What causes chatty rehearsals? And what should we do about them?
I think there are different types of chatty rehearsals, with different root causes.
There’s the chatty rehearsal after we get back from choir retreat – everyone has become friends, everyone talks a little more.
There’s the chatty rehearsal when something big is happening in the world – we all need to process this, and we do it by talking.
There’s the chatty rehearsal where everyone is really busy (say, during the musical rehearsal season), and so they’re extra tired – the filters that quiet the room are gone due to tiredness.
There’s the chatty rehearsal when the leader doesn’t have control of the room, for any number of reasons – so the leader is ignored in favor of the conversation.
That’s the one that I think a lot of young leaders jump to. They think, “I need stronger discipline, because it’s my lack of control that is causing the side conversations.
Well, maybe. That’s one possibility.
But make sure before you change anything.
I actually like some side conversation. It’s how I know the ensemble is made of friends, and friends sing together better than acquaintances. Also, with side conversation comes the ability to learn to read the room and know when conversation is appropriate. That is an excellent lifeskill to polish.