6 Ideas to Make Scales Less Boring in the Orchestra Classroom
Freshen up scale practice with six practical ideas for rhythm, listening, bowing, and student choice that you can bring to your next orchestra rehearsal.
You already know why scales matter. The challenge is giving students something worth paying attention to when the notes are familiar.
Try one of these ideas with a scale your group knows well. No need to change your whole routine: choose a musical goal, give students a clear task, and see what they hear.
6 Ideas to Try at Your Next Rehearsal
1. Borrow a Rhythm from Your Music
Take a tricky rhythm from a piece on the stands and repeat it on each scale degree. A dotted-eighth-sixteenth figure becomes two repeated notes on each pitch. Keep the tempo comfortable, then return to the passage and listen for the same subdivision.
Use a tetrachord for developing players or add the passage’s articulation for students ready for more.
2. Add an Accompaniment
Have one group play a simple pizzicato ostinato on the tonic while another plays the scale. Get the accompaniment settled first, then add the moving line. Ask students to match attacks and keep the pulse steady.
Beginning players can use open-string quarter notes while more experienced players can try a syncopated pattern. For related ideas, explore Juilliard-trained violinist Tracy Silverman’s discussion of groove in orchestra.
Switch roles so everyone gets a turn. Open-string pulses work for beginners; a syncopated pattern adds a challenge for more experienced players.
3. Give the Drone a Listening Goal
With a quiet D drone, pause on A and listen to the fifth. Repeat the arrival and invite students to make a small adjustment. Give the drone players a job, too: maintain a steady pitch and tone.
Start with tonic and dominant, then explore other intervals as your group is ready. Keep the focus on listening, rather than rushing through the scale.
4. Make It Call-and-Response
Play a four-beat phrase using scale degrees 1, 2, and 3, and have the group echo it. Then invite players to create an answer that ends on the tonic. Keep the pulse moving between turns.
Stay with a fixed echo for younger players. Give more experienced students a five-note range and let them choose the response.
5. Put the Bowing First
Try two notes slurred followed by two separate notes on a memorized scale. Ask students to plan their bow distribution, then stop after four pitches to check where they landed. Repeat and listen for an unwanted accent after the slur.
Use repeated notes first if needed. For an added challenge, change dynamics while keeping the articulation consistent.
6. Bring a Difficult Passage into the Warm-Up
Pull a handful from a challenging passage and play them in even values. Choose one focus, such as finger preparation or a string crossing. Add the original rhythm and bowing, then go straight back to the piece.
Keep It Simple
Pick one idea for your next rehearsal. Ask students what they noticed, give them another try, and return to the music. A familiar scale can offer plenty to work on when everyone knows what to listen for.
For another bowing resource, explore violin pedagogue Mimi Zweig’s fingers, wrist, and arm lesson. Choose one detail to bring into your warm-up and give it a try.
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