Peak Performance: Overcoming Musical Plateaus

Every director has experienced it—your group is doing a lot of things “right” but doesn’t seem able to take things to the next level. How do you move your group from average to amazing? Whether it’s a particular piece that has your musicians stuck, or a general sense of stagnation, here are some suggestions for kickstarting the move toward peak performance:

1. Film a performance or rehearsal

Record your ensemble and play it back for them, giving them a specific area to critique. Watching yourself perform can encourage self-awareness of how each member contributes to the whole.

2. Participate in a festival or competition

A little healthy competition never hurt anyone! Knowing that you are going to perform for a rating or ranking can be a great motivator. Be sure your group is prepared well enough to have a positive experience, and also ready to receive and accept constructive criticism.

3. Go back to a piece they already perform at a high level

Is there a piece from earlier in the year (or even last year) that the ensemble connected with and performed very well? Bring it back out, let them experience the quality again, and find ways to relate it to the literature you are currently rehearsing.

4. Mix it up in rehearsal

Split the group in half and perform for each other. Have the listening half “mirror” the performing half to demonstrate how they emote, posture, etc. Find a unique way to rehearse that will take students out of the normal routine of your classroom. Try breaking into quartets and singing in a circle. Sing with eyes closed. Have students sing only when directed and audiate the rest.

In instrumental rehearsals, try changing rhythms, reversing dynamics, or substituting notes or parts to hear a piece with “new” ears. Assign student conductors to watch, follow, and lead the group to give them another perspective.

5. Change your rehearsal space

Try a rehearsal in the auditorium, the lunchroom, or a stairway with great acoustics. If you can’t leave your room, try different standing or seating arrangements. Students will hear all kinds of unnoticed things in a new acoustic environment.

6. Guest clinician

Ask a colleague from another school in your district, a professor from the local university, a retired director, or any other respected director. A guest clinician can breathe new life into a rehearsal by bringing in a new perspective and energy. And yes, they will say some of the same things you have been saying for weeks and your students will act as if they have never heard it.

7. Student conductors

Try having students volunteer to lead part of a rehearsal. The experience of hearing the group from the other side may be eye-opening for them. They may also have a unique way to describe to their peers how to achieve a better performance.

8. Dive deep into the text

If you haven’t already, take some time to connect with the text of your piece. Have them speak the text as poetry, emphasizing word stress and inflection. Talk about what emotions the text evokes and how the group can express them with the audience.

9. Find inspiration

Watch videos or recordings of professional bands, choirs, orchestras, etc; ask students to write about what the music means to them and ask them to share with the group. Start each rehearsal with an inspirational or motivational statement that will anchor your time spent together.

10. Put it away for awhile

This can be a scary suggestion, especially if you are getting close to a performance, but you can trust that all they have learned will not be erased in a matter of days. Sometimes getting away from the piece will bring about a renewed appreciation for it. If rehearsing the piece has been tense lately, a little break can help clear the air.

11. Celebrate the progress that has been made

Look at how far the ensemble has come! Think back to when the group was first introduced to a piece of music, or back to the first rehearsal of the year. How have they grown, even if it’s not related to your current plateau situation. If you have a recording or video from earlier in the year share it with the group and point out how what they have achieved.

12. Check yourself

What habits do you have that might actually be contributing? How often do you allow the grup to sing or play through a section or entire piece without stopping them? Are you regularly finding students that are demonstrating good rehearsal or singing technique and pointing it out to the group? Are you providing a variety of methods of presenting what you are after? Do you find yourself saying the exact same phrases every rehearsal but not getting any improvement in the output? These self-reflections can be uncomfortable but so beneficial in the end.

There is no finish line.

There is no finish line in music—only progress. The beautiful and possibly frustrating news is that we can always improve our performance. If your group has reached a plateau don’t be frustrated or disappointed but get creative about how to keep striving toward your peak performance.

What are some ways you have moved your group from average to awesome? What techniques have you used to move past a performance plateau? Share your ideas with other teachers in the comments below.