After The First Performance

The arc of most choirs’ experience with any piece is predictable.

  1. Sight read.
  2. Hone and polish.
  3. Perform at the concert.
  4. Turn in the music.
  5. Start over with #1 and new pieces.

It’s a time-tested and worthwhile experience to approach ensemble performances that way. But I think we lose a lot by not giving our students the chance to perform pieces multiple times. Indeed, I think that the biggest difference between a professional group – even one of the highest echelon like Voces8 or New York Voices – and amateur groups is that the professionals will perform pieces dozens or hundreds of times.

The best performing group I have ever been a part of was the Gold Company group I sang in, after we gave 22 performances in 21 days in a tour of Western Europe. The growth in polish, accuracy, musicality, and ease was far beyond what I expected.

Quite simply: the growth that happens after the first performance can often be more profound than the growth before that first performance.

If you can find a way to give students the opportunity to perform a larger percentage of their repertoire multiple times, you will give them an entirely different and valuable educational experience.