The gift of a once-weekly rehearsal schedule can also be its greatest challenge.
When once-weekly rehearsals aren’t working, it’s because of a lack of momentum. The ensemble can stagnate, and the stagnation leads to a frustration and a vicious circle.
When once-weekly rehearsals are working, the relatively rare joy of making music all together inspires members to work between rehearsals to make the next week even more joyful.
It’s the ensemble director’s job to interrupt the vicious circle and buttress the joy. These things can turn on a dime and deeply inspire or disrupt the progress of an ensemble.
I truly enjoy the weekly rehearsal schedule my ensembles, but the gestalt switch between these two energies is an eternal challenge.