I read omnivorously, across many genres of fiction and non-fiction. If it’s well-written and engaging, I’m interested. But sometimes, when I’ve had a busy stretch of life with no space for reading, I find it difficult to get back into reading. I’m just a little out of practice.
When I do that, I have two preferred methods of kickstarting my reading.
- Reread a favorite novel. Because I know the characters and the plot, I find it easier to get rolling. And because I already know I like it, I can leap into it.
- Read a page-turner. I don’t read a ton of so-called “genre fiction”, but I do enjoy a good sci-fi or mystery novel on occasion. And often the occasion is a reading kickstart, because these books are perfectly designed to do keep me engaged and reading.
I’m thinking about the many singers across our world who will soon be getting back into making music. They, too, will need some help kickstarting this practice they love. They, too, will be out of practice.
In this situation, I’d be looking at programming familiar favorite pieces – things your choirs sang two years ago, or in middle school, or have heard a million times – and programming super-engaging, high impact pieces – the never-fails, the quick-learns that always sing well.