They take me to the cockpit and introduce me to the pilot. They put a hand on my knee to steady my shaking leg.
What if I never come up with another idea and I lose my job and I'm forced to live on the street without a place to recharge my electric toothbrush and my eyes go bad and I can't see that single white hair growing out of my chin and I start scaring little kids who refer to me as Old Bloody Gums Kogan and I die alone clutching my two unused loofahs and how the hell can I have only been in here for three minutes and 57 frigging seconds?Īll my life, people have been urging me to relax. I hate my ability to eat more than one hamburger in a sitting. Is that my doorbell? Is that my phone? Why is there war? How do I get candle wax off the side of my tub? Have I only been in here three minutes and 26 seconds? Shouldn't my fingers be pruney by now? I hate my clothes. The water is warm, the lights are low, the music is enchanting, and here is what I'm thinking: How did my medicine cabinet get chipped? What exactly is a loofah and why in God's name do I own two of them? Have I only been in here three minutes? What time is tomorrow's ideas meeting? How does a woman live more than 40 years without having one idea for tomorrow's ideas meeting? My life is ridiculous. And in no time at all, I let my mind begin to wander, just like Jessica Lange right before they institutionalized her in Frances. But why stop there? I place thin discs of fresh cucumber over exhausted eyes just like Maggie Smith in Gosford Park. I play soothing music over high-quality headphones, just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I light a zillion cream-colored candles, just like Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born. At this point I thoroughly recommend having a good book to read.I fill my bathtub with bubbles, just like Doris Day in Pillow Talk. Don't get caught out snoozing on the sofa and waking with a bad neck or get so tired that you can't be bothered to get ready for bed! (or is that one just me)? Once you've done your relaxing activity, try to get to bed swiftly. When you feel wired it can be tempting to stay up really late but tiredness soon sets in from the physical nature of leading a choir rehearsal. This point applies if your rehearsal takes place in the evening. I find tea or hot water (sometimes with honey and lemon) can be lovely and soothing after a choir rehearsal. Now is the time to be quiet and re-hydrate. Rehearsals are demanding on the voice, you might be demonstrating parts, giving instructions, speaking with members on a one to one basis and generally using your voice right through. Focus on this activity as part of your rehearsal process reminding yourself what your reward will be for your hard work. Choose something which you know will help you unwind. Or you could opt for a relaxing bath or a spot of yoga. You may like to pop for a drink with a few choir members after rehearsal, you may like to put your feet up and watch some TV. Now this may be something different for everyone. Once you've noted anything down that needs action next time you work, it's time to relax. Getting information out of your head and onto paper or your computer can work wonders to relax you as you know it's recorded and won't be forgotten. Rather than have this all floating around in your head after the rehearsal, take five minutes to jot down some notes.
You may also need to take stock of performance availibility information, what refreshments need stocking up or what you need to cover the following week that you didn't get done that evening. You have requests from members, thoughts about where you are with your music learning - what needs further work and what is going really well.
There can be so much to take in during a rehearsal. For me this is work in progress and I'm not claiming to be perfect at this, but I'm determined to give it a good go and am already starting to see some success. So I've taken things into my own hands and have created some strategies to cool down and relax. What I have learnt over time however, is that such thoughts are going to get me nowhere but a restless night's sleep. This is often quite the opposite to how you feel earlier in the day as you prepare yourself to go into the rehearsal I've written before about strategies to help you get ready for your choir rehearsal but what about when it's finished? In my experience choir leaders often walk away from rehearsals completely wired and if you run your choir in the evening this is certainly not conducive to sleep!Īfter teaching, interacting, keeping your rehearsal on track, bringing the voice parts together, answering queries and making sure everything runs smoothly your brain feels in overdrive.
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