skill areas.
Director Insight:
"New directors often underestimate how long certain skills take to develop. Be realistic about what can be achieved in one season.”
Watch Out For:
Overestimating growth potential, ignoring the impact of membership turnover, or not accounting for time constraints.
3. Weakness Identification
Identifying specific areas where the ensemble struggles so you can avoid shows that highlight these weaknesses.
How To:
Systematically evaluate technical accuracy, musical expression, visual execution, and ensemble coordination. Be brutally honest about limitations.
Director Insight:
"It's better to choose a show that showcases your strengths than one that exposes your weaknesses, even if the latter seems more 'impressive'.”
Watch Out For:
Being overly optimistic about problem areas, focusing only on strengths, or choosing shows hoping they'll force improvement in weak areas.
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Growth Trajectory Planner
Historical Progress Tracker
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Weakness Analysis Framework
Strength/Weakness Matrix
Real-World Example
The Reality Check
SITUATION
A middle school director was considering an ambitious show featuring complex polyrhythms and intricate visual work, believing it would 'push' the students.
SOLUTION
The director chose a show with strong melodic content and moderate rhythmic complexity that would allow the students to focus on musical expression and basic ensemble skills.
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Start with basic assessment categories. Focus on obvious strengths and weaknesses. Use simple rating scales and concrete examples.
CHALLENGE
The systematic assessment revealed that while individual skills were strong, ensemble coordination was weak and the group struggled with complex rhythmic passages.
OUTCOME
The students excelled with the more appropriate challenge level, built confidence in ensemble skills, and achieved their highest scores ever. They were properly prepared for more complex work the following year.
Adaptations for Different Groups
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Develop sophisticated assessment tools that track multiple variables. Consider psychological factors, leadership dynamics, and long-term development patterns.
Resources
Skills Assessment Worksheet:
Comprehensive worksheet for evaluating ensemble capabilities using the red/yellow/green system
Resource Mapping Template:
Template for documenting instrumentation, staff, and electronic resources
Classification Comparison Guide
Understanding A, Open, and World Class expectations
Discussion & Reflection
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1 - Create a comprehensive assessment rubric for your ensemble.
2 - Evaluate your current group across all key dimensions.
3 - Identify top 3 strengths and weaknesses.
4 - Use this data to guide show selection criteria