Sometimes, as your toolbox gets more full with more varied tools, a valued tool might slip to the bottom. And then you use it less, because it’s not at-hand. As you use it less, it gets even more buried, and then forgotten. It isn’t less useful, but you don’t use it.
That’s what happened to me with quartet testing. A number of years ago I started doing it less because of some specific feedback, and when I looked at my ensemble tonight, I realized that it’s possible none of them had every been asked to sing their part with a quartet rather than the whole ensemble.
And, you know what? It was a super-useful tool. They learned a lot from singing in quartets, and I learned a lot about their level of confidence with the music and with their own singing.
I wonder what other tools I’ve got but have buried…. What’s your favorite unused tool in your toolbox?