[Trombone-l] Rules for Rehearsal - looking for some help

[David W. Buckley]

My pet peeve for irritating the conductor is the player who asks for a note 
check the last rehearsal before a concert in a piece we have been practicing 
for weeks and that has been a staple in our repertoire for years, during all 
of which time  that player has been a member of the ensemble.

Tips for a good rehearsal  include a conductor who is prepared, who doesn't 
waste time, who gently or otherwise demands concentration and who keeps the 
rehearsal interesting. For vocal groups, varying between sitting and 
standing can be useful. Better to go too quickly in practice than too 
slowly, even if you overlook some details. Choir is, more so than some other 
type musical groups, a social time for many so work them hard , then relax, 
then work them hard to they have a little social time between pieces, but 
not too much.

Hope this helps Tim.

Dave.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Josh Kane" <JKBone5723 at cox.net>
To: "Richardson,Timothy Mr. DAC USAG Ansbach DPW" 
<timothy.a.richardson at us.army.mil>
Cc: "bone list" <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 8:22 AM
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Rules for Rehearsal - looking for some help


Choir Team Rules

Personal Qualities

A choir is like any team: it only works when everyone pulls together,
this means making every effort to attend all practices and concerts,
getting to practices on time and letting the choir know if there is
any reason why you are absent or late.The choir demands that its
members show personal characteristics that good choristers throughout
the world need to show:-

Good Attendance
Are you 100% reliable? (You won't be any use if you only come some of
the time)


Punctuality
Are you consistently on time?


Behaviour
Are you well behaved at choir rehearsals and events?


Enthusiasm
Do you take an interest in what you are doing?


Responsibility
Do you take care of yourself and those younger than yourself?


Concert Rule
No fidgeting when the choir is on stage (whether it's singing, or not!).


Rehearsal Rules

Be quiet
A raised arm means be that everyone should be quiet. Don’t talk to
those around you in rehearsal.
Be alert
You need to be ready to start and stop singing with everyone else.
Listen for...
... what piece the Choir will practise next
... where in the piece we are going to start
... any special problems to look out for
Take care...
...of the sheet music -
don't play with it,
damage it,
crease it,
chew it(!), nor
leave it lying around.
Go to the toilet...
... before you come in to the practice
Follow
If someone else is singing, try and follow the music - you will learn
something




And now the conductor rules


A Player's Guide for Keeping Conductors in Line

by Donn Laurence Mills
If there were a basic training manual for orchestra players, it might
include ways to practice not only music, but one-upmanship. It seems
as if many young players take pride in getting the conductor's goat.
The following rules are intended as a guide to the development of
habits that will irritate the conductor. (Variations and additional
methods depend upon the imagination and skill of the player.)

1.Never be satisfied with the tuning note. Fussing about the pitch
takes attention away from the podium and puts it on you, where it
belongs.

2.When raising the music stand, be sure the top comes off and spills
the music on the floor.

3.Complain about the temperature of the rehearsal room, the lighting,
crowded space, or a draft. It's best to do this when the conductor is
under pressure.

4.Look the other way just before cues.

5.Never have the proper mute, a spare set of strings, or extra reeds.
Percussion players must never have all their equipment.

6.Ask for a re-audition or seating change. Ask often. Give the
impression you're about to quit. Let the conductor know you're there
as a personal favor.

7.Pluck the strings as if you are checking tuning at every
opportunity, especially when the conductor is giving instructions.
Brass players: drop mutes. Percussionists have a wide variety of
dropable items, but cymbals are unquestionably the best because they
roll around for several seconds.

8.Loudly blow water from the keys during pauses (Horn, oboe and
clarinet players are trained to do this from birth).

9.Long after a passage has gone by, ask the conductor if your C# was
in tune. This is especially effective if you had no C# or were not
playing at the time. (If he catches you, pretend to be correcting a
note in your part.)

10.At dramatic moments in the music (while the conductor is emoting)
be busy marking your music so that the climaxes will sound empty and
disappointing.

11.Wait until well into a rehearsal before letting the conductor know
you don't have the music.

12.Look at your watch frequently. Shake it in disbelief occasionally.

13.Tell the conductor, "I can't find the beat." Conductors are always
sensitive about their "stick technique", so challenge it frequently.

14.As the conductor if he has listened to the Bernstein recording of
the piece. Imply that he could learn a thing or two from it. Also
good: ask "Is this the first time you've conducted this piece?"

15.When rehearsing a difficult passage, screw up your face and shake
your head indicating that you'll never be able to play it. Don't say
anything: make him wonder.

16.If your articulation differs from that of others playing the same
phrase, stick to your guns. Do not ask the conductor which is correct
until backstage just before the concert.

17.Find an excuse to leave rehearsal about 15 minutes early so that
others will become restless and start to pack up and fidget.

18.During applause, smile weakly or show no expression at all. Better
yet, nonchalantly put away your instrument. Make the conductor feel
he is keeping you from doing something really important.







Hope this all helps,

Josh Kane


On Dec 5, 2006, at 6:14 AM, Richardson, Timothy Mr. DAC USAG Ansbach
DPW wrote:

>
> I'm having a problem with a church choir/praise team I work with,
> and I know
> some of you are involved in similar settings, but it may apply more
> generally to any rehearsal setting.
>
> This is a mix of adults and young people largely without a
> conventional
> music background, and we're having discipline problems and of
> course the
> hurt feelings that result.  (but sadly aren't enough to make the
> offenders
> quit.  Hee, hee)  I think that part of the problem is they just
> have no
> shared set of rules, even obvious stuff like maybe you shouldn't
> start a
> conversation during the downbeat, etc.
>
> Didn't somebody here have a list of rules for rehearsals, or rules for
> church choirs, or something?  My thought is a written list of
> procedures
> that everyone has a copy of may go a long way to ending the confusion.
>
> Wouldn't hurt to have a list for conductors, either.  I certainly
> have some
> pet peeves about what they do wrong.  <g>
>
> Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>
> -
> _______________________________________________
> Trombone-l mailing list
> Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
> http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l

_______________________________________________
Trombone-l mailing list
Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l


-- 
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.15.6/567 - Release Date: 12/4/2006 
7:18 AM