Choral Rehearsal Strategies
Dr. Burgett
Re-”HEAR”- sal
The rehearsal is where excellence is established! The process is sacred!�
Make it worth their time!
“Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well”- John W Gardner
Rehearsal is a “a place to do something musical that can’t be done in your home or in the practice room by yourself.” �(creating with others)�
Rehearsal Arc- Macro��Daily Rehearsal- Micro
Less talk, more singing!!!
But take the time to connect
��If you must stop, have a reason for doing so��Correct in just a few words, then go back and implement changes��Stop and start in logical places��Do not always start a piece from the �beginning��Backward rehearsing��Spot rehearsing��Score pre-marking�
Rehearsal Phases�� - Early� - Middle� -Late
Plan your rehearsals, plan exactly what you need to get through your rehearsals- you owe this to your singers��Work toward mutual preparedness��Stay on schedule- don't get bogged down��Know when to put something away and work on it next rehearsal��Leave them feeling like they accomplished something�
5-7 minutes- warm up� �Around 10 min per piece (or movement) - 4-5 pieces each rehearsal� �Start with something they feel more accomplished on� �Save the most difficult aspect of the rehearsal for ⅔ through rehearsal (Golden Mean)
Know when to move on.� �End with something successful� �Thank them for a good rehearsal� �Know when to answer a question or to say “I’ll get back with you”� �How many questions? or any?� �Post it note rehearsal�
Have a schedule and stick with it��Have an attendance strategy that does not reduce your rehearsal time��Announcements- on board��Rehearsal plan for the day on board��Implement questioning��Monitor body language�
Try to make each rehearsal as much as a performance as possible�
�Conductor reflection� -Do this as close to after the rehearsal as possible��Assessment�-How will you handle this?�
The Choir in your head
�Consider implementing the ADDIE Model of Instructional Design to your rehearsal�
Addie Model�-Iterative