You’ve gotta set aside time for things that won’t help today.
For example: tonight, I spent about 20 minutes out of a two-hour rehearsal teaching about how to construct major scales, complete with the standard pattern (We Were Happy When We Were Here), its relationship to key signatures, and why sometimes we use notes like E# or Cb. It engaged some, and others it went pretty far over their head.
Everyone took something away that they can use to grow their understanding of How Music Works. Everyone learned a little bit. But they didn’t sing better, armed with that new knowledge. Wouldn’t that time have been better spent rehearsing?
No, because in addition to choral directors being the primary vocal technique teachers for most choir students, they are also the primary or only person teaching music literacy. And so, if we want our students to become literate, we have to accept that we’ll teach things they won’t use today.
I feel urgency every rehearsal to move towards our performance goals. Every rehearsal. But I also feel urgency to empower my students to become musicians who can continue a lifelong musical journey. So I sacrifice rehearsal time to ensure that they can grow towards the musicians they have the potential to become.