The Concert Is Tomorrow
The day before a concert, my singers are suddenly VERY CONCERNED. THE CONCERT IS TOMORROW! They rehearse with more energy and attention. They ask questions that have been answered many times before. Questions like…
-Where is that cutoff?
-Can you play my notes in this section?
-What time do we show up?
-Is it OK if I wear (whatever it is)?
-Can I be late if I’m coming from a game?
Does this happen to you? Even after years of teaching, this never ceases to amaze me. It happened with the Spring musical too… the calendar provided more pressure than I could. Does it have to be this way?
A friend of mine used to do this thing called THE PUSH. He would let certain aspects of rehearsal stay very relaxed for a long time. Talking was ok, poor posture was ok, etc. Then, two weeks before a concert, they had THE PUSH. In THE PUSH, everything had to be fantastic. I always thought, “This is a physical activity… so anything that’s good two weeks before the concert is good all the time, no?” After all, practice makes PERMANENT (not perfect).
When I started teaching in Kettering, my students used to steer into procrastination. They called it THE KETTERING MIRACLE. It referred to “everything being in bad shape but coming together at the last minute.”
My approach is to be consistent - to train as one hopes to perform. As humans, that isn’t always going to function at 100%, but it’s a goal. I can’t do THE PUSH. I can’t do THE KETTERING MIRACLE. I do THE WORK ETHIC.
I once read “to be productive, treat every day at work like it’s the day before vacation.” That made sense to me. Usually before a vacation there is a mad scramble to get projects done, so they don’t mentally weigh on a person trying to relax.
I have seen on several occasions (in bars and restaurants) the sign: FREE BEER TOMORROW. It sounds exciting but soon the gimmick is revealed…
I wonder if that’s a mindset we should develop: THE CONCERT IS TOMORROW. I might even make a poster for my classroom. We (singers and director alike) should strive to always rehearse like THE CONCERT IS TOMORROW.
