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Speechless Rehearsal

Submitted by jlcapori on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 19:18.

I just re-read Alan Gumm's article 'The Speechless Rehearsal' in the Feb '10 journal. Has anyone attempted this in their Middle school rehearsals before? I have some pretty chatty and difficult classes to teach and I would be curious to try a speechless rehearsal once before our concert, but I am leery of what may result if they see I'm not talking. Any advice?

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YouTube video

Submitted by Alan_Gumm Ph D on Fri, 10/15/2010 - 15:18.

Responding to several people wishing to see a speechless rehearsal, and finding none on the Internet, I taped last Thursday's rehearsal and cropped the warmups down to under 3 minutes. In whole I got to over an hour with no interruption. Notice how some "right-on-timers" quickly get in place and how initial attempts to whisper go away immediately because it's singing, singing, and nothing but singing. Hope you find it helpful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDvr8N_UHqs
--Alan Gumm, author of the article

Speechless Rehearsal

Submitted by Deborah_Hill_2 on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 21:57.

Yes, I have been running speechless rehearsals several times a year in my middle level choirs for the past 10 years and have great success with them. I find that greater learning takes place and increased problem solving occurs during these rehearsals. I post signs at the door letting students know that it is a "music making" day only and they always accept the challenge. No one speaks inside the classroom and they display leadership skills while holding one another accountable. It also affords me an opportunity to assess their concept comprehension! They are well worth the extra effort!

Speechless Rehearsal

Submitted by Peg_Hutson on Sun, 04/04/2010 - 09:07.

Yes, I have tried a Speechless Rehearsal with my middle school students, and was quite surprised by the results. I had discussed it with my accompanist prior to the beginning of class, and with a little prodding from her:
"Focus your eyes class. What is she trying to say?"
"Jeremy, where are you looking?"
the rehearsal went quite well. I was amazed that when I took my voice out of the mix, and only used my expressions and my conducting, students really stepped up. Now, I run a Speechless Warm-Up about once a week, and a Speechless Rehearsal about a week before each concert.
I am constantly amazed at what my students can accomplish ... when I listen more!
Peg Hutson