A Guide to Joining a Community Orchestra for Amateur String Players

Community orchestras are one of the main places where amateur musicians connect with their community. Not only are they a meeting-place for musicians of all levels to prepare music to offer to members of their broader community, but they are also places to connect with fellow musicians and collectively approach challenging, rewarding music.

There is something exhilarating about walking into your first community orchestra rehearsal. Around you, 40-80 musicians are all practicing, setting up music stands, greeting friends, and taking out their instruments. The director is answering questions from orchestra members and helping new members find their seats. You might be nervous if this is your first time joining an orchestra, but also excited to join a community of fellow musicians. If this is your first time, enjoy the opportunity to introduce yourself to the director and your new stand partner, and don’t worry too much about keeping up with the group. Community orchestras are often made up of many levels of players, and if you have made it to the first rehearsal you are likely in the right place.

This guide will help you navigate your first orchestral experiences including finding an orchestra, preparing the music, playing in rehearsal, and most importantly of all, growing alongside a community of like-minded musicians.

Deciding to Join

If you are an adult learner on your instrument, you might feel that you are not ready to join an ensemble. While you might not be ready to join all types of community orchestras, there are other ensembles where you likely fit right in even if you are in the beginning stages of learning your instrument. Many ensemble skills are only learned by playing in an ensemble, so joining an ensemble is often the best way to gain these skills. If you are just starting out with ensemble playing, look for orchestral, ensemble, or chamber music classes and workshops at community music schools or an orchestra that is specifically for adult learners.

While you should take your skill level into account when looking for an orchestra to join, be open minded. Playing with a mixed-level community ensemble is a great experience. If you are more advanced, you can bring your expertise and leadership to the group. If you are a novice, you will have ample opportunity to learn while making music and becoming part of a unique community of musicians.

Finding Your Orchestra

If you live in a larger metropolitan area, there are likely multiple community orchestras in your area so you’ll want to look around, attend some concerts, and talk to orchestra directors and members to find the one that’s right for you. Some orchestras offer opportunities for beginning players, others specialize in the music of a particular musical period, while others prepare standard orchestral repertoire to a high level.

If you have a particular musical interest, you might be surprised that there is an orchestra near you dedicated to playing this music. When I first decided that I wanted to join a community orchestra, I found that there were several in my area, but one in particular stood out for its focus on historically informed baroque playing, something I was interested in exploring, and because it welcomed intermediate players. It was challenging at first, but a wonderful learning experience that brought me into a community of enthusiastic musicians playing beautiful music.

Here are a few tips on how to find an orchestra that’s the right fit for you:

Search for local orchestras

Perform an online search for “community orchestra” + City to get a list of local ensembles. If you are specifically looking for a beginner’s or learner’s focused group, add these keywords to your search. Also check Meetup, Facebook Groups, and other local listings to find currently active orchestral groups.

Check the orchestra’s audition requirements

A more casual orchestra may still require an audition for seating placement. Usually, playing a piece you have prepared recently and play well will work for these types of auditions. For less casual orchestras that seek to prepare repertoire at a high level, there may be specific audition requirements.

Look at how many concerts the orchestra presents each year

If the orchestra presents a concert every month, it’s likely best for advanced players. If the orchestra presents 3-4 concerts per season, intermediate players may be welcome to join.

Talk to the director

If the orchestra sounds like a good fit for you, send an email to the director or membership committee to express your interest and to learn more about the orchestra, auditions, and joining.

Sit in on a rehearsal

Some orchestras will welcome prospective members to sit in on a rehearsal before joining. If the orchestra director welcomes you to sit in, this is a great opportunity to gauge if the orchestra is a good fit for you. Don’t worry if you can’t keep up in the first rehearsal though. You’ll have many rehearsals to prepare all your music for each concert when you join.

Attend a concert

Attending a concert is a great way to evaluate whether you think you’d be a fit for the orchestra. At a concert you can get a feel for the type and quantity of music the orchestra typically plays, how prepared the orchestra is, and the approximate level of the players.

Auditioning

Some community orchestras require auditions, while others do not. And the audition expectations vary by group. Before you head in to an audition, you’ll want to understand if auditions are required for acceptance, or just for a seating assignment. You’ll also want to check the audition requirements which are usually posted on the orchestra website. Orchestras that welcome a variety of playing levels often will simply want to hear an excerpt from a piece you play well. More competitive orchestras will follow more traditional audition protocol that includes playing contrasting movements of standard repertoire, orchestral excerpts and possibly some sight reading.

Tips for Auditions

• Ask if the orchestra has specific audition requirements if they are not posted on their website
• Choose a piece you can play well.
• Prioritize rhythmic accuracy in your playing
• Practice orchestral excerpts in advance
• If you are auditioning for a competitive orchestra, consider taking a few lessons specifically for preparation if you don’t already work regularly with a teacher

Preparing for Your First Rehearsal

Once you have chosen your orchestra, and received the music for the upcoming concert set, you’ll want to do a bit of preparation. You might get your music a week or two before rehearsals start, so you’ll have some preparation time, but possibly not much. Remember that everyone else is just seeing the music for the first time as well.

Before your first rehearsal

Listen to the music

Listening to your repertoire is a great way to begin preparing to play. Follow along in your part as you listen to get a sense of how you will fit in to the larger texture of the piece. Mark entrances and cues, for example “when the flutes enter,” to remind yourself how your part fits in with the rest of the orchestra.

Identify the tricky spots

You probably have a lot of music to prepare. So rather than playing through everything when you practice, you’ll need to identify the most important passages to practice each week. Make a list of these spots and start working through them. I like to look at the rehearsal schedule and practice the pieces that I know we’ll be rehearsing the next time we meet. This allows me to rotate through the repertoire in manageable chunks.

Practice the difficult sections

Many community orchestras play an ambitious amount of music in each concert. You might not have enough practice time to get through all the pieces before the first rehearsal and this is ok. Everyone else is just seeing the music for the first time as well. To start, just work through your list of difficult sections. You’ll have plenty of practice and rehearsal time before the concert. The first rehearsal is often a lot of sight reading for everyone.

Practice for rhythmic accuracy

Metronome practice is highly effective for internalizing the musical pulse. It is actually easier to follow the pulse in rehearsal with the full group playing so a bit of metronome practice goes a long way.

Playing Well in Rehearsal

Playing orchestral music with an ensemble requires unique skills that you’ll only build with experience. If you are new to orchestral playing, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Over time, these will become second nature. Talking with your stand partner to clarify who will turn pages, what line to play in divisi sections will not only help you learn more about orchestral playing, but it will help you meet your new colleague and perhaps even make a friend.

• Follow the conductor
• Follow your section leader
• Blend in to your section
• Play quietly if there are passages that you are having difficulty playing
• Follow standard orchestral etiquette: Arrive 10-15 minutes early, mark bowings provided by your section leader or your conductor, only tune during designated tuning times.

Becoming a Part of a Community

While playing with an orchestra is a rewarding experience on its own, joining an orchestra is also a chance to become a member of a broader musical community that opens up even more opportunities to make friends, and play music. During my time playing in community orchestras, not only have I played incredible music with skilled and enthusiastic musicians, but I’ve also made musical friends, had opportunities to play in smaller chamber ensembles with fellow orchestra members, and learned about community music workshops and festivals lead by orchestra directors, members, and friends of the orchestra. An orchestra is a community hub, so becoming a part of playing with an amateur group often offers more than the music and the performance opportunities.

Closing Thoughts

If you have been thinking about joining a community orchestra, right now might be the perfect time. Ensembles need players who show up to rehearsal with an enthusiasm for playing and for the music, not just players who can play every note perfectly. The beauty of community orchestras is that they are a place for music-lovers to connect, grow, and inspire each other while sharing music with the broader community. Look up some orchestras in your area, reach out to the director, or just attend a concert to see what is possible. While you might arrive at your first rehearsal feeling nervous, you might end up finding your musical home.