Choir performances need to be absolutely perfect and to make this happen, the rehearsals should be done right. However, the rehearsals should also be enjoyable and fun. For this, some planning beforehand is necessary. Most of the times even the most serious of all the choir members end up being a bit lackadaisical. They end up keeping everything for the last moment but nothing concrete happens and the performance gets disturbed. Being the choir director, there are certain ways by which you can make the performance of your choir team much better. So, when the next rehearsal day comes, don’t panic and follow these quick tips to get back on track easily!
- How much time do you have?
When are you performing? Is it the next week or the next month? You need to know the exact time to brush up the skills of the choir. Being the choir director, it is important for you to know the lacking of the members so that you can make them work on it before the D-Day. Don’t make an attempt to cover each and everything when the schedule is tight.
- What do you wish to accomplish?
You need to know the real strengths and weaknesses of your choir. Try conducting the choir in front of your and not in your head! What are the things which need to be improved? Is it the tone? Or the intonation and the ensemble? Settle on the aspects and then focus on the same during the next rehearsals. Do not haul every little thing and get angry at the members. This way the members might just get offended and end up performing the worst way possible!
- Start singing and stop talking
The rehearsal sessions should be more about singing and less talking. Start it off with a brief warm-up. If you are concentrating on the diction, you may make it a little fun by playing some tongue-twisters with the choir members. Make the rehearsals worth it by following a strict singing practice session. Keep the members focused and act as a team. Beginning the rehearsal with talks will simply divert the mind of the members and you might just be left with only a few minutes to concentrate on the songs. You may even make use of the choir rehearsal tracks which are easily available online. However, make sure that they are the good ones.
- Plan the schedule well
It might just happen that your song rehearsals end before time and then you are left with nothing to do. At that point in time, you can start with a talk session. Listen to the problem areas of your members, guide them well and make sure that you can help them with your words. The rehearsals cannot be always mechanical. It cannot just start with singing and then end with singing. Talking is important and if you plant the whole session well, you will be able to strike a good balance between the two.
- End with a big sing
At the end of the rehearsal, sing together and find out where the group is lacking at. This is important because you will get an idea about where to work on. Also, make the choir remember the changes and this will stop them from making any mistakes at the stage.
So, what do you think now? Won’t these simple tips help you to rehearse better before the next choir performance? It will! All the best!