3 Goals For Rehearsal

I had a long first rehearsal with members of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus tonight, preparing for a “live to projection” performance of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Walking in, I had three main goals for the 2-1/2 hour rehearsal.

  1. Get through the whole score. We’re looking at long sections of 6-8 part divisi on half-step clusters and very high and low entrances at pianissimo dynamics. (This was punctuated with the occasional tonal and/or unison passage…and even some actual words. In Latin, haha.)
  2. Laugh as we work. These were close to 50 volunteers who signed up for extra rehearsals and performances on top of their Symphony Chorus commitments, and working on a hard score. If we don’t have fun and share some laughs, it gets to be much too much like a job.
  3. Have a list of the toughest spots that will demand the most time. Our rehearsal time is limited, so knowing precisely where to focus is vital.

Only upon leaving with, I think, all three goals met, did it cross my mind that these are my three most important goals in any rehearsal.

  1. Learn the music.
  2. Laugh together.
  3. Have a clear plan for where to go next.