As you know, the Winter Olympics are one of my favorite things, and as expected, I find many correlations to our work. This week, I ask you to consider your time on the ice, as it were.
During the figure skating competition, the commentators discussed the limited time each skater had on the ice, and how each skater spent that limited time. Of course, there was always assessment regarding how the performance during the competition compared with their practice time, and while that was interesting, that's a topic for another post. This one is about how you spend your time in practice.
I found it curious, but not terribly surprising, that the skaters used their time differently. Some skaters spent it running their entire program, and some spent it primarily on the hard jumps. Your choices may depend on the difficulty of your repertoire, and the stage of your vocal development. I would suggest, however, that unless your performance is imminent, your time shouldn't be spent just running your repertoire. Spend your time on the hard jumps. Work the difficult sections over and over, in the manner your teacher suggests, until you work out the kinks and can do them without fail under a variety of circumstances.
We understand that your vocal resources are limited. You have choral obligations, church jobs, and your voice lessons. You'll have to be smart about how you spend the precious minutes you have each day to do your work. Don't waste it just mindlessly running through your songs. Spend time really working your technique, mastering the tough vocalises and taxing passages in your music: those are your triple axels.
Use your time wisely!
