“What does ‘done’ look like?” is an question I took with me from my in-depth read of Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead this summer.
What’s vital to understand is that even on relatively simple projects or goals, my concept of “done” might be different than yours. Until we agree on what the project will look like completed, we can’t see eye to eye or work together towards the goal.
I think it’s vital even in the choral rehearsal space to specifically define what “done” looks like. Is it performed in a concert? Is it memorized? How does intonation, phrasing, musicianship grow as we work on a piece, and how do we define when we’ve taken a piece to its logical end? Does “done” look the same for every piece of music we will work on in a choral season?
It’s worth asking yourself – in general or about specific piece – what “done” looks like, and then communicating that information to your singers. When you do, you’ll find, I think, that they’re far more ready and able to work diligently toward “done.”