For full orchestra rehearsals, I put color-coded name cards on music stands so students know where to sit. It is also easy for me to see at a glance who is missing. I used to not create a seating chart and just try to mix up the name cards each week so students would be sitting with different stand partners and in different parts of the section until it was a few weeks before a concert and we would begin using concert seating (that I wrote out by hand). I could also strategically place students together who would be sharing a spare instrument because they both forgot theirs that day. After full orchestra, I would collect the name cards in order (Row 1 left to right, Row 2, Row 3, etc.), so I had that seating "preserved" until next week and could mix it up from there. Of course, I couldn't remember which students had sat with which stand partners over the course of several weeks, so sometimes I would hear students say that they've sat with a particular person three times already and they hadn't sat with so-and-so yet. But that system worked well enough for my purposes.
However, the pandemic arrived and changed things (to say the least). We weren't able to hold full orchestra during the 2020-2021 school year (I videotaped myself leading "virtual" full orchestra rehearsals for students to play along with at home). Then, once we were able to resume full orchestra rehearsals at school the following school year, teachers still needed to submit seating charts to the office in case of any contact tracing that needed to be done. I started creating seating charts using Google Slides, color-coded, of course, by instrument and then referencing that seating chart to get the names cards in order so set-up each week was as quick and easy as possible. I also make note of how many chairs and stands go in each row and how many are needed total. This document is just for me--students don't need to see the seating chart; they're just looking to find their name card on their music stand when they enter the room. It turns out that I really appreciated having a record of my seating charts and have continued to use this Google Slide method.
These days, I will keep the same seating chart about three or four weeks (we have once-a-week full orchestra rehearsals) and then mix it up. I simply duplicate the slide, add the new start date on the top, and then drag the text boxes around. In this way, old seating charts are easily viewable and I can reference them to make sure I am changing up stand partners and where in the section students are sitting. Again, after each full orchestra, I just collect the name cards in order, and then I am all set for the following week. If a student is absent that day, I still put their name card on the music stand; I just cover their name card with their stand partner's name card and set out one chair instead of two for that stand. That way the name cards stay in order when I collect them afterwards.
This template document also includes concert seating charts, when I have two orchestras sitting in one big orchestra. I like to start concerts with the beginners in the front and the second-year players in the back, and then once the beginners' part of the concert is done, students switch places so the second-year players are in the front (basses don't move). We end with one combined piece, and everyone stays where they are for that. (See also: Winter Concert programming)
For concerts, instead of putting giant name cards on music stands that the audience would also see, I type up students names in seating chart order in a quick Google Doc, cut them into little strips, and then just tape them on to the stands when I set up for the concert so that only the performers can see. When students are sitting in the back of the orchestra, waiting their turn to play, I don't assign seats for that part; I just say they have to sit with their stand partner somewhere in an empty seat. That way, right before the concert starts, if I see any empty seats, I can ask a student who their stand partner is to know who is missing without having to consult my seating chart. I hope it also makes it easier when it comes time to switch seats to stay with their stand partner to know where to go. When we do switch places mid-concert, I don't want students searching for their name somewhere in the back of the orchestra; they should just find an available spot--with their stand partner (since we play one combined piece together yet). Students who are moving toward the front of the orchestra getting ready to play should more-or-less know where they're going because it's the same location they've been in for full orchestra the last couple of weeks and can verify they've found the right spot when they see their names on their music stand.
On music stands for the concert:
5th: Name, Name
6th: Name, Name
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One year, I had such big orchestras that it just wasn't feasible to ask that many students to switch places in the middle of the concert, so I had the beginners on one side and the second-year players on the other side, as shown in the third slide in the template document (and below). The 6th grade cellos were not particularly happy to be sitting in the back, but that's what made the most sense to me with the space we had available (we share the concert with the band and choir--the choir is on the stage, and the band is set up on the gymnasium floor alongside the orchestra).
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For small groups (usually about three or four students), I do not create a seating chart. However, at the beginning of the year, I do put name cards on the music stands for the beginners during small groups while I am learning their names. Once I am more comfortable with remembering names, I only use the name cards for full orchestra, and students can choose where they sit for small groups.
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