Developing students’ performance skills can be like building with blocks. Every block in the structure has to be secure, or the whole structure can tumble. The more we develop the strength of the individual blocks, the more we can get the blocks to balance one on top of another.
Macro beats offer the foundation layer, with micro beats directly on top. Melodic rhythm is layered on top of macro and micro beats. If macro and micro beats are not secure, melodic rhythm will topple the structure. Tonal is a layer on top of rhythm. Increase the rhythm or tonal difficulty and the overall structure becomes more tenuous. If the structure tumbles, go back and balance the rhythm blocks until secure enough to add tonal. Text is a layer on top of tonal. If the structure wobbles with text, remove the lyrics until tonal is secure. Accompaniments add yet another layer that can challenge the stability of the whole. Vocal parts increase still more the complexity of the structure, which requires the secure balance of every layer.
Many of the challenges we face in rehearsal are not necessarily because of the difficulty of getting the words or the parts, but because the musical layers underneath are not strong enough to balance the additional layers. Strip off layers to secure the blocks that are not stable, and then replace layers one at a time until you have a secure, musical performance.
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