IN PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT REHEARSAL

JOHN A. THOMSON, Clinician

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Peoria Civic Center
Room 135/136
8:00 9:15 a.m.

ORGANIZING IDEA: Rehearsal time is a valuable commodity. This clinic will explore ways
to get the most out of the rehearsal time you have with your band, orchestra and jazz students.

FIVE PRINCIPLES THAT LEAD TO SUCCESSFUL AND PRODUCTIVE REHEASALS

Choose Quality Repertoire
Selections become the basis for your curriculum
Things to consider when selecting repertoire
The unit study composition

Know the Score

Comprehensive score study leads to well-ordered and productive rehearsals
Score study techniques
Dont learn the score in rehearsal

Dont Over-verbalize in Rehearsal

They want to play, so let them
Say what needs to be said and move on
Develop an intentional rehearsal language

Develop and Use your Conducting and Aural Skills

Show what you want, dont say it
Look like the music sounds
Encourage eye contact and remember it goes both ways
Aural skills matter

Plan your Rehearsals Thoroughly

Helps you get the most out of each rehearsal
Several levels of planning
Evaluate daily rehearsals

THE COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL REHEARSAL

Pre-rehearsal Preparation
Prepare the physical environment
Organize student support
Post the rehearsal order and special announcements

Warm-up
Get everyone involved
 Combination of intellectual, visual, physical and auditory processes
Time to emphasize fundamentals
You cant tune bad tone

Tuning
A journey, not a destination
Tuning and playing in tune
Its about the acoustical beats
Dont overuse electronics

Technique and Concept Building in the Ensemble

Sequential building of skills, techniques, habits and behaviors
Teach musical concepts (knowledge & understandings)
Teach musical literacy (sight-reading)
From dependent to independent learner

Problem Solving
Largest block of time
Follow well-established learning principles
Avoid repetition without purpose
Show them how to practice

Closure
End with a complete musical experience
Everyone involved

Post-rehearsal
Dont just walk away
Time to interact with students

HOW PODIUM PERSONALITY AND DEMEANOR CAN EFFECT REHEARSAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Create a Positive Learning Environment
Make it save
Conductor behaviors
Check your ego at the door
Its not about you

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION

QUALITY REPERTOIRE
I believe that the quality of the music we give our students will play a significant role in the
publics perception of the quality and value of music education itself. That is, if we present
music which is not serious to our students, we are simultaneously educating the public to
understand that what we are doing is not serious. (Whitwell, 1993, p.157).
Music of high quality need not be music of high complexity.There should be some pieces
which present few if any technical or musical problems, some which are very challenging
technically and musically, and most which can be performed and understood adequately but
which contain enough challenge to warrant periodic study over a long period of time. (Reimer,
1970, pp.133-134).

CURRICULUM PLANNING
The curriculum of a discipline is determined by the underlying principles and ideas that give
structure to that discipline. The music curriculum is sequentially planned so that primary
concepts are revisited, expanded and reinforced cyclically growing in depth and breadth from
year to year. This process of growth differs from the process of accumulation by addition. In a
cyclical sequence, the various items that need to be presented do not occur once and for all at
some predetermined time. They appear again and again, always in new settings, always with
additional meanings. The movement is progressive from simple to complex, obvious to subtle.
(Thomson, 1983, pp.4-5).

REHEARSAL PLANNING
We will spend hours selecting the perfect music for the upcoming concert, but will not extend
that same detailed preparation in the planning of the rehearsal format. Not only is this self-
defeating, but it becomes a vicious circle leading to personal stress, poor performances, strained
rehearsals, and a constant battle for program survival. (Lautzenheiser, 1992, p.25).

There are obviously not enough hours in the day to do everything we would like to do in order to
improve our ensembles. However, in terms of the success of our groups, the rehearsal is the
most important hour of the day. If the rehearsal is effective, the ensemble has a much better
chance of being successfulWe should have specific objectives in mind for each rehearsal
and should have a plan for attaining these objectives. Effective rehearsals dont happen by
chance. Careful planning of rehearsals and carrying out these plans are essential. (Vinson,
2005, pp.113-114).

CONDUCTING
The movement of the conductor is an important part of the rehearsal as well as the performance.
But many conductors limit their movement to the redundancy of time keeping and beat patterns.
This means that only stopping and talking, and not watching the conductor, encourages
expressive playingTo eliminate excessive time-beating, the conductor must lead by
empowering not by controlling. The conductor must encourage the ensemble to listen for the
internal pulse and then must give the ensemble responsibility to sustain it without time-beating or
a metronome. (McMurray, 2005, pp.82-83).

ENSEMBLE PULSE
I found over the years that the secret to getting an ensemble to play together is to share the
responsibility for keeping the pulse with the players in the groupSometimes in a rehearsal I
will stop conducting to see if the ensemble can maintain the pulse without my help. They always
can and this frees me to focus on shaping phrases and musical lines. (Thomson, 2009, p.19).
TUNING
A conductor has to understand that harmonic or just tuning and equal temperament are
different. A tuning device is wonderful for understanding the tendencies of an instrument in all
ranges and notes but cannot correct an ensembles tuning problems. (Thomson, 2009, p.19).

MEANS AND ENDS

In this context (Comprehensive Musicianship), instrumental performance is not an end in itself,
but a means to an end. That end includes the augmentation of knowledge and understanding of
the structural elements of music and of music as a creative art form of man in a historical
context; the cultivation of habits, attitudes, and appreciations, and, most important, the
development of each students aesthetic potential, his sensitivity and responsiveness to that
which is beautiful in music. (Garofalo, 1983, p.1).

We limit ourselves if we only think of our role as trainers of skill or developers of technique.
We can get caught up in teaching the notes and rhythms, the fingerings, how to shape the
vowels correctly, how to watch for precise cues the technique list is endless. As important as
all that is, we need to remember that technique must always have a higher calling than itself.
Our job is to develop the musicians technique as a means to something greater, something more
musical and meaningful. (Wis, 2007, p.76).

SIGHT-READING
Sight-reading is a true test of independent musicianship. If you want to prepare your students to
both desire and to be capable of participation in music after they leave high school and college,
then you must help them become independent musicians. Good sight-reading skills enable
students to form chamber ensembles, play successfully in church ensembles, and participate
confidently and successfully in community bands and orchestras. Isnt that a wonderful goal for
school music programs? (Cooper, 2004, p.129).

MUSICAL INDEPENDENCE
A major goal of music education is to develop students who are musically independent and can
progress to the next level by themselves after they leave school. (Thomson, 1995, p.11).

As conductors, we are entrusted with the growth of those who sing or play in our ensembles.
Their skills, knowledge and experience are equally important considerations. We cannot simply
focus on developing their abilities as singers and players; we must also help them understand the
creative process from the inside out so that they can move from being musical for us, to being
musical with us, to ultimately, being musical without us. Even if they spend the rest of their lives
as members of ensembles under someones direction, what we should want for the musicians we
lead is their ultimate independence: their ability to think and perform musically, to know what
musical decisions need to be made when faced with a score and to have the ability to make them.
Their growth as autonomous musicians is what we should strive for. (Wis, 2007, p.14).

PODIUM PERSONALITY
You see, if I took everything I have learned about great leadership and boiled it down to one,
overriding theme, it would be Its not about me. Its not about what I can achieve or what kind
of ensemble I can develop; its about gaining an awareness of what needs to be done to develop
the people I am given to lead. There has been a fundamental shift in thinking, a shift from ME to
THEM; from a focus on position and power to one of leading by serving. (Wis, 2007, p.xi).

Sarcasm is not good for children. It destroys their self-confidence and self-esteem. Like
strychnine, it can be fatal. Bitter irony and biting sarcasm only reinforce the traits they attack.
(Ginott, 1972, p.66).

Learning depends on the emotional climate engendered by empathy and civility. In their daily
contacts with children, teachers must preserve these vanishing virtues. (Ginott, 1972, p.77).

Teachers often ask psychologists how to motivate children to learn. The answer is Make it
safe for them to risk failure. The major obstacle to learning is fear: fear of failure, fear of
criticism, fear of appearing stupid. An effective teacher makes it possible for each child to err
with impunity. To remove fear is to invite attempt. To welcome mistakes is to encourage
learning. (Ginott, 1972, p.242).

I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my

personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a
teacher I possess tremendous power to make a childs life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of
torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it
is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child
humanized or de-humanized. (Ginott, 1972, p.15-16).

REFERENCES
Cooper, Lynn (2004). Teaching Band and Orchestra: Methods and Materials. Chicago: GIA
Publications, Inc.
The perfect text for college instrumental students and an invaluable reference for
Practicing teachers. This book covers every critical area in the professional life of band
and orchestra teachers at the beginning and secondary levels.

Garofalo, Robert (1983). Blueprint for Band: A Guide to Teaching Comprehensive Musicianship
Through School Band Performance. Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Meredith Music Publications.
This book was written to provide school band directors with a curriculum guide for
teaching comprehensive musicianship. In the approach suggested in this book, the
inherent relationships that exist between music structure, style, and performance are
consistently emphasized.

Ginott, Haim (1972). Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers. New York: The
Macmillan Company.

Lautzenheiser, Tim (1992). The Art of Successful Teaching: A Blend of Content and Context.
Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.
McMurray, Allan (2005). Conducting in Music, Not Just in Time. In The Music Directors
Cookbook: Creative Recipes for a Successful Program. Edited by Garwood Whaley. Galesville,
MD: Meredith Music Publications.
A stimulating collection of unique concepts on teaching and conducting by 57 of todays
most outstanding music educators. Contains to-the-point, thought-provoking ideas
proven successful by master teachers-conductors. Problem solving tips, philosophical
concepts and ensemble-building skills all in one easy-to-read collection.

Reimer, Bennett (1970). A Philosophy of Music Education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Thomson, John (1983). Wind Ensemble Curriculum Statement. New Trier High School.
Unpublished monograph.

Thomson, John (1993). Teaching with Goals, Not Answers: An Interview with John Whitwell.
The Instrumentalist. December, pp.11-15.

Thomson, John (2009). Beyond the Beat: An Interview with Stephen Squires. The
Instrumentalist. January, pp.18-21, 50.

Vinson, Johnnie (2005). The Most Important Hour of the Day. In The Music Directors
Cookbook: Creative Recipes for a Successful Program. Edited by Garwood Whaley. Galesville,
MD: Meredith Music Publications.

Wis, Ramona (2007). The Conductor as Leader: Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the
Podium. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.
The Conductor as Leader introduces a fresh and critical look at the use of power and
authority. Wis shows what can happen when there is a fundamental shift in the
conductors thinking from a focus on position and power to developing the musicians the
conductor is given to lead.

Whitwell, David (1993). Music as a Language: A New Philosophy of Music Education.

Northridge, CA: WINDS.

MATERIALS MENTIONED IN CLINIC

Allen, Michael et al. (2001). Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra, Vol. 1.
Compiled and Edited by David Littrell and Laura Reed Racin. Chicago: GIA Publications.
This book contains a nuts-and-bolts analysis of 100 of the most significant works for
strings and full orchestra. Included for each musical selection is information about the
composer, the composition, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic
considerations, important musical elements including form and structure, suggestions for
additional listening, and a guide to selected references. (Three volumes in print)

Blocker, Larry et al. (1997). Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, Vol. 1. Compiled
and Edited by Richard Miles, Chicago: GIA Publications.
This book contains analyses of the 100 best-known and respected band compositions.
Included for each musical selection is information about the composer, the composition,
 historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, important musical
elements including form and structure, suggestions for additional listening, and a guide to
selected references. (Six volumes in print)

Garofalo, Robert (1983). Rehearsal Handbook for Band and Orchestra Students. Galesville,
MD: Meredith Music Publications.
A comprehensive handbook designed especially for secondary school band and
orchestra students. The text includes rehearsal enrichment study units covering the
fundamentals of music, intervals and chords, transposition, acoustics, tuning and
intonation, music terms and symbols, sight-reading, conducting and music history.

Lake, Mayhew (1938). Sixteen Chorales by J. S. Bach. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard.
These arrangements follow carefully the harmonization made by Johann Sebastian Bach
of sixteen pre-existing melodies. The four parts in each chorale have been designated as
Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass; and they have been distributed so that they may be
performed by any family group of instruments or by any group of miscellaneous
instruments.

Lisk, Edward (1983). The Creative Director: Alternative Rehearsal Techniques. Galesville, MD:
Meredith Music Publications.
The entire structure of ALTERNATIVE REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES is based upon
the circle of 4ths. Once students are able to play through the Circle in unison (or
octaves), and reading the written letter symbols (not musical notation) then the director
is able to apply and create unlimited variations to the structure of the rehearsal.

Smith, Leonard (1980). The Treasury of Scales. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Music Company, Inc.
The book includes 96 harmonized scales in each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys
(both harmonic and melodic). The four parts in each chorale have been designated as
Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass; and they have been distributed so that they may be
performed by band, orchestra, any family group of instruments, or by any group of
miscellaneous instruments.

Williams, Richard & Jeff King (1998). Foundations for Superior Performance. San Diego, CA:
Kjos Music Company.
The purpose of this method book is to provide a comprehensive and sequential
collection of warm-ups, scales, technical patterns, chord studies, tuning exercises, and
chorales for concert bandThe primary goal is to offer a framework of exercises and
routine drills that will facilitate the mastery of essential playing fundamentals.

Whaley, Garwood (2003). Basics in Rhythm: An Instructional Text for All Instruments.
Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications.
A comprehensive collection of rhythm exercises for any instrument or voice in
individual or group instruction. The purpose of this text is to introduce and develop the
rhythms and rhythmic devices common to Western art and popular music from the
Renaissance to the present.
CLINICIAN BIOGRAPHY
John A. Thomson was Director of Bands at New Trier High School for twenty-five years (1982-
2007). Prior to this, he served for thirteen years (1967-1980) as Director of Bands at East
Allegheny High School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His Bachelors and Masters degrees are
from Carnegie Mellon University. While completing course work towards a PhD in Music
Education at Northwestern University, he served for two years as a Teaching Assistant in both
the Departments of Conducting and Performing Organizations and Music Education. For many
summers, he served as a conductor at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has conducted the
Camps International Symphonic Band in Europe.

Mr. Thomson is a Consulting Editor and New Music Reviewer for THE INSTRUMENTALIST
Magazine, and is active as a clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator. He observes student
teachers for Northwestern University, serves as an adjunct faculty at the Chicago College of
Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and conducts the Midwest Young Artists (MYA)
Honors Wind Symphony.

Personal awards include several National Band Association Citation of Excellence, the
American School Band Directors Association Stanbury Award, the Mr. Hollands Opus Award,
the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award and the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding
Bandmaster Award. Mr. Thomson has been inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Illinois Band
Directors Hall of Fame at Northwestern University.

Professional affiliations include the American Bandmasters Association, National Band

Association (Revelli Composition Award Committee), American School Band Directors
Association, Music Educators National Conference, Illinois Music Educators Association, Phi
Beta Mu and Phi Mu Alpha.

Mr. Thomson lives in Wilmette, Illinois, with his wife Susan and sons, Brian and Will.

CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail: thomson.john@comcast.net
Website: johnathomson.com