Intro: Rehearsals are very important. If run well, team members have a good time, songs are worked out and sound good, and everyone goes home glad to be a part of a great team. If run poorly, people get frustrated, feel stressed, don’t know their parts, and go home wanting to quit. It’s important that we strive to give our volunteers the best when it comes to our rehearsals. Below are some tips that will hopefully help you run effective rehearsals:
Be Ahead (of the Game): The most important work happens a week before the actual rehearsal. Make sure your team members have the song set a week in advance, as well as a recording of the songs in the proper key so they can practice along. Also make sure your chord charts are easy to read and have the right chords and lyrics. Send ALL of this to your team members a week (or more) in advance so they have time to practice and can be properly prepared to rehearse with the rest of the team. Also, make sure to email your sound / tech crew with what needs to be set up, where it should be on the stage, and any other important details they need to know to get everything ready before the upcoming rehearsal.
Be Prepared (to Start): Before the rehearsal starts, make sure that you’ve thought through all the parts / arrangements / structures of each song and that you know what you want each band member to play. When do you want them to come in, what do you want them to be playing, and how do you want them to play it? Make sure that you yourself have practiced the songs so that you aren’t fumbling through chords or words while leading the team. Before the singers arrive, make sure you know all the harmonies so you can help any singers who have trouble finding the right part. Think through who is singing what, and where you want them to sing. Before the band arrives, make sure that everything is set up, tested, and ready to go. Make sure the metronome has the proper tempos set in the correct order for the set. Basically, just make sure that everything is ready so that when the team arrives you can get started on time.
Be In Charge (of the Night): When rehearsal starts, it is important to be a strong leader. Everyone is looking to you for direction: the sound guys, the band, the singers. They want to know when practice starts, what is the order of rehearsal (ie: vocal run through, then devotional, then song rehearsal, then full run-through), what order are the songs in, what do you want the songs to sound like, when do you want them to come in with their parts, when will we finish, etc. It is important to be comfortable calling the shots, giving people direction, and refining the music. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it’s your responsibility to figure out what’s wrong and make it sound right. After all, you are in charge. Don’t leave it up to someone else, or up to chance. If you don’t take charge, practice will go long, and people will be confused, frustrated and tired. Lead strongly, you’re in charge.
Be Clear (in Communication): Once you know what you want, it is your job to make sure that your team members also know what you want. You must communicate it with them clearly, and be sure that they have understood you. Tell the players where you want them to come in, how you want them to play, where the singers should sing, etc. Ask them take notes of what you say, so they will remember. If there is confusion about a part, or differing opinions about what sounds good (whether a chord, a break, a tempo), it is your responsibility to make the final call and decide what you want them to do. Then, gently tell them, and move forward. If someone is singing a bad note, or playing a wrong chord, stop, find out who it is, ask them to show you what they’re doing, determine the problem area, and explain to them how to fix it (ie: “You need to be playing a G there, not a D”). Obviously, this means that you need to be able to hear everyone in your monitor mix, so you can hear what they’re playing and give them proper direction and instruction. Just be clear and straightforward in your communication. You’re in charge of achieving the sound you want.
Be Quick (to Move Forward): While working on the nitty-gritty of the songs, make sure to keep the practice moving forward. Respect your team members’ time and try to keep on schedule. If you stop a song to work on an individuals part, once it’s worked out, immediately tell the band where they’re starting (ie: “let’s go from the last half of the second chorus”) and count them in and keep moving through the set. Don’t let the down time just linger. Count everyone back in and get going onward. People want to get home to their families and responsibilities. If you’re helping someone figure out their part (they should’ve learned it before rehearsal) and they just can’t seem to get it figured out, then tell them that you’ll work with them after the rest of the team goes home. If the team is having trouble on a particular song, or part of a song, do it several times, and get it as close as possible, but don’t let it eat up your entire rehearsal time. Move onward, and tell them to practice it at home. Keep things speedy, and efficient. No one likes three hour rehearsals (though we’re all guilty of having them sometimes!)
Be Loving (in Relationships): Finally, in all of this, be loving and patient with the people who showed up to rehearsal. Take interest in them, their lives, their day, etc. If they don't know that you love them, then as you do all the other things in this article, you'll come across as bossy and mean. But if you love them while you do the above things you'll come across as organized and efficient as a leader. A little love covers a multitude of sins.
Be Prepared (to Start): Before the rehearsal starts, make sure that you’ve thought through all the parts / arrangements / structures of each song and that you know what you want each band member to play. When do you want them to come in, what do you want them to be playing, and how do you want them to play it? Make sure that you yourself have practiced the songs so that you aren’t fumbling through chords or words while leading the team. Before the singers arrive, make sure you know all the harmonies so you can help any singers who have trouble finding the right part. Think through who is singing what, and where you want them to sing. Before the band arrives, make sure that everything is set up, tested, and ready to go. Make sure the metronome has the proper tempos set in the correct order for the set. Basically, just make sure that everything is ready so that when the team arrives you can get started on time.
Be In Charge (of the Night): When rehearsal starts, it is important to be a strong leader. Everyone is looking to you for direction: the sound guys, the band, the singers. They want to know when practice starts, what is the order of rehearsal (ie: vocal run through, then devotional, then song rehearsal, then full run-through), what order are the songs in, what do you want the songs to sound like, when do you want them to come in with their parts, when will we finish, etc. It is important to be comfortable calling the shots, giving people direction, and refining the music. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it’s your responsibility to figure out what’s wrong and make it sound right. After all, you are in charge. Don’t leave it up to someone else, or up to chance. If you don’t take charge, practice will go long, and people will be confused, frustrated and tired. Lead strongly, you’re in charge.
Be Clear (in Communication): Once you know what you want, it is your job to make sure that your team members also know what you want. You must communicate it with them clearly, and be sure that they have understood you. Tell the players where you want them to come in, how you want them to play, where the singers should sing, etc. Ask them take notes of what you say, so they will remember. If there is confusion about a part, or differing opinions about what sounds good (whether a chord, a break, a tempo), it is your responsibility to make the final call and decide what you want them to do. Then, gently tell them, and move forward. If someone is singing a bad note, or playing a wrong chord, stop, find out who it is, ask them to show you what they’re doing, determine the problem area, and explain to them how to fix it (ie: “You need to be playing a G there, not a D”). Obviously, this means that you need to be able to hear everyone in your monitor mix, so you can hear what they’re playing and give them proper direction and instruction. Just be clear and straightforward in your communication. You’re in charge of achieving the sound you want.
Be Quick (to Move Forward): While working on the nitty-gritty of the songs, make sure to keep the practice moving forward. Respect your team members’ time and try to keep on schedule. If you stop a song to work on an individuals part, once it’s worked out, immediately tell the band where they’re starting (ie: “let’s go from the last half of the second chorus”) and count them in and keep moving through the set. Don’t let the down time just linger. Count everyone back in and get going onward. People want to get home to their families and responsibilities. If you’re helping someone figure out their part (they should’ve learned it before rehearsal) and they just can’t seem to get it figured out, then tell them that you’ll work with them after the rest of the team goes home. If the team is having trouble on a particular song, or part of a song, do it several times, and get it as close as possible, but don’t let it eat up your entire rehearsal time. Move onward, and tell them to practice it at home. Keep things speedy, and efficient. No one likes three hour rehearsals (though we’re all guilty of having them sometimes!)
Be Loving (in Relationships): Finally, in all of this, be loving and patient with the people who showed up to rehearsal. Take interest in them, their lives, their day, etc. If they don't know that you love them, then as you do all the other things in this article, you'll come across as bossy and mean. But if you love them while you do the above things you'll come across as organized and efficient as a leader. A little love covers a multitude of sins.
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