Why not invite audiences to your rehearsals?
I just watched an hour rehearsal onstage from two middle school orchestras. Combining ensemble members from two school buildings is a challenge, so the rehearsal time was essential, and the only place to do it was onstage.
What was remarkable about this particular rehearsal is that the lobby doors were open the entire time. Indeed, the main floor was mostly full more than half an hour before the concert was scheduled to begin.
Part of me gets very nervous about an open rehearsal like that. I want to present the finished product to the audience, and hide the seas of the work we’ve done to get there. But there is much to recommend this sort of open concert-night rehearsal.
Parents and other stakeholders can see the work your students do to make music.
The pressure of performing is lessened when the audience is all talking and the house lights are on.
The intense formality of concert etiquette is lessened by the transition.
Most of all – music making isn’t complete until it’s shared with an audience. Creating more chances for that sharing is unequivocally a good thing.
Cheers to my brilliant middle school orchestra teachers for this brilliant approach to educating the audience and their students in this way.