I love this entry! My ear is developing to hear the texture of the whole piece, too. I propose that there's a difference between *announcing* adult wisdom, and *teaching* it. I bet these kid band directors could make the importance of second parts more evident.

I sing with three or four people where we have mostly one person to a part, and we do try to find polyphonic pieces where all the parts are interesting, but sometimes there is melody and drone, a single note with brief excursions to a second note.

I have very little formal music education, so I didn't build up resentment of second (third, and fourth) parts. I find them much more challenging than just singing the high part. Staying on one note steadily is hard. Hearing when I'm properly a third down from the high part is hard. Singing an "interesting" dissonant moving harmony underneath the high part is hard.

So, I'm incredibly pleased when I can pull it off!

Since we're not performing, one of the things we do to keep everyone entertained/challenged is swap parts on the verse change. Or, on some repeating songs, whenever we can signal each other to toss & catch. (Leading to hilarity when someone doesn't get the silent message.)