It’s not always possible–because conductors and singers alike want to do as much repertoire as possible, and that’s a good thing!–but I always love it when I’ve saved time to experiment.
Time to experiment with tempo, with key, with phrasing, with hundreds of small and large musical choices. I love to experiment, even when I’m pretty sure the right musical choice.
I love to experiment because:
- it empowers the singers to own the musicality in a real way.
- it allows the opportunity for everyone to hear different choices and what the implications are.
- I’m humble enough to know that I might not know the right answer in this room, with these singers.
- when a leader approaches a situation with a questioning attitude, rather than a dictatorial one, it completely changes the mindset of students.
We don’t always have time to experiment, but I love it when we do.