Developing singers in the chorus or classroom requires full and constant immersion in every song’s meter, tonality, and movement. Typical rehearsal comments and well-meaning instructions interrupt the musical mind and derail children’s artistry. Let’s look at the process from another lens.
You are teaching your students to swim. You send them into the water. They swim three or four strokes and you blow the whistle. “Everybody out! You’ve got to take longer strokes. Stand here outside the pool and let’s practice those strokes” (which feel very different than they do in the water).
You send them back into the water. They swim another few strokes and you blow the whistle again. “Everybody out! Come up here alongside the pool and let’s work on breathing” (which feels very different than breathing while swimming).
You send them back into the water, only to bring them out again to practice the timing of their strokes, which feels very different in the water. Taking students out of the water for verbal instruction prevents them from engaging with the very medium they are trying to master. Immersion is essential for students to develop the skills to propel themselves through water—and music.
