As we rehearse our Christmas music, here are a few good ideas to help:
Record. If you have a smart phone or some other kind of audio recorder, consider recording the practices. You will hear the piano part and the choir singing it. Listen to the recording through the week to get your part down.
Mark Your Music. In the back of the choir room you will find paper clips, post it notes, pencils and a pencil sharpener to help you mark your music. Mark breaths, holds, and other trouble areas that we work on in rehearsals. If it’s a “Watch the director here” moment in choir, mark it in your music. If it’s a “Big breath” moment, mark “BB” in your music. Do whatever it takes to not make the same mistakes twice. And please, please do not rely on your brain to remember everything we work on in practice.
Look Up. As we rehearse, get into the habit of holding your book up and looking over the book at the director. Do not rest your book in your lap and look down at it. Looking up will not only help with noticing the director’s cues, but it will help the overall sound of the choir as your voice flows out and not down. In addition, your posture will improve. Who knows, maybe a scout from the Los Angeles Opera will be in our services, notice how excellently you sing and offer you a $1M contract to become a vocal instructor. It could happen. You never know.
-Bro. Ryan