Some rehearsals surprise you – your entire tenor section has a cold, say…or some unexpected event or distracts the choir from the task at hand.
In those situations, you have to think on your feet and adjust your plans to meet the challenge. It’s not easy, and having a successful rehearsal in spite of surprise adversity is hard-won.
But just as hard, or harder, is preparing for a rehearsal you know will be hard. Say it’s the weekend after the musical, and your students will all be exhausted. Or say you’ve hard laryngitis for a week and can barely speak. Or give yourself any number of challenges to solve, but with advance notice.
It’s harder, I think, because it’s so tempting to let yourself off the hook in this scenario. “I know we won’t be 100%,” you tell yourself, “so I can ease up.” Instead of planning trickier alternate routes, you choose to take your foot off the gas.
Every time an ensemble gathers is a chance to make music, and as such is a sacred space deserving of respect and humility. And deserving the preparation to make sure no one’s time is ever wasted.