Rehearse Attention & Engagement with Everything you do

Rehearse Attention & Engagement
with Everything You Do!

Here are some excerpts from the chapter, Rehearse Attention & Engagement with Everything You Do, from Ignite Response to your Conducting, Publication: summer, 2020.

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We all know that learning can’t take place without attention, engagement, and active participation, so: Creating attention and involvement must become a top priority

Know that effective rehearsing requires “rehearsing attention.”
If you’re not creating attention, you’ll be losing it.
We can’t count on the fact that Beethoven was great or that Duke Ellington’s contribution to American Music is major…to inspire attention.
And the need to get the music right because we have a performance coming up…won’t either.

Creating energized attention and personal involvement with everything we do must be our top priority; all the rehearsal time in the world won’t be enough if our students aren't paying attention.

Everything we do either builds attention…or loses it; every minute spent talking or rehearsing without students' attention…is wasted (this is a key factor in "having enough rehearsal time."
When they pay attention and are fully engaged, there IS enough rehearsal time!
Since we lose attention and involvement if we’re not constantly building them, we need to “rehearse attention with everything we do.”
There's absolutely nothing we do in rehearsals - from correcting, to taking attendance, to working on dynamics - that can’t organically contain an attention-building component.

So why is creating attention not a top priority?

It’s not generally recognized as an essential part of music-making – one that has to be constantly attended to.
We haven’t learned it in school and don’t know how.
We never thought of its importance until we got in front of an ensemble.
It involves more personal interaction with students, which might be uncomfortable for some.

1. BUILD ATTENTION: BY PREPARING YOURSELF

Convince yourself that attention must be a top rehearsal priority.

Why do rehearsals generally get more productive as the rehearsal goes along?
Because the kids “get more into the music” – another way of saying “pay more attention and become more engaged.”
You know from your own rehearsing that you accomplish the most when you are fully focused; how much truer is this for your students?
The best way to convince yourself is by seeing the results of Building Attention with Everything You do. Try out some of the approaches suggested in this chapter, and the results will convince you of the importance of focusing on attention.

2. Build Engagement: IN YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS

Greet them at the door

Greeting your students as they come in is a powerful attention creator.
Doing paperwork when they come in models the wrong kind of attention.
Do whatever you have to do (when possible) to greet them at the door. This can be startling and create wonderful results.

Make posture support – not undermine - attention.

Students’ posture sends powerful messages to the brain about involvement and attention.
If the body tells the mind to relax, take it easy, etc…those are the messages the mind obey – not our shouting “Pay attention.”
The body always wins.
See “The Power of Posture” for step-by-step, tested and proved ways to create good posture in your ensemble.

Send messages that train students to pay attention

Speak or conduct only when you have everyone’s attention. Every minute spent playing, singing, or talking without students’ full attention is wasted.
Waiting for students to give you their full attention sends a powerful message: “What we’re doing is important and requires everyone to be fully present.”
Starting without it sends this message: “It’s ok not to pay attention…” no matter how much you tell them, “Pay attention!”
Instead, wait them out (with a quiet smile) - even though it’s uncomfortable;
Train them this way and you’ll have attention because they realize it’s on them to become attentive…otherwise, there’ll be no music today….we’ll just practice getting ourselves to pay attention (no fun)

Build attention by asking, not telling
Asking questions instead of giving corrections is the surest way to combine music and attention-building. Which of these is more likely to create attention?

Teacher centered: “Ladies and gentlemen: Don’t cross your legs!”
Learner centered: “What messages do those crossed legs tell you? Be alert? Listen carefully?” or:
"Relax! Take it easy...this is no big deal

Teacher centered:“Sit up straight! Don't slouch!"
Learner centered: “Does schlumping down tell your mind: You're going to play with energy and passion? That you're alert and ready to play? That
you are an important member of this ensemble?".

Focus on the musician more than the music

Create attention by leveraging the enormous energy that's already there; students’ developmental needs
We know that nothing's more important to young people than themselves; I don't know any better way to get their attention than by focusing on them more than on the music.
When they realize that they can feel better about themselves - and get a sense of their enormous potential - through their participation in your ensemble, their level of focus and performance skyrockets…and real magic can be created!
Addressing these in your rehearsing will consistently attract their full attention - guaranteed.
When they realize that the rehearsal process will help them feel better about themselves…give them a sense of potential…take risks and succeed…their level of focus and performance will skyrocket…and real magic can be created!

Costs:

Get up earlier
Get in earlier,
Risk changing
More thinking and preparation

Benefits: You'll

Get better results –every day will be happier.
Feel like you're making the kind of music that made you become a music teacher
Have the satisfaction of your musicians really following you
Have enough rehearsal time!!!
Be chosen to conduct honors ensembles and be a mentor,
Make more money,
Not leave the profession (like the 50% of new music teachers do before 5th year)

Engage students on a real, honest level.

Instead of saying sharply, “Pay Attention!” ...ask questions like: “How can I do better at creating attention?” or saying: “Let’s stop rehearsing for a moment. It’s clear we’re not having fun - Are we? – and I think that’s because we not focused. Are we? What do you think? How can we get focused?”
You may well be surprised by the intelligence and insight of their answers. Be sure to follow their advice and then ask them if you’re doing it right…if it’s working.
This not only teaches you how to create attention by the people whose attention you want, but, done with respect, humor, and a bit of self-effacement, will deepen their trust in you and make them swell with pride and they teach the teacher.
It can take a while to find the right balance between rapport and distance, but it’s vital that new teachers - and all of us- work hard at it…rather than falling back on “chalk and talk” to avoid the imagined challenges of real contact, such as: fear of losing control, fear of more personal contact, etc.

Relate rehearsing to life

If your gestures aren’t always observed:

Talk about the importance of gestures in their lives, generally. This is far more effective than asking, “Why didn’t you make the decrescendo I indicated so clearly?!”

A mother gesturing to her child not to cross the street as a truck approaches;

A catcher signaling the right pitch;
A construction foreman telling the crane operator to stop – fast;
A lifeguard waving to swimmers: they’re too far from the shore…

When accompanying figures drown out the melody:

Instead of saying, “You’re too loud!” try asking,
“Do you know how it feels to talk and not be heard?” or “Do you someone who talks but never listens?” or “What happens if everyone wants to be the general?”
With good follow-up questions and discussion, students will relate melody and accompaniment to life situations…and they’ll definitely listen more carefully in rehearsal.

When dynamics are not observed:

Showing how attention to detail makes students’ lives better invariably produces better dynamics than pointing them out on the page.
Instead of saying, "Everyone missed that crescendo in measure 17!" talk about the importance of details like:
“Do you need to pay attention to little markings on math and SAT exams, applications, or maps? What happens if you don’t?”
Ask if anyone has created a problem by ignoring a little tiny detail.
Give an example from your own life…then ask them to do the same.
You may be surprised at how many answer; call on several, listen thoughtfully, then ask if anyone else has the same experience.
After this exercise, the musicians are likely to observe the dynamics without one word being spoken about the music; you have focused their attention on the importance of detail in their lives and help them learn an important life skill–observing the details–by paying more attention to details in the music.

3. BUILD ATTENTION: WITH CLEAR RULES

Establish your clear rule about attention right away:

Speak or conduct only when you have everyone’s attention.
Tell your students: “In this ensemble, nothing happens…until you are all paying attention. I’ll know you are when I see you all looking at me.”
Every minute spent playing, singing, or talking without students’ full attention is wasted. Waiting for students to give you their full attention sends a powerful message: “What we’re doing is important and requires everyone to be fully present.”
Starting without it sends this message: “It’s case okay to mix was fluoxetine not to pay attention…” no matter how much you tell them, “Pay attention!”
This will take time to work, but the results will be astonishing because your message is clear: nothing happens until you pay attention
You may have to deal with your rejection reactions to their impatience, eye-rolling, etc.
But it’s better to deal with those right away, than the emotions of frustration, impatience, anger, and disappointment you’ll inevitably have to face if you must fight the well-known “war for attention” (classroom management) every day for thirty years.

Isn’t it better to teach the puppy the rules before there’s a mess?

Enforce your rule about paying attention

Don’t start or keep going without their attention.
Let them know you’ll wait for them…that you won’t shout…and prove this by doing it consistently.
Instead, wait them out (with a quiet smile) - even though it’s uncomfortable; They‘ll need some time to believe that you won’t start without their full attention.
Train them this way and you’ll have attention because they realize it’s on them to become attentive…otherwise, there’ll be no music today.
This will also increase rapport because they’ll realize that you’re communicating with them in a more mature and sophisticated way than if you yell, “Quiet down!!!”

Continually scan your ensemble for attention/consistently monitor attention

Continually ask yourself: “Am I building or losing attention?”
Look for signs of losing attention )
We must constantly scan our ensembles for the answer…and if we’re not building it, we’re losing it. Everything we do should build attention.
Focus on students’ involvement and attention level as much as on the music.

Address the attention issue -immediately - if and when it wanes.

Since our students are our instruments, waning attention means they’ve gone out of tune. Stop and “re-tune” their attention: a violinist wouldn’t keep practicing on a violin that went out of tune, right?
If you don’t insist on attention before speaking or conducting, you’re sending the message that it’s ok for attention to wander.
It also sends the message that you’re not willing to do the really hard work.

4. BUILD ATTENTION: IN EACH OF THE FIVE REHEARSAL STAGES

Before They Come In

Make sure you yourself get to the state you want your students to reach during the rehearsal… make sure you are “in state” before they come into class.
Make sure you’re focused and attentive, yourself; this is a conscious choice that requires changes in your work habits, but it’s essential to your ability to create attention; if you are not attentive, they won’t be.

The First 10 Minutes

The first 10 minutes either gets the rehearsal going in the right way, or it gets the rehearsal going in the opposite way, and you have to fight to bring it back.
We have to build attention and involvement from when they come into the rehearsal room. Let’s think of the rehearsal beginning when they come in…not when we start singing and playing.
Create committees/crews that have “go-to” activities so students are paying attention to something relating to the rehearsal right away; set-up, pencil, section leaders, etc.
Make sure the physical setup supports attention & involvement.
Make sure your students sit/stand so that, when they glance up from their music, they can see the conductor easily and directly.
A significant barrier to this - and one rarely considered - is the stuff (books, book bags, instrument cases, coats, food, iPods, etc.) that students bring to their chairs.
Students generally sit down where they find the chairs, put their stuff down on the floor, make sure they are close enough to the stand to turn pages and change pieces and…that’s it!
Wrong! All that gear should be left on the side of the room; music, instrument, and pencils are all that should be near.
If you rehearse in a non-music classroom with rows of seats, don’t compromise the quality of the rehearsal by rehearsing in rows.
Create a Setup Crew (this is great for students who find it difficult to settle down – especially percussionists) to move chairs to create a horseshoe rehearsal arrangement…then move things back.
Time it! With practice, your Crew can both setup and breakdown in 2 minutes…and they’ll love it.

The Conscious Warmup

The warmup is the most important part of the rehearsal – it sets the standard… Use the warmup to focus attention and increase involvement.
Choose Warm-ups that require active involvement – listening, discerning, watching, etc. etc. – all the things you want them to do during the rehearsal…doesn’t that make sense?
Start scales descending first, then ascending (descending are harder).
Vary tempo, dynamics, character of notes to encourage watching from very beginning of rehearsal.
In a scale warmup, for example, do this by speeding up and slowing down, changing the dynamic, attack, and release on each note; the students will love this “game” (make sure that you do it with drama, delight and lots of facial expressions) and they will feel (often for the first time) the thrill of playing together and being with the conductor. And so will you. This is no small pleasure.
Use warm-ups based on the difficult spots in the pieces being rehearsed – this is terrific.
Give them gesture dictations.

Woodshedding

Rehearse slowly: not metronome slow, but at the speed at which students have enough time to think about what they're playing, and listen to what they've just played to make sure it was right.
Rehearse it ever slower, asking all the time if "this is slow enough to control and do it perfectly? No? Do we need to do it slower? OK." This will focus their attention on listening and reflecting, rather than following your slow beat.
Share the score: give full score to those taking part in that tough spot, and have every group play a different part, until all those participating in that spot…have played all the parts that spot is made up of. That will help them hear what’s going on.
Enforce and persevere: Insist that your students do what you’ve asked for – by your words, gestures, actions, and the messages you send. Enforcing is the most important aspect of rehearsing I know.
Keep everyone involved because one other question for you okay you want us is that I changed insurance I get some fine balance.
Have them take responsibility for the quality of their work.
Young musicians' taking responsibility for the quality of their musical experience is a powerful catalyst for increasing concentration.
When they do - when students listen to themselves and the other sections of the ensemble; when they observe all dynamic and expressive markings, and when they watch you - great music is likely to be made. And they may well realize that creating great results is actually in their control.
Have them experience stuff, not just be given information.
Have them make a movie about the music, adding dialogue.

The Last 13 Minutes: Showtime!

Focus attention at the end of a rehearsal when students’ minds may begin to wander, think about hallway interactions, the next class, etc.
Give performance at the end of the Rehearsal, complete with your entrance, their standing up, etc. This will:
Give the kids something to aim for.
Give them something to measure their effort and results by.
Energize a point in the rehearsal that is usually a “down.”
Leave the students with a strong impression as they leave the rehearsal.
Reinforce the development of culture of the rehearsal leading to the mini-performance.
Position students as responsible for their success and judges of how well they did.
Enable students to take notes on what needs to be done next time.