If you are conducting a choir towards their
next big performance, then you’ll know how difficult rehearsals can be. When a
large group of people get together, it can be tough to get everyone organised
and focused on the task at hand. We’ve got 9 top tips for you to help you make
the most of that all-important rehearsal time.
Plan the Rehearsal
Like most things, choir rehearsals will go
much better if you plan out what you want to do in advance. There’s no use
having a vague idea in your head. If you have a certain number of songs that
your choir has to get right before a big event, then knowing how you are going
to teach them and having a detailed lesson plan for each rehearsal is
essential. This can help prevent you from getting waylaid and keep you on
track. Knowing that you have a certain amount to get through in each rehearsal means
that you – and therefor your choir – will stay much more focused.
Have a Good Rehearsal Space
The space where you rehearse has a great
effect on how each practice goes. For one, you need a space that has plenty of
room for your full choir and somewhere with good acoustics so you can hear
clearly what everyone sounds like. It should also take advantage of as much
natural light as possible. No one likes singing in a gloomy room, and this will
affect everyone’s mood when they arrive to rehearse. Luckily, there are a good
number of rehearsal space venues for hire in London, so you should be able to
find one in your area that will suit the needs of your group.
Don’t Forget to Praise Your Choir
While your choir is going to need plenty of
constructive criticism while they learn new songs, it’s also important that you
give them praise when they are doing something right. Don’t be afraid to single
someone out who has been improving in certain aspects either. Giving praise not
only boosts the morale of the group, it lets them know that you believe in them
and their abilities, encouraging everyone to put their all into every rehearsal.
Explain Why (Be Specific)
To keep your choir practice on the right track,
it helps if you explain your requests. If you just ask everyone to sing again,
after they’ve already sang the same section five times in a row, you’re much
more likely to be met by annoyance. If, however, you let your choir know what
it is that you are looking for, and what part of their performance you want to
see improve, then you will be greeted with much more enthusiasm. Explaining
what you want to hear, the mood that you want to inject into everyone’s
singing, and why, helps to involve the choir in your vision.
Don’t Digress
At the same time, don’t take too long explaining
the ins and outs of every song. After all, you’ll have a lot to get through in
each rehearsal, so it’s best to spend as much of that time actually singing as
possible. Make sure that your choir quickly understands what you mean by your different
hand movements, and that they are expressive of the majority of what you want
to say to them. This cuts down in digressions and will be something that they
can easily follow when you take to the stage.
Take Your Choir Out
One of the best ways to improve your rehearsals
is by taking your choir out on a trip to see other choirs performing. By
sitting in the audience and viewing them from that perspective, they’ll be able
to take in and understand all of the hard work that must have gone into the
rehearsing the performance – and are much more likely to come back to their own
rehearsal space feeling renewed and energised.
Warm-Up Seriously
If you conduct a choir, then you’ll know
how important a good warm-up is for the vocal cords. This part of the rehearsal
needs to be taken just as seriously as the rest of it. Not only will it prevent
people from chatting and eating into the limited time that you have for each rehearsal,
it will also ensure that no one is liable to cause any damage to their voice.
Starting the rehearsal off on a serious note will help this mood to be carried
through to the rest of the time that you have together.
Keep Announcements to The End
Just like with the warmup, this it to
prevent unnecessary chatter eating into your rehearsal time. If you give all of
the announcements that you have at the beginning of the session, then you are
likely to be bombarded with questions and have less time to actually get into
the business of practicing. Keep your announcements short and sweet and at the very
end of the session – these can always be followed up with an email afterwards
if anyone does have any questions for you.
Finish with a Flourish
While it’s all seriousness to make the most
out of the time you have, its always good to finish off a rehearsal session
with a song that your choir knows, loves, and is good at. Letting them really
go for it at the end means that everyone leaves on a high note and it reminds
them why they joined the choir in the first place. Learning new songs can be
intense, so finishing your day off with something that can really be belted out
allows everyone to blow off some steam and reminds the choir of just how good
they are when they have a song nailed down.
Once you find the perfect rehearsal space
for your choir, it all comes down to organisation and discipline to ensure you
get what you need out of each rehearsal. It’s always good to inject a little fun
as well of course, so that everyone is relaxed come opening night.
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