Music teams need to move from the level of teaching songs at rehearsals to a level where everyone coming for any rehearsal have mastered their arts before arriving. Now, I’m talking effective and efficient rehearsal here. If you still want to keep your choir or team at mediocre level, then keep teaching songs line by line every time. Keep telling them repeat after me, “All Things Are Working for my good” 1,2,3 gooooo…
Keep doing “oya repeat after me”. You will be successful at raising a team that will not be self-dependent. They will sing the songs but will not know anything about music. They will always need the MD to be around.
That kind of Choir will never be global. You can’t raise music giants that way. Your singers can’t develop great singers and instrumentalists that way. You don’t raise stars and music icons that way. Only lazy singers who will give 1 million excuses for not scoring the song and will now say, ” Just teach us what to sing and we will sing it”. Noooooo…. Very bad!!!!!
All MD’s must say that. Stop spoon feeding your team. Teach them to be like you. To be able to stand on their own like you. You didn’t become good by waiting for someone.
Some instrumentalists just believe they are good and no song is difficult so they wait till they get to rehearsal before listening. They now start approximating and playing the chords of “Olori Oko” to “He Turned It”. They will now call it ” IMPROVISING”. That they are being creative. Wehdone sir. Mr Creativity. *Gbo Mi Sir* You be lazy man sir…
Every music director must insist on certain things. First teach your members how to score music on their own. You can train them to read the sheet and sight-read. While they learn that also teach them how to score by ear. Yeah, I know some professional Musicians believe there’s nothing like scoring music by ear because you won’t be detailed. But scoring by ear isn’t a wasted skill. It can still make up.
Make it a rule that no one appears at rehearsal without knowing the song. What are they coming to do in the first place?? To eat yam???
It may take awhile depending on several factors for your team members to master scoring songs on their own, let them still do it. It may be plenty work but don’t listen to those who complain or give excuses. There are times I walk out of a rehearsal if the people haven’t scored the song. I tell them they have one hour and when I come back they must have scored it. I will refuse to teach anyone. I have used this method to force people to learn how to recognize notes, parts etc. Did it take longer yes, was it work… Yes more work but I’m particular about building people not just singing well or rehearsing “sharp sharp”. And its paying of now. I’ll continue to do this. I don’t look at the face of UCHE..even if you’re angry you will still rehearse on your own. I won’t spoonfeed you..
Have you heard of a choir doing 5 songs in 90 minutes or trashing one very technical song in one hour, it happens to them because the people have mastered the art and act of personal song scoring.
You may have a separate rehearsal for instrumentalists and for singers then bring everyone together to do the song. While rehearsing please let everyone understand the groove of that song, the body gestures needed and how to interpret it. Some people have only 2 dance steps in all their life. Its either they are moving left and right or up and down. Rehearsal is not just for singing. Perfect your dance as well. Get the best body movement or dance for each song.
Make your rehearsals effective by being deliberate about all you do. No one should be jobless at rehearsal. You must be adding value and doing something.
Rehearsal actually begins at home and in your mind before you come into the team meeting.
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