The first rehearsal is a very important one. It is the first meeting of the entire choir; the first encounter, as a choir, with a new director, and your first chance to hear the results of your selections. Even when the first rehearsal of the year is not the director's first rehearsal in a new school, the rehearsal is crucial. Student attitudes are important in a choir and the attitude established during the first rehearsal will carry into the first part of the semester.

Determine which seating arrangement you believe will be best for this choir at this time. Each singer's name may be written on a small piece of heavy paper and placed on a bulletin board for ease while determining the final seating arrangement. If each section is labeled on a different colored paper it becomes easy to place voices and know the section arrangement at a glance. This becomes particularly handy if you want to utilize a scrambled or mixed seating arrangement.

Once you have determined the seating for the first rehearsal, you must then determine which will be the best way to inform the students of their place in the choral room. Whatever method is chosen, it should be one that will avoid confusion at the beginning of the first rehearsal. Exactly what you will do will depend on the size of the choral room (whether or not there is room for people to group in sections away from the chairs and wait to be seated), what hour of the day the choir meets (whether or not there is free time immediately preceding the hour, which could allow some students to help with the seating), and the size of the group.

The following methods have worked in various situations. It is necessary to determine a method that will work in your particular situation. Although this seating may seem unimportant, it will be an indicator to the singers of the manner in which you approach the choir, your concern that everything be just right for rehearsal, your ability to make the most use of available time, and the importance of this ensemble. All of these factors are psychological, on which much of the success of the first rehearsal hinges. You should adapt these approaches to your particular situation.

One method is to have the students group under signs already placed around the room—tenors, etc. Then call off the names and indicate where they are to sit. At the same time have two singers (whom you have already assigned), ready to hand folders to the others as they are seated.

Another method is to place the students' names on the chairs and have the singers find their own name. Folders can be distributed after the choir is seated or may also be placed on the chairs.

The seating chart may also be placed on a bulletin board near the entrance of the room and a listing of folder assignments next to it. Members can determine where they are to sit, then get their folders, and be seated. For small choirs, including small church choirs this can be done informally by simply instructing the singers where to sit as or after they enter.

It is important that the students understand that they are seated in a particular place for a purpose. People often ask to sit next to a friend. They usually have not given any thought as to the reasons the choir is arranged as it is. In your announcements during the first rehearsal, impress upon the choir the reasons for the seating and that it will remain as it is until you change it for a good reason.

Much of the following is directed to a choral director in a school setting. The same premise applies to any rehearsal room or situation, for example, a church choir or community choir. Regardless of the type of choir it is always best to provide as pleasant environment for the rehearsal as possible. And, where the space is not ideal a director can improve the space by a few, simple adornments and may also change the way it is used, i.e., altering the direction of the seating, etc., creating a different and improved space.

The rehearsal room should be made as attractive as possible before classes begin. Usually every school district requires the teachers to report for in-service meetings several days before classes open. You can use part of this time to get your choral room ready for classes. Do not rely on the custodian to place the chairs as you want them. It will probably be necessary for you to do this. The bulletin boards should not be left vacant. Classrooms are often dull and lifeless looking rooms and empty bulletin boards add to this unattractive setting. It is not necessary though, to spend many hours making bulletin boards. Your time could be better spent in other preparations. Several record jackets of choral groups can be effectively used, with some color backgrounds, or you can use pictures of ensembles and some of the programs from previous years. Of course, bulletin boards will be used later for choir activities and information. A simple, but colorful bulletin board will help dress up a classroom. The above suggestions are but two of many. It is important to do something attractive but not to spend much of your time doing it.

The accompanist is a vital part of every rehearsal. The following comments will pertain to every rehearsal, but will logically occur before the first rehearsal.

Determine who the capable pianists are as early as you can. If you are new to the job, check the programs from the previous year for the names of the accompanists. If they are still in school, get in touch with them. Ask the band and orchestral directors about accompanists. They usually know since they also use accompanists for instrumental soloists. If necessary, find out who the local piano teachers are and call them to determine if any of their students are possible accompanists. However, keep in mind that private piano teachers may not be aware of the requirements of a good accompanist. A student who works on one piano piece all year and plays it in a recital may not be capable of playing as a choir accompanist.

If capable students are available, they should be given the opportunity to play. If possible, and if there are several possible pianists, have them audition for you. Have them play a piano solo and one or two pieces of choral music, which you can select. The accompanist should be able to sight-read to some degree, although this should not be the most important attribute. Actually, the accompanist will not sight-read very often. It should be a rare occasion when the accompanist and the choir will sight-read a work at the same time. Whenever possible, the accompanist should be given a new piece at least several days before it is introduced to the choir.

During the audition, direct the accompanist in a choral piece to see how well he follows your direction. When possible, select two accompanists. They can divide the accompanying responsibilities. If they both sing, this will give them an opportunity to sing in the choir as well as to accompany it.

Once you have chosen the accompanist(s), set a time several days prior to the first rehearsal when you can spend approximately thirty minutes explaining the role of an accompanist in your rehearsals. This is the time when you should give the accompanist a copy of each piece that will be used in the first rehearsal. Comment on each piece regarding tempo, when you want parts played, and the place of each piece in the format of the first rehearsal.

The following items should be discussed with the accompanist.

1. Write out the exercises that you will use during the first rehearsals and have the accompanist practice them with you. Let him know how high or low you wish the exercises to go and what signals you will use to indicate a change of pitch direction.

2. The accompanist should give all pitches, in order, from the lowest part to the highest part. When chords are given in this manner, the root of the chord will be heard sooner (since it is often the bass). This allows singers to more readily associate the entire chord with their pitch as it is given.

3. Ask the accompanist to pay close attention to your directions so he can anticipate the place in the score at which you want to start.

4. Impress upon the accompanist that he can save valuable time in every rehearsal and that the time is important. An ineffective accompanist can continually halt the flow of a rehearsal. This can be very annoying to the choir and to the director.

5. Instruct the accompanist that, when playing separate parts, to play from the vocal line rather than to continue to play from the piano reduction. The reduction will not include the proper voice leading. In works without a piano reduction, either have the accompanist write out the parts or have two pianists combine to play all the lines, when necessary.

6. The accompanist should be at the piano as quickly as possible at the beginning of the rehearsal. You will want to begin rehearsals when most of the students are seated.

7. Let the accompanist know that his position is very important. Ask him to have you notified if he is ill, and notified in advance, of any scheduled trips that will take him from rehearsals. It is very distressing to elaborately plan to rehearse a work that needs an accompanist, only to find, after the rehearsal begins that the accompanist is ill that day, or worse, that he is on a field trip that was planned a month in advance.

8. If the accompanist is capable, try to include at least one accompanied work in each concert that will give him an opportunity to play in public.

If student accompanists are not available, it may be necessary to hire an adult to play for rehearsals. This may require you to convince the administration that the expenditure is necessary. Make every effort to convince them that if the ensemble is to advance musically, you need a capable accompanist.

If the accompanist is a singer, every possible opportunity should be provided for him to sing. When possible it is best to alternate accompanists so each has the chance to sing in the choir.

The first rehearsal should be paced so that it moves fairly rapidly. This time must not drag for the choir members. The suggestions given pertain especially to the first rehearsal but often apply to daily rehearsals and particularly to special day rehearsals. A full discussion of rehearsal pacing and planning will take place later in the module Regular Rehearsals.

Know that a certain amount of time will be lost seating the singers and distributing the music. If the rehearsal is sixty minutes, you will probably only have forty to forty-five minutes of actual rehearsal time.

It is important to let the singers experience some of the rehearsal techniques that you will employ during every rehearsal. At the same time it is not necessary to try to teach them all you know during the first rehearsal. The choir should get the idea that rehearsals will be enjoyable, but that they are to be enjoyable working sessions with music, not fun and games. Be sure that the rehearsal is approached in a firm, businesslike manner. This does not mean that the rehearsal should have a sombre appearance. It does mean that the members must learn quickly that rehearsals are serious studies in choral music and not the place for horseplay.

The first piece to be sung should be one of little difficulty with a text in the singer's native language or one familiar to all the singers. If a cappella, use piano to reinforce the parts. Do not begin reading the piece by requiring the singers to use text. Singers in a new choir, still trying to determine what their personal vocal contribution will be, should not be asked

to attempt to read pitches, rhythms, and text at the same time. Instead, speak or tap the rhythm for them. Give them an idea of the rhythmic flow. It may be necessary to have the pianist play some of the opening measures so they can hear the harmony. Initially, read it on a syllable such as "loh". After one or two times through part of it, introduce the text. It is not necessary to read all of the piece in this rehearsal but this will depend on the length of the work, the complexity of the work and the choir's reading capabilities. If all the piece is not read, the director should have the choir sing the part that will give them the best idea of the essence of the work, and a part they will immediately enjoy. An easy piece can probably be sung in its entirety and a portion of it can be rehearsed in some detail. Do not feel compelled to read passages that are complex during this rehearsal unless the choir has very good sight-singing capabilities.

After the choir sings all of a piece, or part of it, some rehearsal time should be given to detailed work on a small section of the piece. Be careful in the selection of this piece or this part of a piece. Choose a portion of the piece that can be effectively rehearsed and is capable of some polish quickly. It is imperative that the singers be able to hear the results of your rehearsal methods. They need to know that even in the first rehearsal they have progressed under you as a director. You will not have to call their attention to it. If it occurs, they will know it.

Do not use this opening rehearsal to do tedious rehearsing. It will not be effective and it will kill the enthusiasm of the choir. It is more important to keep the rehearsal moving and to keep the singers interested and alert.

A breakdown of the rehearsal plan would be something like the following:

1. Seat the choir and distribute the music.

2. Make a few brief remarks, as appropriate.

3. Use exercises for three to five minutes.

4. Read first piece of moderate difficulty and rehearse more thoroughly at least one passage musically.

5. Read the second piece, which should also be easy material, unison if necessary, or easy two-, three-, or four-part music.

6. A three to five minute break to be used for additional announcements, if necessary.

7. Read part of a third piece, which could be of greater difficulty.

8. Save enough time to return to the piece that contained the section that was rehearsed. If the entire piece can be done with some success, sing all of it. If not, use the section that was polished somewhat, to end the rehearsal. It is important to end this rehearsal on a positive level. The last thing the singers should have on their minds as they leave should be a musical sound, at least some realization that the choir can produce a good sound. They will know that they have accomplished something and will be excited because of it. Do not end the rehearsal with sight-reading or with too many announcements. It will be more beneficial to end the rehearsal singing than to end it talking. Keep the rehearsal moving by having all announcements well planned so there is no stumbling around on the part of the director. Know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. Be sure that the impression you give the singers is one of careful planning, organized leadership, and musical competency.

The singers are looking forward to the first rehearsal and, if the director is new, to meeting the director in a rehearsal capacity. They have not yet seen how the director handles rehearsal time or how he conducts. The responsibility for getting the rehearsal off to a good start rests with the director. It must be planned carefully and properly paced.

It is probably necessary to have a few words to say in the way of an introduction but these words should be kept at a minimum. Unless an audition was not possible, the singers already know who you are and have met you. It is usually best to keep the remarks at the opening of the rehearsal short and get singing as quickly as possible. Remember, the singers came to sing, not to hear you talk.

Consider the following:

1. The choir should be told that you are pleased that they were selected through audition to be in the group.

2. That the development of a good choral ensemble is not a quick process but you are looking forward to working with them toward that end. This will let the members know not to expect the choir to attain a polished tone during the first rehearsal, or to sound as good as they may have in the spring concert the previous year.

3. Briefly state your ideas of the performance responsibilities that lie ahead and give them some idea of the music you intend to do in the first concert. People like to know immediately what is planned for them. Do not worry about being too specific but do not mislead the choir regarding your plans. Do not try to project plans that are unrealistic in an attempt to impress them. They will see through this if it is not true and will lose respect for their director. Ambitious plans should be thoroughly discussed with the administration before anything is mentioned to the students.

The most important thing is to get singing as quickly as possible. It is often best to say just a few words and then break into the rehearsal at a midway point and take care of other necessary announcements. The students will need a break at that time and will be ready to listen to what you have to say.

One good way to begin the rehearsal is simply by saying, "OK, let's see what we have put together," or "Let's hear what we sound like." Give a unison pitch and get the choir singing together, perhaps on a unison melodic exercise, which will sound better than trying to begin by singing four parts.

The following procedure could be used satisfactorily for the first rehearsal or a variation of it could be used.

After all are seated and have the music, a few short warm-up exercises can be used to begin the rehearsal. These exercises should be considered as part of the rehearsal itself. If they are important enough to be included, they are important enough for serious attention. The singers will be somewhat nervous about the sound during the first rehearsal. It will be easier for them to make the first sound in unison, rather than trying to read a new piece immediately. There is less chance of having a bad sound occur if an exercise is used first. Do not sing too many exercises, though. The tone in the opening rehearsal will often be fuzzy and lacking in unity. Do not expect to solve all the tonal problems of the choir in the first rehearsal.

Begin the singing with an exercise using a unison hum or humming in octaves. The students can hear better when they are humming and can adjust

Figure 9.1. 

to the pitch easier and follow any spoken suggestions you may make. One can change from the unison into a two-, three-, or four-part chord at a simple gesture or verbal direction from the director (see fig. 8.1).

Move voices to parts at will, not metrically, changing hum to vowel as desired.

The exercise shown below can be used to loosen the voice muscles and allow the singers to project a fuller tone.

Figure 9.2. 

Instead of using the exercises only for warm-up, try always to incorporate some tone building concept. Even in this first rehearsal, for instance, you can begin to instill the concept of growth in each note. Teach the students to sing forward, to stretch each note to its fullest capacity. A note that does not move forward, in terms of intensity, will lose some of its vitality. Introducing this concept at the first rehearsal can be valuable to the ultimate success of the tone of the choir.

This introduction in the first rehearsal will also give the director an opportunity to improve the tone of the choir in the opening minutes of the first rehearsal of the year. The students will immediately hear the improvement of the tone and will also be impressed with the capabilities of a director who can obtain results even at the outset.

Do not overdo the warm-up exercises. Three to five minutes is enough. Get to the music and continue to allow the voices to strengthen in the first piece. It should be remembered that, usually, most of the choir has not sung, at least not intensely, for several months. Do not try to push them too far, vocally, in these first rehearsals.