The Art of Rehearsal

Tonight, I had the chance to lead the UT University Orchestra in rehearsals of my piece (M O V E for orchestra) and Shoshoni Peak by Steve Snowden, both to be performed on the March 1 concert.

I've been fortunate enough to have been on the faculty of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Chamber Music Workshop for the last 10 years. Between that gig and the numerous performances of new music in the last 4 years, I've had the chance to build up rehearsal experience.

The most important thing I've learned? Keep the big picture in mind the whole time and know how much to nit-pick and when. I use the following analogy to describe some bad rehearsal technique: someone trying to perfect the frosting and get it perfect -- before the cake is baked. So, it may not be perfect, but get as much out of the group at THAT rehearsal as you can. Be productive and LET THEM PLAY. Run the piece as much as you can. The more they do, the better. Don't focus on perfect phrasing if it's out of tune, or worse, not rhythmically correct. Don't work on the perfect entrance or the perfect dynamic until the piece makes sense to them.

It was the first full rehearsal of my piece and I only had 30 minutes with the full complement, but we were able to get through the piece...twice. I rehearsed just enough for them to get he picture and to know what they need to practice. Focused on tempo and repeated over and over "we'll fix those notes later," suggesting that 1) I trust them enough to fix their own mistakes outside of rehearsal and 2) that there are notes that need to be fixed. We ran the whole piece from start to finish at the end of the rehearsal and, of course, it wasn't perfect, but they got to hear the piece as a whole and get a better sense of how the piece flows, how the music all relates to each other, how all the parts fit, and most importantly, they get a chance to know what to work on. Nothing worse than "supervised individual practice as a group."

Anyways, not to say I've perfected my rehearsal technique...far from it. Still have got lots to learn. But at least it seems I'm on the right track...

So, to review...

1) Let them play and get a feel for the piece as a whole.
2) Goals for any given rehearsal should start broad and become more detailed as the rehearsal or subsequent rehearsals progress...a lot of things will get fixed on its own through repetition. If done properly, they won't "practice mistakes."
3) Focus on rhythm and articulation, dynamics, and intonation first and foremost. Phrasing, character, and some of the other more subtle things get better if the above four things (in order) are perfected.
4) Allow things to fix themselves (initially)...see "let them play" above.
5) Keep instructions clear, short, and sweet. Don't say "this should like an alpine mountain" when "it needs to be softer" or "more legato, less space in between each note" is clearer and to the point.
6) Don't say "good" unless it actually is good.
7) Congratulate and compliment when warranted.
8) Always be aware of the time and adjust rehearsal as necessary.
9) Don't be afraid to tell players that it didn't sound good (saves time and they often appreciate the professionalism of "it's behind" or "pitches are quite locking in...you're tending to be sharp or flat," etc.).
10) Keep the rehearsal interesting - don't focus on one group of instruments too much, involve all the players as much as you can, and KEEP THEM PLAYING! PLAY PLAY PLAY!!!