Ensembles go through many phases with a piece.
“That sounds cool.” (while listening to a recording on YouTube)
“I don’t like this piece.” (while slogging through sight reading)
“That part is fun to sing.”
“The rest of it, I’m not so sure.”
“This is too hard.”
“I’m kind of getting it…”
“Oh no, the performance is next week!”
Performance
Too often, sadly, that performance is the ending of our relationship with a piece. This is true in school ensembles that immediately pivot to new repertoire, or church choirs that put away an anthem after the service, or repertory ensembles that are only even together in the days leading up to a concert.
But if we’re lucky, there are additional performance and rehearsal time after that initial performance:
“Oh, now I get it.”
“I know how I’m going to feel in performance, so I’m better prepared for these measures.”
“I’m having fun singing this.”
“This is my new favorite piece.”
“Can we sing this again next year?”