The goal is full brains at the end of every rehearsal.
Not perfect performances, not tired voices, not every problem solved.
Full brains. Why is this so important to me?
It means I’m pouring into your future. Someday, you won’t have me making musical decisions and guiding you through the music. Maybe you’ll have someone else and maybe you won’t; but if my hope is that you’ll be lifelong music-makers, then at some point it will be essential that you have the musical insight to make some of those decisions yourself. So in addition to the music, I’m pouring in perspective, concepts, nuggets of wisdom, rules, strategies that you can use next time to make them music yourself.
Plenty of conductors need to be needed. More than anything else, I need to be certain my students are ready for whatever is next.