The Ten Commandments of Creating Good Choral Rehearsals
Dr. Betsy Cook Weber Professor and Director of Choral Studies University of Houston Moores School of Music Director, Houston Symphony Chorus Oregon Choral Directors Association Portland, Oregon June 2018
Let s Sing!!3
I. Prepare, prepare, prepare, and understand the power of first impressions.
Select repertoire, purchase, study, and edit repertoire Catalogue, number, hole-punch repertoire Study scores
!6
Set your calendar --- auditions, retreats, extra rehearsals, social events, concerts, fund-raising Organize student and parent volunteers Get uniforms, robes ready to issue Create email lists, rosters, seating charts
Etc., etc., etc., etc.
Make a list of everything that makes your job harder. (Come to final session on Instilling Ownership :-) Develop a philosophy and policy for these things.!9
The musical product will be negatively affected each and every time you neglect a non-musical task.
Feeling Prepared impacts body language, which strongly impacts First Impressions are formed within milliseconds are lasting and difficult to overcome rely heavily on body language posture facial expression position of eyebrows gestures eye movements attire
Is this a reasonable inference: Don t we create a new first impression each time we walk into a rehearsal?!12
Some body language can be controlled consciously. Some body language cannot be controlled consciously.
So, when you feel unprepared, some of your body language will reveal your feelings. Choir members will sense this unease, and will form an impression of you that will be difficult to overcome.
Is there anyone here who hasn t resolved to be more prepared?
Lass uns singen!!16
II. Create a sense of urgency in your rehearsals.
How can we create a sense of urgency in the choir?
First, set an example. Start rehearsals on time. List the goals of the rehearsal in writing. Have all materials (music, pencils, handouts, etc. out before rehearsal. As much as possible, handle administrative tasks outside of rehearsal. Do not take questions during rehearsal.
As soon as you accept a question during rehearsal from a singer, you are allowing that person to set the pace and agenda.!20
Point out that professional orchestras and choirs do not take questions from the floor. Take questions only from section leaders. Encourage the use of index cards. Incorporate periods of open questions.!21
If you get stuck on a passage and sense that the choir is getting bored, set a stopwatch. Ask for 100% focus on the issue for the next three minutes. If the passage isn t fixed, go on to something else, but come back to the problem. Repeatedly. Keep your own talking to a minimum.
And speaking of talking
Talking can be the most efficient means of imparting knowledge, but only if the student is
highly-motivated, self-disciplined, and capable of understanding the information independently. (This is why so many college professors continue to lecture and get away with it.) So
Research has replicated over and over that the least EFFECTIVE way to impart knowledge is by
TALKING!!!! And, yet, studies indicate that singers spend between 30% to 50% of their time in a rehearsal listening to the conductor talk.
Stop Talking! Take Charlene Archibeque s advice: Say it in 7 words or less!
Stephen Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
A Rehearsal s Urgent/Important Tasks might include: Learning Pitches and Rhythms!30
A Rehearsal s Urgent/Unimportant Tasks: Singing Happy Birthday. Making certain kinds of announcements during a rehearsal. Answering certain kinds of questions during a rehearsal. Hole-punching music. Fund-raising discussions. Collecting permission slips.!31
Examples of Non-urgent, Unimportant Rehearsal Activities Pizza Voting on Stuff Free Time T-Shirt Discussion Texting!32
Examples of Non-Urgent, Important Rehearsal Activities Teaching Beautiful Singing Tone Teaching Sight Singing Putting Music in Historical Context Taking the Time to Teach Music Theory!33
Énekeljünk!!34
III. Develop high magnitude behavior (proximity, facial, vocal, gestural)
What IS high magnitude behavior?!36
High Magnitude Behavior consists of VARIETY in.!37
Proximity!38
Gesture!39
Facial Expression!40
Vocal volume and production!41
High Magnitude Behavior is NOT high energy.!42
High Magnitude is behavior that contains VARIETY.!43
What is the value of High Magnitude Behavior?!44
Singers like these conductors more.!45
So, are we running a popularity contest?!46
YES!47
Singers vote with their feet.!48
Vamos a cantar.!49
IV. Work with ALL the singers ALL the time.
In an academic setting, the learning of all students is negatively affected if only 20% of the students is off-task.
With this in mind, what percentage of your SATB choir is off-task when you work with a single section at a time?
75%
Recommendation Avoid extended drill of a single section during a full rehearsal at all costs. If you can t avoid some prolonged drill, have other singers hum their parts. Telling singers to study their parts is a waste of time.
Chantons.!55
V. Pacing is important!
Some (studies) state the average human attention span is approximately 5 minutes; others state that most healthy teenagers and adults are unable to sustain attention on one thing for more than about 20 minutes at a time, although they can choose repeatedly to re-focus on the same thing. Wikipedia!57
With this in mind, why on earth do we allow ourselves to drill a particular passage or concept for an endless period of time?!58
Divide pieces into sections. Treat each section as an independent piece.
Divide each rehearsal into a number of minirehearsals, each with a definite goal.!60
Rehearsal should consists of many minirehearsals, each focused on achieving a stated goal, and should be followed with specific feedback.!61
Hãy hát nào!62
VI. Employ the three-part teaching sequence. Present Practice Feedback
Present the Task Be clear and specific about the
Give an opportunity to practice the task.
Give specific feedback regarding to what extent the goal was achieved.
Good Job is not specific feedback.!67
让我们来唱歌!68
VII. Be (or appear to be) energetic ALL THE TIME!
A professional behaves professionally all the time.!70
Hai să cântăm!71
VIII. Create feelings of OWNERSHIP. Turn leadership and decisions over to the choir as much as is possible.
Feeling ownership is different than identifying with an organization.
Come to the session on Instilling Ownership in Your Choral Program. It will change your life! :-)!74
If you re going to let the inmates run the asylum, you d better have a firm philosophy and processes in place first.!75
!76 בוא נשיר
IX FIGHT PASSIVITY!
CHORAL SINGERS SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WAITING TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO!!78
IF YOU RE WORKING ON FIVE PIECES, DIVIDE YOUR CHOIR INTO FIVE ENSEMBLES. EACH ENSEMBLE IS IN CHARGE OF ONE PIECE.!79
DO NOT ASSIGN LEADERS FOR SMALL GROUPS OR SECTIONALS. AS SOON AS WE DO THIS, WE RE ALLOWING ALL THE OTHER SINGERS TO BECOME!80
.passive!81
Avoid having the pianist play passages for singers.!82
Every time a pianist plays pitches for folks, we are slapping a bandaid on two problems:!83
1. Poor musical skills.!84
2. Passivity!85
Instead, try something like Basses, think about that D# in measure 24 while I m listening to the sopranos.!86
Sing it if you know it; listen if you don t.!87
Encourage individual singing.!88
Never use individual singing as punishment.!89
Be aware that Rules and Procedures are important to any rehearsal, but they can also become stultifying.
With this in mind, Mix it up! Work for some Variety!!91
Notice that Variety does not include Free Time, a phrase which consists of TWO four-letter words.
Singers may ask for free time, and they may cheer when given free time, but
honestly, it s the last thing they want.
Find ways to mix things up! Sing in a circle Sing without any pianistic assistance Video a portion of rehearsal; watch the video. Bring in observers. Sing in a foyer or stairwell. Have a different quartet sing various sections. Bring in a clinician.
More variety Throw an interesting, pertinent quote up on the board. Call the composer during rehearsal. Have singers run various portions of rehearsal. Turn off the lights; sing in the dark.
şarkı söyleyelim!97
X. Work for variety and mountaintop experiences at every rehearsal.!98
If our singers don t love to rehearse, then we re doing something
Don t wait for the concert to instill and expect inspiration!!100
Look for opportunities to point out the beauty and magic inherent in a composition and/or in a choir s performance.!101
Remember, while concerts are important, the daily experience in rehearsals is more important. Strive for "mountaintop" experiences each and every day.
In closing!103
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven t found it yet, keep looking. Don t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you ll know when you find it. Steve Jobs!104
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