A Typical Grace Notes Rehearsal | Grace Notes - Behind the Scenes | Emory, VA

Before official rehearsals begin, members receive an email from the Director (currently Jonathan Griffin) informing them of the week's rehearsal plan. This includes which sections of pieces we are working on and important announcements.

Ensemble members receive this email to help guide them in their individual rehearsal time, outside of Ensemble meetings, which allows for smoother rehearsals that allow us to focus on musicality rather than learning notes and rhythms.

Once official rehearsals begin, members of the Ensemble warm up together with a combination of vocal, technical, and breathing exercises. Often, the Director will plan a short music game to help focus... while still having fun!

Warm-ups are followed by an easier piece, usually upbeat, fun, and well-liked by the Ensemble members.

Jonathan likes to think of an ideal rehearsal as an arc, starting off with easier/more fun pieces, doing the bulk of the harder work in the middle, and ending rehearsal on a lighter/easier/fun note.

If there's a particular section of a piece we just can't quite nail, we'll spend a good amount of time on it. It's important not to rush the process.

This typical rehearsal process streamlines our entire rehearsal process, which means we work more efficiently and faster.

Using this process, we've learned our seven pieces with time to spare (compared to previous semesters, where we only learned three or four pieces before the concert).

Of course, we are so thankful for our music and music education majors, who know what makes a productive rehearsal and how to formalize it.

We'll be right Bach,

Grace Notes