How Singers Prepare

office08392
Feb 23
2 min read

At concerts, our singers are often asked how often we practice. Audience members have expressed surprise that we don’t just… stand up there and sing!

In addition to our weekly 2-hour rehearsals with Rodney and our fabulous accompanist, David Cole, singers usually spend time at home during the week practicing on their own. We recently sent a survey to all 170 singers; 70 responded. Here are the results:

Singers were also prompted to comment on their process, and 37 did so. Most people said that they use more than one practice strategy outside of rehearsals. Here are some sample comments:

I use multiple strategies throughout the season. I will start a new piece listening and singing along to the whole piece/movement repeatedly, then I will find my trouble spots, and listen to (and sing along with) recordings of that section repeatedly, picking out my part on the piano as needed as well. I will often slow down online recordings to get the notes and rhythms correct and then speed up until I can sing that section with confidence at a faster/concert pace. Often I'll listen to the entirety of our larger works as background music during my workweek just to get the feel of the piece in my ear, especially the week leading up to our concert.
I am all in at rehearsals and try to bring my A game. What I’ve learned is that if I can know my music really well, and all my fellow choir members do, too, that we make magic together! The world sparkles!
Most of my prep time is prepping the score itself with Rodney’s notes, measure numbers etc. [At the start of each year, Rodney posts edited versions of every piece of music for the year, and asks us to pencil in dynamics, where to breathe/not breathe, where voice parts subdivide (S1/S2, A1/A2, and so on)].
It’s not unusual to find me practicing in my car during lunch hour at work!
I do all of the above preparation plus I practice English tongue twisters.
When I receive the titles of the pieces we're doing in a season, I listen and read through each of them - it's an exciting Sunday afternoon activity. Anything in my part (S2) that jumps out as not-very-sight-readable I'll take to the piano and review. Any parts I'm not getting during our second or third read-through go on my to-do list for at-home prep. This really varies depending on the difficulty (ex. more for the Missa Solemnis, not as much for Verdi, seldom for something like a Rutter anthem). It's exciting coming to rehearsal and getting to join forces with other voices. The culmination of our preparation and collective energy is exhilarating!
I prepare once or twice at home near the time of a concert if I feel I need it. [All hail this singer’s self-confidence and abilities!]