Come Prepared
How to prepare for an effective choir rehearsal.
In order for a choir rehearsal to be effective, you as the director need to come prepared and ready to go. Before you go to the rehearsal, prepare in advance. It helps to:
1. Choose the pieces that you will work on at the rehearsal beforehand. It helps to have around 2-4 that you are working on at a given time so the choir doesn't get bored.
2. Read through the words of the piece out loud. Listen for strong/weak patterns in the words and the general meaning/mood of the text that you would like to portray. Mark the places you want the choir to breathe or carry through without a breath.
3. Play through the piece. Play through each individual part and all of the parts together, listening for tricky or unusual passages. Play through the accompaniment. (If you do not play the piano, get together with your accompanist so they can help you with this step.) Mark tricky parts that may require extra attention.
4. Practice conducting the piece in front of a mirror. Plan how you want to do the upbeat, cutoffs, fermatas, etc. and practice while watching yourself in the mirror.
5. Allow time before the rehearsal to discuss/practice the pieces with your accompanist.
6. Write down a brief outline of the rehearsal schedule, what pieces you will rehearse, what parts you want to spend time on, etc.
Warm Up: Sing "I Am A Child of God." Hum: 5-4-3-2-1, going down the scale. Focus on staying in tune. Sing "Ha, Ha Ha" on 1-3-5-3-1. Work on breath support.
1st Piece: "Where Can I Turn For Peace?": Work on tuning in women's unison verse: have them listen to make sure they really sound like one voice. Review men's parts on verse 3.
2nd Piece: "God So Loved the World": Work on parts on 2nd page. More dynamic contrast. Review alto line on top of page 2. Work on shaping the phrases.
3rd piece: "For the Beauty of the Earth": Quick run-through. Reminder to watch me on top of 3rd page. Work on dynamics and shaping at the end.
Finish with run-through of "Where Can I Turn For Peace?"
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