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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the Classical Archives Learning Center!
I've written this series of four Tips primarily for new and new-ish music teachers. Veterans may find some new approaches to boost student teachers' confidence and jump start their rehearsals. And all of us find something of value when we re-visit the basics.
I hope, dear new teachers, that your rehearsals are going as smoothly as you imag-ined. All the young musicians surely respond to your downbeat as strongly as you'd like, and... They're not? Not all eyes are fixed on that downbeat, you say? And the basses in back talk while you're working with the altos?
The veterans are smiling: it's par for the course.
So are these:
- Rehearsals frequently entail more classroom management than music at the be-ginning of our careers;
- Our much-practiced beat patterns and knowledge of instrumental pedagogy and literature don't always help when everyone's yakking;
- Fighting an ongoing war for attention and committed response can be frustrating and even dispiriting.
But don't even think of taking early retirement! First of all, you'll master it over time. Second, the Classical Archives has good news for you about rehearsing: Even though you may not be aware of it, you already know how! In fact, you've been pre-paring to rehearse effectively for as long as you've been practicing your instrument.
Just apply what you've learned from your practicing to your ensembles, and...
REHEARSE LIKE YOU PRACTICE!
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This was a new concept for me when it somehow arrived last month. If it is for you, too, let's look at how much practicing and rehearsing have in common:
- Creating and building attention and involvement;
- Listening carefully;
- Hearing problems and stopping to work on them;
- Breaking down those problem spots; playing them slowly enough to execute cor-rectly;
- Drilling those spots - no faster than you can play them correctly - to imprint proper execution into your muscle memory;
- Learning more from experience than information;
- Marking the music;
- Continually monitoring your attention level; taking breaks to refresh and renew concentration;
- Continuing to drill; think, play, listen;
- Repeating the process day after day after day.
When you first start out, finding a consistent, com-fortable style of rehearsing can be tough.
We suggest that you use the knowledge you already have. The items on the above list are all familiar to you - obvious, even. In these Tips, we'll detail how to apply your knowledge to rehearsing.
Apply that knowledge regularly and courageously, and you'll have a rehearsal technique that works gangbus-ters.
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I'm devoting the rest of this Tip to the most important aspect of Rehearse Like You Practice. I even left it off the list so it wouldn't get lost. I know nothing else with the same power to help you lead happy, effective, inspiring rehearsals:
We play instruments during Practice and Rehearsal; Our clarinets are our instruments in practice; our students are our instruments in rehearsal
When we Practice, we play our Instruments
We put a finger down on our flute. This lengthens the vibrating air column (or string, drumhead, etc.) slows it down, and lowers the pitch.
Beyond temperature, humidity, and hoarseness, the instrument doesn't have much say about how it responds.
When we Rehearse, we also play our Instruments
Our instruments are now Ynez, Paul, and Raj...and they have a lot to say about how they respond.
Unlike oboes and violins, they have minds of their own, and a clear downbeat in no way guarantees the same response as the finger movement does in practice.
The young musicians put their fingers down on their in-struments. Your job is to "play" them so they do it exactly how you want!
How?
By involving, challenging, stretching, and acknowledging them. Let them know you care deeply about their growth and success, and that you see them for who they are…not Sally and Mario-the-Trumpets-who-understand-English!
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Some new teachers (unconsciously) assume: 1) conducting is simple physics: we ges-ture, and our instruments do, and; 2) our beat pattern will create the same result as moving fingers. As you know by now - this is definitely not the case.
Here's why:
As students, we practiced our instrument on our instrument. But we usually prac-ticed conducting without an instrument (ensemble). That's like practicing violin by miming bowing and shifting; a little is good, almost always isn't! We need feedback from an instrument to hear if we're doing it right.
And when we did have an instrument - an ensemble to con-duct - we didn't always get accurate feedback. The musicians were rarely told: "Follow her movements no matter what! If they're unclear, play unclear! If they're deadly dull, hardly play at all! If he's uptight, play tight".
No - our friends usually "helped us out" in the same way we pros sometimes "help" conductors on a job.
The result was we thought our (often mechanical) conducting (beating the pattern with our head in the score) actually cre-ated the music our friends were playing! Meaning to do us a favor, our instrument, instead, gave us false feedback.
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We're now back with our ensemble, and we're learning how very, very much our friends helped us! Clearly, it will take more than beating the patterns to create real music. How, then, do we do it?
The Whole Person MethodTM suggests that we focus more on the musicians than the music. Let's help them: 1) understand what we want: 2) reach and maintain a state of focus and attention by involving them in the learning process; 3)develop the desire to do it the way we want, and; 4) develop critical listening skills - did they do what we asked?
Here are three effective ways to do this:
- Ask Questions: Ask them how they did rather than telling them. Say, "Why did I stop?" rather than: "Trumpets, you're too loud". One involves and stimulates; the other excludes and shuts down.
- Relate Rehearsals to Life: If they don't observe a gesture, ask them for examples of important gestures in life. You'll have their attention right away, and they'll come up with accurate and insightful answers. Examples you might give to get them thinking: a mother gesturing to her child not to cross the street as a truck approaches; a catcher signaling the right pitch; they're examples students easily relate to, and will apply to your rehearsals.
- Model the Behavior You Want: Students will never watch a conductor whose eyes are on the score - not on them. If directors don't mark their score, neither will their students. Asking an ensemble to play with energy and passion in a subdued voice creates a tepid and short-lived response.
When you involve students as active, responsible participants in learning, they'll be stimulated to watch, listen, and think. And you'll be constantly amazed at what they're able to accomplish.
If you find this approach resonates, do take a look at Tips for Conductors nos. 1, 2, 10, and 17. I know you'll find them helpful in becoming a virtuoso/a on your new instruments.
With All Best Wishes,
David Barg, Learning Center Director
The Classical Archives, LLC
email: david@prs.net
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