FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF ORCHESTRA ARTISTS: PROBLEMS OF DISTANCE LEARNING

Abstract

The professional activity of orchestra artists requires special skills, which are in many ways different from those of solo performers. Therefore, it is very important to develop in future orchestra players an understanding of the differences in approach to all characteristics of musical sound: its rhythmic, dynamic, pitch and timbre aspects, as well as individual performance techniques and means of expression. The most distinctive difference between solo and orchestral performance is the approach to the rhythmic and dynamic components. While a soloist can freely interpret the temporal aspect of performance, in joint musicianship, especially in a group of instruments performing the same part (string instruments), synchronous performance is more important than expressiveness and brightness. The approach to dynamics also differs significantly, as solo performance requires a higher volume of the individual instrument to sound the concert hall, while playing in an orchestra often involves a quiet, almost imperceptible sound of each individual instrument. The approach to pitch and timbre differs less, but still remains different in solo and orchestral music. In the context of distance education, the following methods of teaching in the orchestra class are used: individual performance of orchestral parts online with error analysis, as well as recording the performance of one's own orchestral part along with the sound of the entire orchestra. An option for implementing the second method is the creation of combined remote ensembles, when each participant performs his or her own part, overlaying the recording with the previously made recordings of the partners. In this way, students create their own recording of the piece, taking turns recording each part. One shortcoming of the above methods of teaching is that they are of less able to replicate the actual conditions of orchestral performance. This is due to the students having to perform remotely and individually, which brings their performance closer to solo performance and does not allow students to fully experience the difference in approaches to all components of orchestral and solo sound. Despite this shortcoming, the creation of combined remote ensembles seems to be the most effective way to overcome the problems of distance learning in the development of professional skills of future orchestra artists.