A Few Ongoing Thoughts on Running Rehearsals

With a bit of downtime, I reflected that I have quite a few little guidelines and mottos I carry with me, a toolkit that I’ve either stolen or learned through trial and (especially) error, but I've never formalised or written them down. These are no means complete or inflexible, and I can't claim to stick to them perfectly. It's something mainly for my own purposes that I will iterate on and tweak, but may be of interest to others.

In no particular order...

Be yourself

• Working with children is a revelation because they have no filter for bullshit; they spot it a mile off if someone is fake, and they disengage. The penny drop moment is in realising adults are exactly the same, they just learn to mask it through experience.

• You can be a slightly heightened and more outgoing version of you, but it still has to be the real you.

Swap problems for solutions, particularly solutions the players can provide themselves

Skip the part where you say what people did wrong, no matter how politely you say it. They almost certainly already know and don't need you to tell them in front of all of their colleagues who also know what went wrong. In the case that they don't, offer a strategy and word it with a constructive and positive objective. If X section is rushing their tune, you can say “The Y section are really secure on this syncopated rhythm underneath us, so let's have another go specifically listening to them to help the tempo remain steadier”. This can hopefully solve the problem of the X rushing without reprimanding them for it, the Y will feel a greater sense of responsibility and be more willing to play their role for everyone else's benefit, they will realise the importance of their role if they didn't already, and the rest of the orchestra will know to listen to them. 

Give people the chance to do it again

Before you stop and say anything, remember that players, children to professionals, would prefer the opportunity to solve the problem on their own, and likely already know how to, given a second chance. They'd also probably prefer to think about it in their own way without you interfering. You don’t need to draw any attention to who in particular would benefit from another go, you can just say that you think we all (including yourself) would benefit from giving it another read.

• Let's say a solo wind player had a few slips the first time through, it's crucial when you run this again to have the right balance of helpful but hands-off: if you eyeball the player and hold their hand through it, the spell is broken - that wind player probably knows at least part of the reason you’re doing this again for them, so don’t kick them when they’re down by making it so obvious to everyone!

  • Have your receptors open for how they felt about the mistake in the first place - they may well be looking at you with some kind of apprehensive grimace, wondering how you'll react - a small grin can immediately dissipate the tension and let them know it's no problem and you trust them. You also might get the vibe that they really don't want another go right now, which is just as useful.

  • You can shift the focus by giving a different section something to work on in the same passage, which grants a chance to that player to give it another shot while the heat's off, while you also reap the benefits of the thing you said you wanted to work on.

Believe in your ability to do your job

If you've done your homework, there's no reason you can't do the job before you. Don't apologise for having ideas you believe in. If the players see a self-doubting bag of nerves before them, they won't exactly be inspired or confident that this is going to go well...

…but obviously, don't be cocky, either.

Know when to move on

It doesn’t matter how constructively, patiently, enthusiastically you persist with something, sometimes it’s just not going to happen here and now and you should move on before the returns have started to diminish too much. Avoid this mistake becoming 'a thing'.

Sing

• Immediately illustrates what you're after. You can demonstrate tempo, articulation, phrasing, colour, intonation, anything! Infinitely clearer and more immediate than explaining.

• You have the privilege of remaining silent and judging your colleagues’ work while they put themselves out there, so occasionally getting the chance to show you are a musician too and want to make music with them is never a bad thing. It doesn't have to be beautiful, but if it's in tune and confident you prove that you are also willing to do something quite exposing by audibly putting yourself on the chopping block in front of you skilled colleagues.

Let the orchestra play as much as possible 

• Doing is a lot more fun and useful than talking, for everyone involved.

• Rehearsals that are too bitty are no fun and you leave feeling you've barely played.

• Be aware of people who are sitting around a lot - don't make them count the rests if you're not going to get to their bit.

• Always start a rehearsal with an extended stretch of playing, to let everyone get in the zone, start working together, relax and have a reprieve from whatever else is going on in their lives.

Give people one clear thing to focus on at a time

• Nobody wants to be told twelve things they need to work on the next time they play that passage. Similarly, if a conductor spends several minutes explaining everything that each section needs to work on in minute detail they've wasted their breath, because the percussionists who waited through a 5 minute shopping list of things that didn't apply to them have switched off, and the people who were addressed at the start have forgotten what they were told.

• Don't talk too much and aim for the most distilled and clear version of what you aim to say.

Listen to what people have to say, but know when to move the conversation on

• If they've put themselves out there and said something out loud, they feel it's important. Even if you don't think it's important or relevant, by sidelining them you demonstrate you don't think their voice is important, which will encourage fewer people to share ideas.

• Give it genuine consideration, because they may have thought of something you haven't or can see it from an angle you can't. 

• If it really isn't something for right now, provide a response like “could we look at that together at the end of the session?” and importantly, follow up on it.

Momentum - pace and space 

• In more detail-focused sections of rehearsals: only stop when you've already decided what to work on and what to say. Then you can say it immediately before anyone chats, and it's clear you have a plan. Keep the pace up and rehearse it several times with a clear target or tip for improvement each time.

• After rehearsing larger chunks: allow people a moment to catch their breath, joke with their desk partner about the bit they cocked up, scribble something they've wanted to write into their part for the last 10 minutes, let the leader pass a bowing back, generally allow people to decompress as you reflect on what you've just done and plan your next move.

Stick to time

I'm far better at this when they are working with an unfamiliar group, but it makes a huge difference. The best feedback I've had about rehearsals as a whole is always when I've finished sections of the rehearsal exactly when scheduled. Even if there were things about the actual rehearsing I thought I did a naff job of, if it runs like clockwork and finishes bang on time, people will tell you the rehearsal was good!

If you realise you were wrong and someone in the orchestra was right:

Own up clearly and succinctly, thank them and move on. Don't labour the point and definitely don't get into a spiral of self-deprecation.

Be patient

There is zero gain for anyone if you visibly get cross, frustrated, or impatient. More likely there will be a loss of respect. Persistently and positively offer feedback. Nobody does their best work for a bastard.

Treat every problem as your own

• This should be framed as a growth and improvement thing rather than a self-admonishment thing.

• If it's frustrating you that you aren't getting what you want even though you've rehearsed this passage multiple times and worked on this specific thing, you have to question how you alter your leadership to help them achieve that goal. You may well wish they would just play in time, feel you've been perfectly clear and given all the help they need, but they're still not playing in time, so the problem is still yours and you need to try something new and be aware that you might be causing the problem.

• If things go wrong communicatively yet you feel you were perfectly clear, remind yourself this probably isn’t the case, say “sorry if that wasn’t clear, let’s do that again and I’ll do a better job”. Then try something different/iterate on what you were doing. Even if it was great, it probably could have been better.

Pick your battles

Especially as it gets closer to the concert (or even on the day of), you need to balance what you're asking of the players with their morale and sense how good a job they feel they're doing. Have high standards until the end, but know when to let go of something in exchange for players who are relaxed and ready to do their best work.

Don't be stingy with praise, but don't overdo it, either

• If people work hard and everything is going well, acknowledge it and thank everyone. Always thank the orchestra at breaks, the end of the rehearsal, and acknowledge and praise when something has improved.

• If you lavish too much praise, it comes across as any combination of fake, delusional, patronising, or just weird.

It's not about you

• The less you can make it about yourself, the better.

• Have a creative vision, but measure success on the terms of the players and how much they are progressing in relation to their own standards rather than how much they are personally satisfying you.

• As well-intentioned as it may seem to say what an honour and privilege it is to work with people, if that’s your opening gambit, you're making it about you, making the players feel awkward and like you are overthinking things, and making it seem like you're suffering from imposter syndrome. Be humble and accessible, but leave it until the end to say how much you've enjoyed working with people.

• By getting into the habit of removing "I want/need/would like" from any sentence that could instead have "we could/should/need", a "how about", or "let's try", you're already being more mindful of making it about everyone else.

Less is more

• Always show your passion and enthusiasm for the music and working with your colleagues, but leave a bit in reserve so it means more in the concert. 

• The more large, exciting gestures you make, the less they mean, whereas they can yield amazing results when you choose your moment to switch on the excitement.

Don't be afraid to not have an answer right now 

• Far better in the long run to say you need to go away and think about it than give a weak, unsatisfactory solution because you felt pressured to provide the answer that instant.

• You don’t want to have to U-turn on something you said in haste after you’ve thought about it properly.

Give the orchestra everything they need and nothing they don't 

• If you do too much and over - conduct, you'll come across as controlling, untrusting, micromanaging.

• If you try to be everywhere all at once, completely infallible and scooping up every tiny detail with your amazing musical abilities, you're making it about yourself and displaying a distinct lack of leadership ability. 

• The long term of dominating and micromanaging the orchestra is that they will stop communicating with each other and the music will suffer for it.

• By letting the orchestra make music and using a light touch to help people stay together but not hold them with an iron grip, they will grow in agency, listen more, and make music more communicatively, which is better for everyone. 

• Create leaders and give players/sections the platform to take the reins.

Conduct the music

Sometimes in the pursuit of clarity, helpfulness, or showing something in particular, we just get in the way, and become a hindrance rather than a help. Never forget you're trying to help people to perform this piece of music.

Keep it light and don’t take yourself too seriously

• People do their best work when they are relaxed, not stressed. 

• Learn when to crack a joke, and when not to.

• You can show that you take the music and the role extremely seriously but still smile and chat to everyone, and poke fun at yourself.

Talk to everyone

The more you learn everyone’s name, chat to them in the break and (sincerely) say you loved the way they played that solo, have a cup of tea with everyone and chat about basically anything not to do with music, the more you lower your own status in a good way and become a colleague, and stop being a distant weirdo on a podium.