1. BE INTENTIONAL
Being intentional when you perform or rehearse has a powerful focusing effect on the experience and its outcome. Considering, and then adding intention or purpose at rehearsal creates a different level of consciousness and energy. Adding intention fires off neurons in the brain that sets energy in motion to achieve/or give you the result. Intention gives us a sense of control. We are “creating “our conditions vs. simply “reacting” to them. Instead of rehearsal “happening to us”, we are shaping it. Wow!
How: Before you begin each rehearsal, think about what your intention will be for that rehearsal. Is it spreading joy? Is it having fun? Is it being confident? By simply focusing back to that intention throughout the night, there will be an energetic shift (without you having to actually do anything different). You can also consciously add intention and purpose to a single action – to a musical passage, a song, or even a Choreography move. Experiment with this, and feel the difference intention makes!
2. BE PRESENT
Being present at rehearsal means more than just physically showing up. It means eliminating all mental interference so you can be fully and mindfully present in each moment of your rehearsal. Why do we care? Well – being present in each moment allows the space for the most inspiration and grounded energy, creative flow and performance connection.
How: This will take some practice, as there are an infinite amount of external and internal interferences to take us out of the present moment. First step is to let go of any mental interference getting in the way of your being able to be 100% present. Stuff in your head before rehearsal? Leave it at the door! Interference happening during rehearsal? Say “How Fascinating” and allow yourself to defer the thoughts for later. Re-focus to your director. Re-focus to your breath. The point of power is in the present moment! RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
3. SHOW UP AS A LEARNER
This is why we rehearse. To learn. To improve. To grow. Even our Queens of Harmony agree that chorus rehearsal is about improving their craft. Yet how quickly we revert to our “judging” mindset when perhaps we sing a wrong note, run out of air, miss a choreo move etc. At rehearsal, we want to adopt a growth mindset and show up as a learner to open up creative possibilities. Our journey to personal mastery is a lifelong process. If we have finished learning, we are dead.
How: Accept that your skill level right now is merely your starting point – and that you are at rehearsal to improve. Mark your starting point so that you can measure each small increment of improvement. When we show up as a learner, we are in effect saying we do not know everything; that we are open and willing to grow. The pressure lifts and the space opens up when you relieve yourself of the burden of having to know everything. Think of mistakes as opportunities to improve instead of self-judging failures that shut down your mind
Adopt the mantra “I am a Learner” and feel how your rehearsal experience positively shifts.