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RE: Please Help Me Out...

Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-10-30 10:00

Just some ideas off the top of my head for consideration:

1. Forget the warmups. Just get on with rehearsing. They take up rehearsal time and I question their value for time spent. Tell members to warm up at home.
2. Develop confidence by going over one part of the music until it is secure. Then play it again so players can wallow in that feeling of security. The benefits flow to the rest of the music, and it sets a standard you are aiming for.
3. Always tell the players which pieces - or even parts of pieces - you intend to tackle in-depth at the next rehearsal. Expect them to prepare for this in their practice. The reheasal together is for putting the practiced music together, not for mastering the individual technical challenges.
4. Don't waste heaps of time at rehearsal on technical difficulties that clearly need more time spent at home before time at rehearsal is productive.
5. Divide the players in each section into two, with the insecure ones in the second group. Get the second group to repeat bars or phrases immediately after the first group - without break in timing. Excellent for those who learn fastest by immitation.
6. Similar. Divide into two similar choirs. They play alternate bars (while fingering ALL bars) - or alternate 4-bar groups, while you conduct from one to the other. This helps to teach consciousness of what other players are doing. The groups will try to play better than eachother. Then swap which group plays which bars.
7. Streaming. Divide you choir into two groups, the more able and the less able (lLets be honest - 'A' & 'B'). Sort your music into three groups, one to be played by group A, one to be played by both groups, and the third to be played by group B alone.
The first 1/3 of the rehearsal is for group B's 'special' pieces. (make sure they are high interest but relatively easy) The next third is for the combined group, and the final third for the A group. (Or the other way round). Encourage the groups, especially group B, to listen in when not required. Provide the group A music to any group B players to follow while listening. There may be considerable inspiration to practice this seriously at home and join group A for one or more pieces.
You may like to write some simplified parts for the B guys in the combined group.
8. Make recordings of the parts so guys can practice them at home with the recording. The better players could feel valued and involved in helping with the recording. This greatly assists relative beginners to rise to the occasion, especially if they are the types who learn best by immitation. The players who do not learn from analysis find it extremely difficult to practice challenging pieces at home withoput this sort of assistance.

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