Let me start by saying that I just spent five minutes looking up the proper and accepted way to spell “do’s and don’ts”, so you can rest assured that I’ve nailed it!

Do you want to be the kind of stand partner that your colleagues dream of playing with? Or do you want them to look at the new week’s roster, and mutter something under their breath? Let us break down the ways to get on your stand partner’s good side, and to stay there through the ups and downs of orchestra life. Of course, we also get into the big-time no-no’s so that you can steer clear!

In fact, let’s break it down in the style of Family Feud! First, Nathan tries to guess Akiko’s top 5 “Don’ts”, then she attempts to guess his “Do’s”. We’re moderately successful, with just a few strikes against us.

Along the way, Nathan shares a story about his first week with the Chicago Symphony, and what happened when he attempted to mark a fingering in his music. You can read much more about Nathan’s first few weeks with the CSO in his article on Audition Cafe.

Listen now for all the inside information about pre-rehearsal chit-chat, touching the music stand, personal hygiene, warmups, part marking, pencils, balance, and even the elusive art of “staying in the moment”.

By the end of this episode, you may have some changes to make to your orchestra routine! At least once in this episode, Nathan said, “I’m so guilty of that…”