How can you best manage your time in order to effectively lead choral rehearsal? From Jo-Michael Scheibe, DMA, USC Thornton School of Music.

1. Effective Rehearsal Leadership
Time Management in the Choral Rehearsal
Jo-­Michael Scheibe, DMA
Chair and Professor
Department of Choral and Sacred Music
USC Thornton School of Music
scheibe@thornton.usc.edu

2. Definition of Leadership
“Social influence on mission
accomplishment. Getting effective
cooperation of other people and to
harness the resources provided by
that cooperation to the attainment
of a goal.”

3. Definition of “to Conduct”
Conduct comes from the Latin word
conducere which means to lead
together.
In Webster’s dictionary, the word is
defined as: “to direct the course of, or
to guide, to lead.”

4. So how do we lead and guide our students?
Goal Setting-­ SMART:
S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic and…
T imely
Kathleen A. Foord and Jean M. Haar, Professional Learning
Communities: An Implementation Guide and Toolkit (New
York: Routledge, 2008), 104.

5. Goal Setting - SMART
• Specific:
– Should be shared with the
choir
– Define desired result
– Avoid using terms like “more”,
“better”, “lots”, etc.
S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic and…
T imely

6. Goal Setting - SMART
• Measurable
– Quantitative results
– Define results that can be
measured by someone not
involved
S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic and…
T imely

7. Goal Setting - SMART
• Accountable
– Share the goal with
someone or some group
to which you are
accountable
• Realistic
– Make sure results are
attainable
– Challenge enough to
encourage growth
S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic and…
T imely

8. Goal Setting - SMART
• Timely
– Need for a specific
deadline to reach
expected results
– Must allow sufficient time
for full realization of
results S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic and…
T imely

9. So how do we
become
“SMART”er in
our choral
rehearsals?

10. S pecific
M easurable
A ccountable
R ealistic
T imely
E valuate
R e-­do

11. Successful Rehearsals
• Qualities of Excellent Rehearsals:
– Appropriate music selection
– Score preparation
– Rehearsal time is well planned
– Stimulating, exciting, and creative rehearsals

12. It’s All About Organization

13. Fibonacci Numbers and Golden
Proportion in Art, Architecture and Music

15. 4 Distinct Traits of SMART Rehearsals
• Direction
• Duration
• Maximum Intensity
• Would be success
Set Time
Duration (time)
Direction 61.8%
Intensity

16. Motivation!
• A traditional 60-­minute rehearsal:
– Warm-­ups (1+2+3 minutes)
– First musical composition (5 minutes)
– Second composition (8 minutes)
– Third composition (13 minutes)
– Fourth Composition (21 minutes)
– Final selection (8 minutes)
• All of these can be broken down to
their own Fibonacci numbers.

17. For Further Success
• Have empathy with your singers
• Try to solve problems with gesture rather
than words
• Plan those rehearsals
• Be a “Team Leader”1
• Cultivate “Exemplary Followers”1
Shirlee Emmons and Constance Chase, Prescriptions for
Choral Excellence (New York: Oxford University Press,
2006), 237.

18. Motivation is the most
important part of learning.

19. Twelve Roadblocks to Mutual Learning
•Ordering, commanding,
directing
•Warning and threatening
•Moralizing or preaching
•Advising or offering
solutions
•Persuading with logic
•Judging, criticizing,
disagreeing, blaming
•Praising, agreeing (i.e.
phony praise)
•Name-­calling, ridiculing
•Interpreting, analyzing,
diagnosing
•Reassuring or
sympathizing
•Interrogating
•Distraction, Sarcasm
Thomas Gordon, Leadership Effectiveness Training L.E.T.:
The No-­Lose Way to Release the Productive Potential of
People (New York: Bantam, 1980), 60-­62.

20. A Successful Rehearsal…
• Is treated as a work in progress
• Has expectations or goals
• Will use gesture rather than speech to solve
problems
• Starts and ends on time
• Has a list of music to be rehearsed on the
board
• Takes place in a clean and organized room

21. A Successful Rehearsal…(cont.)
• Is one where the singer shares in the
responsibility of the rehearsal
• Starts at a level the choir can attain
• Is one where the conductor’s body is free
from tension
• Satisfies and antagonizes the students to
learn clear, positive goals
• Is one where each singer has a sense of
ownership

22. A Successful Rehearsal…(cont.)
• Go through lots of music
• In a church setting, do
anthems more than once
to help build perfection
• Make minutes count

24. To Maintain a Rehearsal
• Use humor
• Respect your singers
• Be enthusiastic
• Score preparation -­ DO IT!
• Value choristers time by being prepared
• Warm rehearsal demeanor
• High, attainable (SMARTER) goals