I think the best learning happens when you have enough time to have fun.
Sometimes, in the crunch of the moment, I have to move with peak efficiency. In the recording studio or in the rehearsal process, I am leaving no moment unused. It’s effective but it isn’t very fun.
Other times, especially in moments like the week before a break and the week after a concert, it’s hard to convince students to show any momentum at all in rehearsal. It’s fun but it isn’t very effective.
The sweet spot is in between, when you are moving fast enough for students to learn and grow consistently, but with just enough slack to have fun, laugh and bond (without devolving rehearsal into a social hour).
Find that sweet spot – effective and fun – and you’ve found my favorite kind of rehearsal process.