Strategic Metaphor
This is one of my favorite strategies for when my students need a little singing break.
Rehearsal Technique
“Good”
My preferred lead-off word when I cut off an ensemble in rehearsal is “Good.”
Short Late Rehearsal
Why have a vastly abbreviated rehearsal at the end of the normally scheduled time, when everyone is tired?
Rehearsal Catchphrases
One of my projects this fall is writing down a list of rehearsal catchphrases. What are yours?
First Gear Rehearsal
Sometimes staying in first gear is exactly what you want.
Knowing What To Expect In Rehearsal
How do you communicate the details about how your rehearsal feels?
Post-Retreat Bump
My ensemble got its post-retreat energy bump *before* retreat this year.
Zen and Warmups
A Zen proverb goes, “If you don’t think you have time to meditate for an hour today, you should meditate for two hours.” This runs through my head every single time I want to skip past vocal warmups in my Aces rehearsals. Sometimes the motivation is so strong to get […]
In My Head
Sometimes I like to play a little musical game in rehearsal that I call “In My Head.” I adapted it from an Instagram post from the Swingles from 2017: In my version, we sing a set of three in a row, with the lyrics, “In my head, in my heart, […]
Knowing When To Talk More
Timing your talking is tricky. I am a big proponent of “talk less” in rehearsal. Singers don’t need a soliloquy – they need simple, clear, concise guidance followed by singing the passage again. And again. And again. But on occasion, you need to deliver more words. Maybe it’s logistical instructions […]