CJ Replay: Rehearsal Discipline

“In order to achieve successful discipline in the rehearsal, the choral director must begin with discipline in mind. Before they enter the first rehearsal, they need a plan of conduct: rules and consequences for infractions. Waiting to address discipline problems as they occur is operating backwards. A Code of Conduct should be in place the first day of school; it should appear in the Choir Handbook and be reviewed at the first rehearsal. Society has rules that permit people to live in harmonious order. When order breaks down, pandemonium results. When the choral rehearsal reflects pandemonium, it is safe to say that the director did not begin with discipline in mind. Every choir, including adult choirs, should have a Code of Conduct. It is best to keep the number of rules small; five or six. While some directors may have a long list of statements, many are un-enforceable (e.g., “follow instructions.”). What must be addressed are those behaviors that, when violated, result in rehearsal breakdown.”

 

(from the Choral Journal article Plannng a Successful Choral Reheaarsal: Begin with Discipline in Mind [scroll to page 73] by Kenneth Phillips)