Page 42 - CJSeptember25

Rehearsal Break
R ehe arsal Br e ak

Either option helps in efficiency, but the latter option on at one time, and attempting to do all these different
also helps prepare the director for tricky sections that skills at once, without preparation, is likely to lead to
may require more attention. In the first option, I in- vocal fatigue for singers. Instead, consider learning the
clude an unscheduled ten minutes as a contingency for music in this order:
getting off schedule. In the second option, every minute
is accounted for in rehearsal, including the transfer/ a) Text. Even if the text is in the singers’ first lan-
music shuffling time. I have found that this detailed guage, read it out loud first. This helps the sing-
planning makes it more likely that rehearsal will end er anticipate the phrase and manage the breath.
on time, saving both the singers’ and director’s voices If the text is in an unfamiliar language, have the
and keeping everyone happy! singers write in the literal translation. You may
also choose to hand out a poetic translation, but
6) Isolate difficult parts of the score. This should the literal translation is necessary for singers to be
happen naturally in rehearsal. However, rather than the best artists possible and helps immensely with
isolating challenging sections of music, consider small memorization.
measure groupings or even intervals. The less singing
that is done while learning music, the more vocally ef- b) Rhythm. Speak the text in rhythm, particularly if
ficient. You may also find a way to integrate these chal- the rhythm is challenging. Clap or tap the big
lenge points into a warm-up, particularly if they are beats and subdivisions while speaking the text in
through a section’s passaggio or if phrasing or intervals rhythm, and practice entrances for polyphonic
are difficult. rhythms.

7) Learn music without singing it. Create a culture c) Pitch. Teach the pitches using the keyboard (unless
where singers are expected to have their notes learned the purpose is to improve ear-training). Accom-
before singing a piece in rehearsal. For example, if you panying the singers on their parts can still provide
are in a teaching situation, hand out music at least three some ear training while guiding singers. However,
days before you plan to rehearse it. Assign a rehearsal when you reach the extremity of a section’s range,
track as homework and find a way to test/grade the make sure to play the phrase for them before ask-
singers on their preparation, perhaps with the help of ing them to sing it. This is particularly important
section leaders or in the use of octets and small groups. for the higher extremity of the range—the brain
I once had a director who said he memorized every- must know the pitch to sing it, and there is a risk
thing before he ever sang it in order to save his voice of laryngeal tension if the singer does not know
for the rehearsals. It can be difficult for amateur musi- the pitch and is searching for it. This also elimi-
cians to accomplish this, but it can be possible to mem- nates creating inaccurate muscle and pitch mem-
orize the text and rhythmic gestures before singing a ory for singers.
single note. If your singers are not able to do this in-
dependently, make memorization of text and rhythm, 9) Incorporate voice therapy exercises into
without singing, a part of your music-learning process warm-ups. Voice therapy has grown tremendously in
within rehearsal. Separating pitch, rhythm, and lan- the last few decades and is helpful for healthy speaking
guage will assist in this. as well as singing. Find a voice therapist (preferably
someone who works exclusively or extensively with
8) Separate pitch, rhythm, and language. Pitch, singers) to work with and create a routine of voice
rhythm, and language all use distinct parts of the brain. care for yourself and your choir. This may include
It is almost impossible to sight-read or learn music while learning to speak on the breath and with healthy
also attending to solid vocal technique, particularly resonance, which also positively influences the singing
if a song is in a foreign language or contains difficult voice. Following are some useful vocal warm-ups that
rhythms. It is simply too much for the brain to focus incorporate voice therapy exercises:

40 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2