Effective Time Management in Ensemble Rehearsal

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 11, 2011

Effective Time Management in Ensemble Rehearsal

               In this article, Manfredo describes the different qualities he finds important in creating an effective class in the limited amount of time given for rehearsal. He refers to rehearsal content, preparation and planning, verbal feedback, error correction and self-evaluation. All of these qualities are crucial to keeping the rehearsal rolling with as much student participation and activity as possible so the teacher can accomplish all of their goals.

                I am a firm believer in making a strong relationship between teachers and their students. When I was in high school and even now in college, I always enjoyed when the teacher would treat like a human and not like I was just a child who they had to take care of. Teachers must be clear, concise and unambiguous when it comes to giving students instructions to keep the students in the rehearsal and focused. I also enjoy when my choir teachers let the choir go through an entire song without stopping them and then when they finish, the teacher will go back and make a few pointers and corrections where needed. In my opinion, it feels much more efficient and effective than just starting randomly in a piece, although that is also necessary sometimes.

               I agree that choosing literature that isn't beyond the students' abilities is very important, especially when you only have a limited amount of rehearsal time. As the teacher, you set goals, but you have to limit the concepts you want to achieve in the rehearsal to help the students learn and you must comprehend the music you present your students. You should also maintain strong eye contact and limit your comments to ten to twenty seconds so you don't waste any time. I also feel that by video taping yourself and keeping track of how much you talk during rehearsal is an efficient way to figure out how to cut back on your talking so the students have time to learn the music and stay active in the rehearsal. This article definitely helped me understand all the different ways to save time in the short amount of time you have in rehearsal.

Manfredo, Joseph. (2006). Effective time management in ensemble rehearsals. Music Educators Journal, 93 (2), 42-46.