My favorite rehearsals are the desperate ones.
Ideally, not desperate because of a looming deadline. But the best rehearsals have a certain thirsty-in-the-desert feel, where everyone is focused on growth.
Where does the desperation come from, if not from a concert or other deadline?
It comes from the music. It comes from an earnest desire to do the music justice, and it comes from an earnest desire to be the best ensemble that we are capable of being. That’s how you engage your ensemble in desperation: by inspiring a commitment to the music and to the ensemble’s potential.
With those motivators, and with a groove locked into by the ensemble, time flies by as the ensemble grows at double speed.
It’s infectious, it’s magical, and it’s thrilling.