Are you ready for choir? My choir starts up next week after having taken 3 months off for the summer break, and I can't wait to see everyone and dive into some new music! As a choral accompanist, I don't need to worry about getting my voice back in shape, but I do need to get back to the piano in earnest and “warm up my chops” that have gotten a bit lazy over the summer!
Here are a few things I'm doing to get ready for choir:
- Clean out my tote bag. I was given this amazing, sturdy burlap “Chopin” bag years ago, and I use it for toting music to all my collaborative piano gigs.
2. Clean out my black piano binder, add a mechanical pencil and post-it-notes.
3. Commit to sitting at the piano 10 minutes a day. Since I don't have choir music yet, my goal is simply to get some music back into my fingers, focus my attention on reading, and enjoy returning to practicing music that has been on my shelf for a little while: Ravel's Jeux d'eau, Debussy's Sunken Cathedral, a Bach suite (Bach is SO good for reading multiple voices and practicing efficient fingering)…
Once you receive your music for the new season, you might want to check out my free guide, Timesavers for Choral Accompanists.
Also, commit to arriving a few minutes early to each rehearsal. It can be tempting to show up right on time, but by showing up 10 minutes early, you build in time for unexpected traffic, give yourself the opportunity to connect with a choir member or two before rehearsal, and maybe even get a chance to quickly scan any new music the director hands you. Plus, arriving early helps you establish yourself as a leader, providing an example for others to follow and contributing to the overall professionalism of the group.
As always, you can find more resources specifically designed for choral accompanists at CoriBelle.com/Choral-Piano.
Looking for something more? Feel free to shoot me an email!
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