Student tiredness is cyclical, and doesn’t line up personally across your entire student population. However, we all deal occasionally with rehearsals where, because of other activities, because of personal issues, school calendar, illness, or other challenges, the group as a whole appears to be more tired than usual. What can you do in this situation?
A few options:
- Run your rehearsal. We all have busy days and need to learn to function while tired.
- Add time for non-rehearsal. Teach theory concepts, do a team-building game, or give them a few minutes of down time to catch up.
- Group guided meditation. Meditation can be a powerful tool for calming the mind and enhancing personal energy – things our singers all need to learn to do.
- Repertoire analysis and discussion. Discuss the music. Take your students through the kind of formal analysis that you might do in preparation to conduct a piece.
- Guided listening. Listen to music that relates to the music you’re preparing. Let them get comfy (but not asleep) and discuss the music together.
- Let them out early. Solicit promises of extra rest, and then let them go.
There isn’t only one way to get to success on concert day. Manage your rehearsal pace for efficiency, sure, but also manage your students so that they can perform at peak levels.