All We Want Is All You Have All the Time

ALL WE WANT IS ALL YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME.

Many of my posts are aimed at creating a solid culture inside a choir. It’s a big thing for me. I have found that two enemies of great rehearsal are LACK OF FOCUS and LACK OF EFFORT. I guess it would be fair to also call these DISTRACTION and LAZINESS. 

The first problem is DISTRACTION, or LACK OF FOCUS. This happens when singers are preoccupied, or mentally “somewhere else.” They are trying to sneak a peek at their phones, think about lunch, talk about the weekend, etc. They are not 100% involved in rehearsal. They often mistake non-singing time for “break time.” This is a horrible mindset - there is so much to learn from observing the rehearsal of other singers! Inevitably, this mentality leads to a revolving door of focus/distraction or a mindset that the singers can multitask. SPOILER ALERT: MULTITASKING DOES NOT WORK.

The second problem is LAZINESS, or LACK OF EFFORT. That doesn’t mean singers are taking naps, but it does mean they are not chasing excellence through sustained effort. Many of my singers will proudly proclaim “I’m not doing anything wrong!” That’s an awfully low bar. It isn’t enough to “just sing.” The singers must be working hard to build a technique and to create art. There’s a big difference between “not doing anything wrong” and “doing it right.”

Choir Bites Interactive Slides can enhance online/hybrid lesson plans or be used as supplemental assignments. Your singers’ awareness will rise as they engage with these simple, “sticky” concepts! Click here to learn more! 

This is why I remind my singers: “ALL WE WANT IS ALL YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME.” (“WE WANT IT ALL.” for short) Translated: “It should not be a surprise that I expect you to (a) only do choir during choir and (b) do it to the best of your ability.” After all - they only real choice during rehearsal is DO IT EXTREMELY WELL or DO IT IN A MEDIOCRE/POOR FASHION. Singers who can give themselves completely to great singing will feel more positive, more accomplished, and rarely bored. Remember “Work hard; play hard?” There’s a reason it isn’t “Work somewhat inefficiently while constantly squeezing in bits of extraneous entertainment.” That never got anyone anywhere. 

PLAN rehearsal time, PLAN break time, and do not mix the two! Time on task is paramount - ALL WE WANT IS ALL YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME.