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You are here: Home News Darwin's Galapagos Mouse Pitfalls of the per service orchestra

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Pitfalls of the per service orchestra

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Written by Simon Cole

If you play in one of these you may find that the harder you work and the better you do your job the less you will be paid.
I can't think of any other job or management strategy that work this way. Every rehearsal or concert pays a set fee. If you show up and sight read the music you receive the  same fee as the players who spend hours practicing. In terms of an hourly rate the sight readers are being paid easily 10x as much.

Orchestras rely on the the pride and professional integrity of the prepared players to carry the less prepared. The reality is is that a per service orchestra will not have the budget to make having the job attractive enough that everyone will prepare.

I have played in orchestras where this issue has been handled well, sadly when this is not the case it precipitates a downward spiral in both moral and the performance level of the orchestra.
One of the way to address this is to just pay the better players more.This can be done with the basic salary or be engaging them as soloists, the solo fee becomes a bonus of sorts. Conversely if the week players are rewarded ( this almost always means  it's political) this sends a message to the orchestra that quality and performance is not what will be rewarded and so practicing is a waste of time. As much as musicians love music this can wear down an orchestra over time.

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Authorized dealers of Nobel Band Instruments

Nobel Clarinet

Nobel_clarinet14041 Bb CLARINET, brushed hard rubber body for a wood-like sound and finish, wear resistant nickel plated keys, waterproof Valentino pads, French blue steel needle springs, genuine cork bumpers and tenons, bell ring, 65mm Moenig bore barrel, light case with back pack straps. The quasi-indestructible nature of Valentino pads render the Nobel completely airtight and fully resonant. A best choice for a sound investment. $495

 
Every clarinet is set up and play tested before sale, most stores do not do this. This clarinet has had some undercutting of higher tone holes and resetting of pad heights done for better pitch and tone.

The material, reverse taper barrel and design give this clarinet a more mature rich sound when compared to standard student clarinets costing hundreds more. I have played one in the orchestra for outdoor concerts. 

Alban Classical


Private performance April 14

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Wind World Alban classical school show April 23 and 30