In my last article, I spoke about talking too much in rehearsal.
Over the last few months, I’ve spent time looking more closely at what I was actually doing. Not just how much I was talking, but what was happening in the rehearsal space when I spoke, when I stopped, and when I let the rehearsal run.
I’ve also spent time listening to other conductors rehearse. Listening from a more impartial point of view made me realise how easy it is to pile instructions on top of one another, and how quickly clarity can be lost. This wasn’t about trying to come up with a new approach. It was about understanding what I was actually doing and how I could become more effective in rehearsal.
I was getting in my own way.
By giving too many instructions and talking too much, it became harder for any one thing to be clear. Rehearsals were becoming more about what I said than what was actually happening in the music.
Something had to change in my approach, so I changed what I was doing. I now establish what I want to rehearse, communicate it clearly, let the ensemble play, and only stop if something is broken. When I do stop, I focus on one thing, fix it, and go straight back into the music.
This isn’t a fixed method. It is simply something I have started to use in my own rehearsals over the last few months. Rehearsals now feel more agile and energetic. There is more playing, less interruption, and things settle more quickly because they are not being constantly corrected. There is more space for the ensemble to listen, adjust, and respond.
The biggest shift for me has been my function in the room. Instead of trying to do everything through instruction, I’m allowing the rehearsal to develop through sound and how I choose to interact with it. My gestures feel freer, not because I’m trying to make them clearer, but because I’m giving space to the music rather than compressing it into words.
This is still something I’m working through, but it has made me think more carefully about how I structure rehearsal, when I choose to intervene, and what actually needs to be said.
Dwight Pile-Gray is a conductor and researcher specialising in Culturally Informed Conducting (CIC).
