Demystifying Score Study

(From the interest session, “Process to Product: Demystifying Score Study,” by David Rayl.  Presented during the 2012 North Central Division Conference)

 

       Score study need not be daunting or excessively time consuming or drudgework. Each of us has the skills and the imagination to do it. We have the time to do this. And we can actually make it fun. Best of all, the more we master the art and skill of studying a score, the more effective we are in rehearsal, the more our students will learn, and the more compelling our performances will be.

       For me, the most important component of score study is asking questions. What is the composer doing here? How is she doing it? Why did he make this decision? What are the implications of what’s on the page? The questions you ask yourself can also be asked of your students to engage them in the rehearsal process and to guide their learning.

       Wrestle with the text. If it’s in a foreign language learn to pronounce it like a native; get a translation—more than one if possible—commit it to memory and use it during rehearsal. Find an original source of the text. Has the composer elected to set all or part of it? If only part, does it alter the meaning?

       Then consider the formal structure of the work. Where does it naturally divide into large sections, sub-sections, phrase groups, phrases (based on text, tonal area, texture…)? When comparing sections or phrases ask yourself: Is this music the same or different? If different, how is it different? If it is the same, is it exactly the same? If it is somewhat the same, what are the similarities and what are the differences? Why the differences? And the most important question: What are the implications for performance?

       Continue to ask questions and as you do so, make specific decisions about dynamics, articulation, phrase shape, color, tempo, etc. Move back and forth between a macro and micro view, like a biologist with a microscope, focusing in on one area or one element then pulling back to figure out how these relate to one another.

       Throughout this process, you are building an aural template of what you want to hear and you are creating a repertoire of rehearsal strategies (verbal instructions, both technical and descriptive; kinesthetic experiences; vocal exercises; conducting gestures)—the building blocks of future rehearsals planning.

       Final thoughts: By going deeper you’ll learn to love the music more and be a better teacher. BE BOLD! BE IMAGINATIVE! ENJOY!