- Rehearsal Techniques
- concert - work is done - this is payoff
- knowing how to work
- teachers primarily (what do we teach every day)
- help students become independent musicians (better)
- pitfalls - try to do everything for student - don’t give students any space - CD least effective way of teaching (may get product)
- benevolent dictator!
- choose appropriate repertoire for each ensemble
- Choir rebels: almost always about person, not about music - build trust, make students know that this is good
- New Teacher w/ new music, students rebel because treat as group, not soloists
- prev teachers picked rep to highlight soli, thus more about person, new style teaching for group
- music = tool
- get good tools (good music subjective)
- language - latin easiest, good for teaching vowels, phrasing, articulation
- mainstream - palastrina to ’50s, proven, give whats good for students
- research - what does music teach? too hard? research to fit ensemble (transcription, transposition)
- back-up plan rep, but.. not about sudents, about self b/c students will never learn more than teacher knows
- Have high expectations
- rehearsal
- sight read ALL THE TIME
- “listen”, not “watch me”: focus on one, lose the other, stop conducting sometimes internalize
- interact - ask questions
- always conduct best students ~ 10% ~ create leaders, not boredom
- give them reason to watch you: never stop MAKING MUSIC
- be respectful: “ladies”, “gentlemen”, etc: treat them that way and they will act that way “Let us”, “could we”, not “let me” Be inclusive of rest of choir
- Involve as many parts as possible, no boredom, no singling out, stay focused
- always give reasons for work “lets go back and fix..”
- always give feedback, but be honest “that was the idea but if __ it would be better”
- use vague terms, often works because students think, “beautiful”, “musical”, “expressive” sometimes: “that was not good” make them think about why
- no hipocrisy! always do it yourself first
- admit mistakes and fault or at least don’t blame students if not their fault
- dont talk too much - as much music as possible
- dont leave others behind (ie some work on notes some on phrasing), but always give everyone work
- always do everything - phrasing and articulation while learning notes
- ensemble - everyone should be complimentary - creative seating and paring of abilities
- plan for productive rehearsal - macro: battle plan -> micro: attack plan
- in general: early: big picture, mid: small details, end: put it together (milestones!)
- plan times (milestones!)
- dont eschew explanation: change concept of macro based on a piece (ie epitaph for moonlight)
- overperfection
- process vs product
- humanity + emotion vs being polished
- no overrehearsing
- overpolished
- getting stuck/bored
- music loses warmth
- lost expressivity
- cold, straight tone
- from conductors wishes
- sound vs music
- sound has to fit music and text, not the choir
- people dont listen to sound, but music
- conducting follows music, after all
- conductor
- breathing
- text + nuances - speak it
- know difficulties and why
- voice difficulties (passagio)
- keys (flats better, more flats more betteR)
- lack of trust shown in focusing on direction instead of rebound
- rehearsal techs:
- fine tuning vowels (english is difficult) when ascending, think down; when descending, think up
- phrasing and breathing - breathiness
- purpose of rehearsal: diagnose problem (isolate), provide remedy
- demonstrate (more)/explain (less)
- then feedback
- teach students EVERYTHING at the same time (because practice makes permanent)
- doing too much/wrong things - easier to ask forgiveness than permission
- what goes up must come down and vice versa - natural cycles in conducting and music
- no choral conducting, no instrumental conducting, just conducting
- paint a picture with conducting
- Britten
- dry ice
- phantom: setting up mood before, phantom appears at “thou art the king..”
- adjectives to go with every section, every note
- problem directors
- self control
- admitting mistakes
- self confidence and respect -> respect others
- no apologies: dictatorship
- ensemble never knows more than conductor: always know more
- own the piece
- self deprecation to make a point
- line between student and conductor
- give reasons/justification
- dont get used to choir
- empathy with singers - lots of work for them
- q: why aren’t you singing what I want? a: why aren’t you showing what you want?
- preachers on the pulpit in our influence (???)