Is it okay to NOT rehearse all the time before a performance?
We are heavy into concert prep for our upcoming performances and while I could spend every minute of class exclusively rehearsing for their concert, I don’t like to. My students are awesome and will happily do the work the whoIe period, but I want them to know, it’s okay to get to a certain spot and then trust yourself. We keep everything “fresh and dusted off” and then (assuming things are looking and sounding good and they feel confident), we move on to other activities.
By doing this, I’m signaling to them to trust the process, the work they’ve put in all semester, and that they know what they’re doing. There can be so much angst to get everything “perfect” and “drill,” but in my 20 years of teaching music, any final performance I’ve done would have been equally as strong if the performance would have occurred a few weeks earlier.
So, to that end, I like to maintain prep-mode, but not overdo it. And, after we run pieces or spots of songs that need work and we’re moving on to something else, I like to give them choice. Not only are they more likely to stay engaged, but they are telling me what works. What games, activities, songs have we done this year that clicked? It’s a great way to self-assess and take notes–for future kids or ones that I will have again next year. What tricks should I keep in my back pocket to use as rewards, incentives, or delivery modes for new concepts?
Here are some activities that been suggested from my students recently:
Radio, Let’s Go
Sevens (variations–Wellerman is a fave)
Grow the Tree
Who’s That
Follow the leader around the room (create an instrumental groove)
Music Genres (“My Family Plays Music” book with videos–Ohio state marching band is the BEST)
Instrument Families (followed by “The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom”)
So, what do you think? Would you ever do something like this? What would happen if you did? Drop a comment and share your thoughts.