Membership in ensembles should be selective enough to maintain significant levels of performance. They should be accessible to any interested student who possesses an average level of talent, the capacity for improvement, and a cooperative spirit.

Auditioning should consist of a standardized performance test and the playing of scales for instruments or a well thought-out vocal audition. Tone and/or voice quality are more subjective matters best evaluated as the teacher acquires preferences based on experience. Usually the student who scores well on the measurable aspects of playing possesses reasonably good tone.

Provisional Placement should be available for Students who do not do well on the audition, if the deficiency is not drastic. This placement should include a requirement to take lessons concurrently with the objective of remedying the reading, technical, or tonal deficiency. This status, which should be known only by the student and director, does not restrict the student from any of the activities of the group, but does make his/her membership tentative, subject to a satisfactory passing of the audition. One semester is usually long enough for the removal of any student from provisional placement.

Frequency of Rehearsal is extremely important. The optimum is the schedule that gives a group a daily rehearsal. Since the scheduling of classes is difficult, some schools give groups two or three periods a week. The director in this situation should exhaust every possibility in finding a time or times when his group or sections of it can meet daily throughout the week. There is a direct correlation between the number of rehearsals and level of achievement.

Officers should be chosen by the students and should include the following: president, responsible for the social aspects of the ensemble; vice president, assists the president, assuming leadership if he is incapacitated; secretary-treasurer, attendance records, collection of dues; pastor, conducting of devotionals, when appropriate; and publicity secretary, assists the director in publicity. The student director can be either appointed by the director or chosen from a list of those who are eligible. Their responsibility is the preparation of at least one number in each public performance of the group. The students who are elected to offices or are recipients of appointments must be made to consider it an honor and a privilege to be entrusted with this responsibility. They must not be allowed to become "privileged characters."

Small Ensemblescan greatly enhance your ensemble program and the students’ musical growth. Ideally the complete ensemble program will involve a maximum number of students. The groups established should rehearse at least once a week and, as with any ensemble in a school setting, should not perform excessively.