Well, it works for us. Two guys who are of near equal ability share first chair. One guy has been with the group for over 20 years, the other two years. The Principal generally plays second.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Larry Jellison Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 10:42 PM To: horn list Subject: Re: [Hornlist] Alternative to auditions in an amatuer setting Jonathan West writes a comprehensive post that some of you strongly agree with, making the case for seniority rule in amateur ensembles. I want to submit a minority opinion, that amateur horn sections thrive when there is a good section leader, the principal, who doesn't necessarily need to be the best player in the section, but he needs to be competent relative to the performance level of the ensemble. Whenever the horn principal is significantly below the competence level of the ensemble, the section does not thrive, has frequent turnover, and often has vacant positions. To a director, when I plead my case to him, I don't need to insist that I am right about this, since all he has to do is recall for all the past years that he hasn't had a stable horn section and that he often has had vacancies in the horn section. I don't feel that I need to plead my case with any of you. If you have an example of a thriving horn section that has an incompetent principal (relative to the level of the ensemble), I would like to hear of your experiences with this. It is great when a principal can also lead, help, set standards, and encourage the other section players. Regards, Larry _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/bgross%40airmail.ne t _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
