Waffles, pancakes, pizza dough, lasagna, sponge cake, 2 breads, pasta sauce, eggplant parmesan, macaroni and cheese. Chocolate chip cookies. These are a few of the recipes I’ve committed to memory over the years.
Memorizing recipes gives you freedom. Freedom to improvise. Freedom to cook when no recipe is available. Freedom to shop for a meal without making a list.
What rehearsal recipes do you have memorized? What do you need in front of you to have an excellent rehearsal on Monday?
Vocalises, metaphors, images, strategies. With more of those recipes memorized, we can be so more efficient in our planning and rehearsing.
What about the pieces you’re conducting? You might need the recipe in front of you when you’re actually cooking, but how close to memorized can you get? The closer you are, the more effective you can be in every stage of preparation.
Why not take an hour this weekend to list every choral recipe you’ve got memorized. What do you need more of? Appetizers? Desserts?