The Power of Unison
by David Newell

Over the years I have become convinced that a common mistake made in working with bands is the general abandonment of unison playing far too early. As a matter of fact, I believe more firmly than ever that a significant amount of daily rehearsal time should be spent playing unison materials. The finest bands have much to gain by going back to the unison approach utilized in beginning band methods.
     Generally speaking, students are weaned from any significant amount of unison playing when they finish their beginning classes and graduate to the full band experience in the middle school/junior high school setting. At this point an overwhelming amount of rehearsal time is spent preparing band literature, with its obvious emphasis on individually differentiated parts and constant sounds of harmony. This is necessary, but a better balance between literature preparation and unison playing has a great deal to offer as we strive to turn our "players" into "musicians."
     There are numerous benefits associated with increased unison work at the secondary level. I will focus attention on what I consider to be three of the more important — improved overall band sound, less individual student "down-time," and improved intonation.

Improved Overall Band Sound

     The following statement may seem controversial at first reading, but it is probably true nonetheless. In order to improve the overall quality of a band's sound, it isn't necessary to improve the finest players. The finest players are more than likely performing the literature at a high level of expertise and are more than likely self-motivated to maintain or improve that level. Instead, it is necessary to raise the performance level and the self-esteem of our weakest players to improve the overall quality!
    Each time a full band plays in unison, the less able students in the group are getting precisely what they need — a "lesson." All of the more able students in the band are demonstrating how the part needs to be played, both technically and musically. Additionally, they are "teaching" these things in the most significant way possible, via musical sounds rather than words. As the less able players hear the examples of phrasing, articulation, and timbre that are being set by the group leaders, they tend to lose their fear of making mistakes. With encouragement from the teacher, they become more apt to put a sufficient amount of air into their instruments. They naturally begin to attempt to imitate the sounds they are hearing all around them, resulting in improved individual tone qualities which tend to add to the band's sound rather than detract from it. Having a band spend part of every rehearsal playing in unison is one of the most efficient ways to narrow the gap between stronger and weaker players and, simultaneously, to develop a tightness and cohesiveness to the band's core sound.

Less Individual Student 'Down-time'

     Several years ago the Women Band Directors National Association conducted an important study involving students who had dropped out of band programs after at least one full year of participation. Guidance counselors asked students in grades 8 through 12 from twenty states across the United States why they quit band. The number one reason? Surprisingly, 52.8% of respondents stated, "I was bored!" There are, of course, numerous reasons that students leave band programs over which directors have little or no control — scheduling conflicts, not enough time for studying, practicing, working, and so forth. But directors are definitely in complete control of the boredom factor during the daily rehearsal. This is a problem that we can do something about!
     Students of all ages enjoy playing unison in band rehearsals. I am convinced that the reason for this is really quite simple. It is because they are playing their instruments! Students do not join band to sit and listen to other students play! It is obviously necessary to rehearse small groups of students in the full band rehearsal on a daily basis. However, the amount of time devoted to this activity could seriously be reduced by the thoughtful and judicious use of unison. Everyone can benefit from the concept or skill that the small group is learning and, if it is presented to the full group as a unison study, everyone is involved in the process and is learning. Over time, because of the group learning afforded by unison study, fewer and fewer small group sessions are actually required within the full rehearsal, resulting in increased student participation and satisfaction.
     By the way, it might be interesting to note that, in the same WBDNA study mentioned above, 26.8% of students who quit band stated that, "I didn't feel that I played my instrument well enough." The daily group "lesson" that is facilitated by unison work can go a long way toward solving that problem as well.

Improved Intonation

    Certainly one of the most important skills for any band to master is the ability to play with excellent intonation. Many people would agree with the statement that "Intonation is Job #1." As paradoxical as it may sound, the more time a band spends playing in unison, the better it will play harmonies in tune. This is because the very basis of superior band intonation is the ability to play octaves that are in tune. With octaves being sounded that are out-of-tune, it is impossible to find that place where the 5th of the chord "locks in." The same is true, of course, of all the other harmonic intervals. True intonation cannot be achieved if the octaves are not in tune. Trying to tune a chord when the octaves are out of tune is wasting time! But when the octaves are in tune, everything else tends to fall into place.
     How do bands learn to play octaves in tune? By playing in octaves. If the recommendations involving the increased use of unison as advocated in this article are followed, students will spend more time playing in octaves. When the full band plays in unison, the students are producing up to five or six octaves simultaneously — from tuba up through piccolo. Done often enough, and with attention being directed specifically toward octave intonation, the improvement in overall intonation can be impressive. In short — the more the unison, the better the harmony!
     Most bands that do play unison materials on a regular basis tend to play almost exclusively unison scales and technical studies — rhythm etudes, articulation studies, and so forth. To this mix needs to be added unison melodic materials. Bands that consistently play slow, sustained, expressive melodies in unison discover that their ability to play the slow sections of their band literature dramatically improves. This is because every student in the band, including students who never get to play a complete melody in their regular band literature, learn how to shape a phrase and how to play with a legato, sustained articulation. Such students tend to then apply these learned skills to their non-melody band parts, resulting in a cohesive and consistent style throughout the ensemble. Both melody and harmony are played expressively.
     The value of unison work at the secondary level cannot be overstated and should not be overlooked as directors search for ways to efficiently and effectively help band students to become musicians rather than just players of musical instruments.

David Newell has taught instrumental music for thirty years in the public schools of Berea, Ohio. In 1979 he received the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation's "Master Teacher" Award for Excellence in the Classroom. He also received the Alumni Achievement Award from Baldwin – Wallace College in 1987.

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