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2) Avoid speaking over the singers, especially if minutes long; instruct them to go through it twice and
they are talking. Find a healthy balance between allow- “see you in twenty minutes!”), and you may also isolate
ing social time and rehearsing. Allow the singers to en- difficult parts of the music for the students to drill with
joy their time together without cutting into your vocal the recording (“we are going to sing through this key
rehearsal quota by planning for short social breaks. This change three times…”)
is good classroom management or “crowd control.” One roadblock in rehearsing in sectionals could be
a lack of facility space, as the different sections need
3) Use the piano. This is important not only for your separate spaces. However, administration may help you
own vocal conservation but for your singers as well. Un- find an empty classroom or vacant office, stairwell, or
less your goal is to teach ear training, use a keyboard to even a locker room. If you are leading singers outside
teach the music. The keyboard can be utilized to teach of the classroom, create time in your rehearsal at the
in two ways: a) play along with a section, or b) play a beginning or end for one section or another. Alterna-
section of music for the singers to learn by call-and-re- tively, call them early or keep them late if the students’
sponse. schedules allows for flexibility.

4) Break into sectionals and delegate. Sectional 5) Effective time management in rehearsal is
work can be both time and vocally efficient. You may get particularly important for vocal efficiency, as well as
the same amount of music learned in half the amount helpful in planning to get through all the music that
of time or less! needs to be rehearsed. Make a specific rehearsal plan
Delegate a leader in a section to run the sectional. before each rehearsal. A general outline may look like:
It is a good idea for the director to lead at least one of
the sections (rotating depending on who needs the most Rehearsal 3:30-5:00pm
assistance). If you find yourself in need of vocal rest, Warm-up: 10 min
simply visit each sectional rehearsal to check in on prog- Bach sectionals: 20 min
ress, give tips, etc. This not only helps the time and vocal Bach tutti: 10 min
efficiency of rehearsal, but it also creates ownership and Liszt: 40 min
camaraderie within sections and presents an opportuni-
ty for new leaders to emerge. If you do not have a singer However, it can be helpful to be more specific with
who can lead a sectional from the piano, you may try: the rehearsal outline, particularly as a concert ap-
proaches:
• Switching places with the section leader and play-
ing while the singer conducts Welcome/chat: 3:30-3:32
Warm-up: 3:32-3:40
• Sending the staff accompanist with that section
Bach sectionals: 3:40-3:58

• Combining sections so there is one person in each Two minutes for transfer time
rehearsal who can plunk notes Bach tutti: 4:00-4:08 (a three-min chorale run twice)
Transition to Liszt: 4:08-4:10
• Making rehearsal recordings and having student
use them together in sectionals Movement 1: 4:10-4:16
Movement 2: 4:16-4:24
This last option is ideal for middle and high school- Movement 8: 4:25-4:40 (needs work)
ers—it is easy to make voice memos and make them Final movement: 4:40-4:44
accessible to students. It will also allow you as the di-
rector to manage rehearsal well. You know how long Run movements 1, 2, 8, and final: 4:45-4:59
the rehearsal recordings are (e.g., the recording is ten Rehearsal ends at 5:00 pm

CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2 39