This says it all....I can't express how very important student practice is. Every musician definitley matters to an ensemble, yet some feel they can hide their lack of practice by sitting low in their chairs or in the back of their sections. A humans, we seem to be preprogrammed to be critical ot each other, and when I student does not actively practice, it makes the whole ensemble sound not tight, leading to the "whole ensemble" comment, "They didn't sound so hot..."