For choirs near me in California to be successful, it is important to have successful rehearsals. Some choir members can be stubborn and spend most of their time chatting instead of doing the most important thing that brought them to the rehearsal. Success does not mean everything should be perfect. It does not mean setting unrealistic goals for your group and pushing them too hard. Success involves the small efforts you put in. successful people should be willing to do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. What you do during your choir concert rehearsal will determine the results of your concert. Here are some tips and strategies for running a successful choir rehearsal.
Plan
You need to plan ahead and choose the pieces you want to rehearse so that you can put them in order. You should ensure that you end up with something the choir knows well. Try to balance what is new, what is in progress and familiar anthems to make sure your choir is engaged and interested. You should decide how much time to spend on each piece and keep track of time. Include something you can cut in case you run out of time and one thing you will do for extra minutes.
Talk less and sing more
Remember the main aim of the rehearsal is to sing and not talk. Think about different ways you can reinforce and introduce musical concepts: hand sign, vocal model, facial expression, gesture and movement. Keep your directions short and make sure they are to the point. This will give you a good foundation for your choir concert in Los Angeles.
Keep them engaged
You should keep the members singing as much as you can to keep them engaged. When you need to stop, try to give feedback immediately so as you can preempt chatting with their colleagues. If you need to work with a particular section, make sure the other section has something to do. For new anthems that have been introduced, begin with the newest or the sections that are more challenging rather than starting afresh. Avoid singing sections they know well or repeats. Utilize your time on things that need rehearsing and not things that you have already mastered.
Listen critically
Do not limit your listening notes to rhythms and notes. Try to listen to the quality of the tone, sound, breath, and balance within ensemble, phrasing, vowels, dynamics and consonants.
Look for ways to teach efficiently and effectively
Try to use kinesthetic teaching. This will help you keep the choir engaged and it will improve retention as well. Encourage the members to take ownership by keeping time.
Make your members feel valued
Try to start and end the rehearsal on time to show respect for your members. Choirs near me in California that are more successful are those with mutual respect between members and colleagues. When you show your members that you value them, they will respect you. Do not wait for everyone to arrive so that they know when they come late they will miss a lot.
