I'm going back to music centre tomorrow and I've been moved up to the senior orchestra. However, I'm going to be the only viola player there so I'm feeling quite nervous, especially as I haven't even taken grade 5 (although I'm playing at that standard) whilst many of the other players are of a much higher standard. I'm terrified that I mess up totally and so get moved back to the intermediate orchestra

Has anyone had a similar experience? Any advice would really be appreciated!

Since you already have experience in playing in an orchestra, you should have the ability to play in a senior orchestra. It is just perhaps that you are intimidated by the fact that the rest are better than you. Just practise the pieces at home until you are at least technically confident, and then play softly when you are not too sure.

I tried to join an orchestra rehearsal once when my standard was around grade 5, i found it hard to follow, probably also because i was sight-reading the music, so i just played very sofly. And i managed not to give myself away. Of course, i didn't return for further rehearsals, knowing my standard then. But i never felt intimidated even knowing that the rest are better. Probably i had the confident that one day i can be as good as them.

if the going gets tough, get used to playing just the first note in each bar [or next available beat if the bar starts with a rest], then you can keep track and pick up when it eases up a bit.

That's highly unlikely! Someone obviously thought you were the one player ready to move on into the senior group where they are desperate for viola players. The fact that you have been playing in an orchestra already should help you to feel reasonably at home with the whole business, and it's likely that everyone will be sight-reading tomorrow.

Do your best to stay in the right place so that you can play the easy bits confidently even if you can't play everything straight away. Good viola players are welcome almost anywhere, so lucky you to have got the chance to move into a more advanced group already. As long as you don't get too intimidated it's great to be the least advanced member of a group as there's lots of incentive to improve. If you can spare lots of practice time over the first few weeks of term I'm sure you will soon get to grips with the new repertoire. I run an elementary orchestra, and I encourage people always to think or say "I can't do that yet!

I also teach people there the survival technique that Sir Prancelot has just recommended. I call it "leap-frog sight-reading" and sometimes practise it with the whole group.

Best of luck!

Good luck, Rainbow! I'm sure you'll manage fine!

Thanks for all the support everyone The entrance requirement is grade 5 but a lot of the players are considerably better. I've found out that we're playing Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, does anyone know anything about it? (apart from that it's the music for the ballet Nutcracker)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Good luck Rainbow!

Car Expert

Thanks

Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine!

Have fun. Bluff when confused.

Steve

Good luck, Rainbow!

I wouldn't judge how it's going to be by the first rehearsal. If you can sight read it all perfectly at the first rehearsal, you're not really being challenged that much. More likely there will be some bits you can't sight read, but if you can take the music away after the rehearsal and practise it a bit it will be a real improvement being able to play it next time, and probably everyone will be getting better and better together. I think the more "grown up" orchestral works do give you a lot more of a buzz.

Even in the worst case scenario that you can't play a single note (hardly conceivable), the orchestra won't sound any worse than it would with no violas at all!

I envy you I've only managed to play in a performance of it once.

The standard suite from the Nutcracker is both good music and easy listening, IMO. You probably know several of the tunes already.* If you do the movements in order, don't get discouraged; the Overture and the March have the most difficult viola parts, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, that comes next, has an exposed tune for the viola section. After that, it gets easier. In the remaining movements, the technical passages are pretty much in unison or octaves with another of the string sections: that's very much the case in the Trepak. The Arab dance makes you play the accompanying octaves for many bars, so I hope your left arm doesn't get tired easily, but you stop before the 'cellos do

Looking through this score reminds me that Johann Strauss II didn't write the best waltzes, Tschaikovsky did, and the "Valse des Fleurs" is one of his best!

* E.g. "Danse des Mirlitons" aka "Everyone's a fruit and nut case".

Viola players are scarce so I wouldn't worry about being on your own. Have you got any friends who could join you and then you could try and build up a section. Initially if you are on your own, I think counting is going to be paramount, the notes will fall into place later and I am sure that you will look at the music at home. Listen to the Nutcracker Suite on CD so you know what to expect and you know the speeds. Copy the bowing from the 1st violins if you have similar passages and if you are feeling tentative just think that the orchestra is lucky to have a viola player, value yourself!!!

Katie

How did it go Emma? And, I wouldn't worry if you make mistakes in the first few rehearsals. I do! Our conductor says: "You can play as many wrong notes as you like for now as long as it is in time"

Sorry for the late reply everyone, I've been very busy!

It actually went fairly well. I wasn't the only new member so me and the other new people could be intimidated together ! The other members of the orchestra were very friendly and the conductor seems nice.

Kenm, you're absolutely right about the viola parts. We picked bits out of most of them to work on and I would say that the Overture and the March were definitely the most difficult. I like the Trepak, partly because I can copy the cello section, who are very good. The Arab Dance is very annoying, we went over the accompanying octaves in my lesson today And I really like the Valse des Fleurs

I'm probably going to have my teacher playing with me in the concert so I feel better about it!

Thanks for all the support everyone, it is much appreciated

Emma

Valse des Fleurs is lovely, I have performed that as a flute duet.

Glad it went well in the end!

It'll do you good as well as being fun

Thanks!

Yay go Emma!!!!!

Well done!!

Rainbow,if you have trouble,just bluff , it is a very useful skill, and concentrate more onthe rythym than notes (they can be sorted after). If you need to, you could sk to photocopy the music! Have fun!

Oh I do!!! I'm playing with the orchestra in a concert on Saturday. We're playing the Marche, Sugar Plum Fairy and the Russian Trepak Dance from the Nutcracker and part of Beethoven's Egmont Overture.

That sounds great! What instrument do you play? I play the violin and am in 2 orchestras!

Have fun with the Egmont...I played that last year with my school orchestra, it was majorly cool. We're doing some weird stuff now, something called "An Outdoor Overture" and Hayden's Symphony 94 (surprise symphony) and some other stuff which is less interesting.
Next term I'm also auditioning for the Beds County Youth Orchestra which is meant to have very high standards...should be interesting.

Wow, that sounds really cool! Good luck for your audition, I could never do anything like that, I'm not good enough! Oh and congratulations on your mock exam result! I've just done a mock music GCSE listening at school and got an A* (73%) which was the highest mark in the year. I was pleased with my result but yours is amazing!