Solo Success in Middle School

By Mike Pearce

The middle school band is playing flawlessly, then a couple of solos have you wincing. Can you remember a concert where the band excelled but the soloists didn’t? Was it your band? If you’ve had a problem with solos, there are four areas you may want to consider.

Selecting Soloists

How do you pick soloists? If your first chair players study privately and automatically get the solos, stay with that plan if it’s working well. On the other hand, if you encounter resistance from your first chairs about taking solos – or worse, if nobody in the section wants them – have the entire section rehearse them as solis until a week or two before the concert, then have tryouts and designate solo players.