9.3 Conducting the first rehearsal  (Page 2/3)

Choose six to ten pieces to be placed in the folders for the first rehearsal. All of the pieces will not need to be rehearsed during the first rehearsal but singers will want to know the selections they will be singing. Do not place anything in the folders that you do not plan to rehearse in the near future. Padding the folder with several extremely difficult pieces, for instance, that the choir cannot possibly sing will not gain the admiration or confidence of the choir members. It will soon become apparent to them that they cannot sing those works and they will question the judgment of their director. They may also decide that the pieces were placed in the folder only for "show."

The following guidelines will aid in the actual choosing of the music for the first rehearsal. The music for this rehearsal is not necessarily all the music the choir will work on during the first semester. New works can be added at subsequent rehearsals.

1. Select one very easy piece that is basically homophonic. One of the J. S. Bach chorales would do nicely. While the chorales are not always easy to totally realize musically, some are not technically difficult and can serve the purposes of this first rehearsal.

2. Have one piece in the folders that is unison or contains a unison section. This will give the director an opportunity to work on a solid unison tone within a piece of music rather than only in an exercise.

3. Choose one piece of some difficulty that the choir does not know. If the director has underestimated the capabilities of the choir, they will be concerned if all the music appears to be quite easy (even if they cannot sing it with understanding). This work can be available to the director in the event that he has misjudged the choir's capabilities.

4. If possible, include two selections that you are interested in performing in their first concert. If the first major concert for the ensemble is a Christmas performance, it would be good to introduce two of these pieces at the first of the year. It can give the singers an idea of the type of music you will want to perform in concert. These Christmas pieces can be withdrawn after a few rehearsals and reintroduced in November when you want to begin serious rehearsals on them.

5. Include one folk-type piece that is well arranged. Avoid works that are not arranged well. Make this selection according to the same criteria used for every other piece.

6. Be sure to include compositions from more than one musical period. Give the singers a little tonal variety always and especially during the first rehearsal.

Beginning the rehearsal

The singers are looking forward to the first rehearsal and, if the director is new, to meeting the director in a rehearsal capacity. They have not yet seen how the director handles rehearsal time or how he conducts. The responsibility for getting the rehearsal off to a good start rests with the director. It must be planned carefully and properly paced.

It is probably necessary to have a few words to say in the way of an introduction but these words should be kept at a minimum. Unless an audition was not possible, the singers already know who you are and have met you. It is usually best to keep the remarks at the opening of the rehearsal short and get singing as quickly as possible. Remember, the singers came to sing, not to hear you talk.