Rehearsal Behavior

Recently, a very highly-respected and professional conductor from around the area came to work with my band because our director had to be absent. All the underclassmen were terrified because the older students told them frightening tales about this director and how cruel he can be. For privacy purposes I will just reference to him by his first name, Steve. Steve is an extremely talented musician and an even better conductor, but sometimes he can be a little intimidating. Sometimes he can even be a little mean. He has never been overly mean to my band any time he has come to work with us, but everyone still knows the stories in which he is quite snippy with other bands. Thanks to the upperclassmen, all the younger students were terrified out of their minds. However, the rehearsal went very smoothly and Steve was very nice and calm. The next day when our director returned, he was very pleased with us. He said Steve was impressed with the rehearsal etiquette we displayed while he was working with us. This may not seem like much, but it is a big compliment. Many high school bands are untrained and disrespectful during rehearsal. This surprises guest conductors when they come in to work with bands because they expected better behavior out of the students. Thanks to our director, my band has been trained well and we know how to behave when it is time to get serious and work.

The first and probably most noticeable thing a band can do is look interested in what they are doing. Before we started the rehearsal with Steve, everyone was reminding each other to make sure they do not yawn, check the clock or a phone, or look bored any time during the rehearsal. Any of these things suggest a lack of interest, which creates a poor environment for learning and improving. If the students do not care about the rehearsal, why should the director? On the other hand, looking interested and being focused sends positive messages to the director and also causes a ripple effect. Students rub off on each other, so if a few people are presenting a great attitude then it will spread to others. It is important that the group as a whole in actively engaged so they are prepared to give the rehearsal their best effort.

Another thing to do is to always give your very best effort no matter where you are or what you are doing. You can not simply decide when you are going to play well, you have to always play well. You should always put the same effort forth for warming up, tuning, to playing actual songs and everything in between. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Similarly, practice makes permanent. If you always practice with little effort, you will perform exactly like that. This is why you should always put your best effort into any rehearsal.