Paul Carey has a great blog post up containing rehearsal insights from Rick Bjella, Randal Swiggum, Nick Page, Larry Doebler, Lucy Thayer, Tim Bruneau, and Patty O’Toole.
Really great stuff:
Student investment and ownership:
- have students develop their own text interpretations
- use story telling (composers, personal experiences relating to the text, communing with nature, growing-up, losing loved ones, stories by other artist, authors, poets, visual artist)
- believe in your story
- have the students read a letter (that you or they create) from the composer about her intentions for the piece.
- have the students teach a spiritual, or folk song by rote to the class before passing out the arrangement
- invite student opinions on an artistic decision (e.g. where exactly the crescendo should begin, which vowel color suits the mood of a particular word best, etc.)
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