Rehearsal Always and Nevers

It's been awhile since I have posted, and I do plan on keeping this blog going.  But being tired and pregnant, and now having a toddler and a newborn, makes it so that some things fall by the wayside for a bit.

For today, let me talk about some things I am intentional about in rehearsals (both what I do and what I don't do):
- I still put the order of pieces rehearsed on the board (exception: if I'm running late from a meeting or something, and putting the pieces on the board would cut into rehearsal time, I don't do it.  I may start asking my section leaders to help do this).
- Every choir does some form of sight-reading.  And ear independence training.  And theory/history discussions.  Sometimes I ask the singers to lead the discussions.  Sometimes I flip the rehearsal.
- I never snap my fingers/clap/count to keep the tempo while my students are singing.  Never.  Sometimes I turn on a metronome and have them sing a section and we discuss where they first start noticing tempo fluctuations (which always leads to a conversation about subdivisional pulse... which I love).
- I don't mouth the words.
- I don't sing with them.
- Addendum to above: Sometimes I'll conduct a phrase to show a tempo change and have my singers watch and listen.  Often I phonate the subdivisional pulse.  I don't do this often, but I find it useful for them to know what I'm thinking re: subdivisional pulse.  Also, the music education majors love seeing this kind of stuff.
- I do what I can to involve the singers in the music making and music decision process, but I also have a clear vision of the music.  Sometimes it's as simple as having them sing something two different ways and decide what they like more (for example: Let's crescendo to beat 3 of measure 34, and the second time, we'll crescendo to the "and" of beat 4 of measure 34, and then you'll vote on which one you think is more musical/like better/gives more energy to the phrase/etc).
- I never have my cell phone sound on or vibrate on (unless it's the case of an emergency, at which point I let the singers know I may receive a phone call.  This is aligned with the cell phone policy I set forth in my syllabi).
- I always leave rehearsal and evaluate: What went well?  What could I have done to make the process more efficient?  Does efficient mean faster?  What took longer than I expected and was it worth the time?  Did I do too much talking?
- I always ask myself: Did I do too much talking?  The answer is almost always yes.
- I always apologize if I give an instruction while they are singing.  I know better than to talk over them.
- I always plan different types of rehearsals, but also am ready for things not to follow my rehearsal plan.
- Yes, I always plan rehearsal.  I write down objectives/goals for each piece and how much time I will allot myself.  I jot down some strategies (if it's a passage that we've already worked on and have to come back to).
- I read the room, and if there is something unusual, I make a mental note and often address it.  Sometimes, their focus and intensity is incredible (these type of rehearsals are happening more and more frequently), and I let them know that their hard work is paying off (I don't say that phrase.  It sounds lame).  Sometimes they are unfocused or consistently out-of-tune or a variety of other things, and then I tell them what I hear and ask them if they agree (and normally they give some solutions for how to refocus).
- I always feel gratitude for every rehearsal.  They learn, I learn, music is made, community is built.