Band Seating

[nafmeadmin]

I actually prefer my flutes on the left. I agree that it’s best to seat flutes (and horns) with the best player to the director’s right so they are blowing their sound down the line. But I want my first flute to sit next to my first oboe or first clarinet. I think this is ideal for listening.

[nafmeadmin]

I did try out four rows with both my HS and my JH ensembles, which are fairly small, and it seemed to help, especially with the younger students. I have 27 brass and woodwinds in Junior High and 24 in High School. If you have any doubts about sitting in four rows with small groups, just give it a shot!

[nafmeadmin]

Here is our set up for our top group. Grades 9-12. Our second group is set up quite similar, with a few tweaks…and 2 rows of flutes (20something flutes in that group….)
Looking at band, rows left to right:
Row 1: Flutes
Row 2: 1st clarinets, 2nd clarinets, bass clarinets, bassoons, oboes
Row 3: 3rd clarinets, Altos, Tenors, Bari, Horn 4, Horn 3, Horn 2, Horn 1 (I’m going to flip flop the altos and horns this week though…too much horn sticking out there)
Row 4: 3rd trumpets, 2nd trumpets, 1st trumpets, tubas, euphoniums, trombones 3, trombone 2, trombone 1

Many alternatives, and reading about the flute listening is interesting…..does it really make a big difference if 1st is on the left or the right? Always open to suggestions.

The only thing I absolutely hate to hear/see are groups that have their horns on the outside and left side of the band. Thank you, but I don’t want to hear every fracked note with a french horn bell pointed directly at my face. Keeping them on the right, or in the center, is usually a better idea at the MS and HS level.

[nafmeadmin]

Flutes on the right is natural because of the direction their instrument points and how they must turn their body to sit, see the conductor, and not hit the person next to them. The Teaching Music Through Performance In Band books has an article on seating with a bunch of collegiate and professional ensemble setups. I can’t remember which volume…one of the first 5. Also for those of you with smaller groups, I recommend trying the Eastman straight rows. I used that for several years when I had between 30 and 40.

[nafmeadmin]

One of the smartest things I did in my beginning band this year was to put my trombones off to my left in front, just behind the clarinets. This way I could keep an eye on them and catch them goofing off. They settled down and the work really hard now. I wonder if I put my flutes in the back if they’d start messing around??
jg

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