Taking a break from choir? How to get the most from your time off: Part 2

In the first part of this article, we looked at ways to get your admin and finances sorted in advance of a break so that you can really enjoy your time off. In Part 2, we look at rehearsal and performance planning.

Calendar

At any point during your choir year, it's likely that you have an overview of the performances you will be taking part in for the next few months, at least. Now is the time to look at the nuts and bolts of what you need for performances coming up after your break.

For example, say you have a performance a couple of months after the break. That might seem a long way off, but it will be looming large before you know it. Rather than spend the break putting plans into action, could you get some firm details in place now? Is everything that can be dealt with at this stage done? Think venue, posters, tickets, programme notes. Can you do some preparation on your repertoire now so that it doesn't feel like a huge job when you start the new season? Even if you just make a start, the feeling of added confidence this will give you will help you to enjoy your time off all the more.

And looking further on, do you have dates in place for future performances? Do you know when you want the choir to perform? Can you block out the date now, even if that's the only step you take at this stage?

Being ahead of the game when it comes to performance preparation can really make a big difference to how much you can relax over a break. A mad rush and panic on the week prior to resuming rehearsals will only serve to ruin all that relaxing you've done!

Taking stock

Perhaps one of the most important things to do is take stock of the season you're just finishing. If you work alone, perhaps bounce some ideas off friends and family or you can always contact us here at Total Choir Resources. Think about your performances to date, administration processes and general running of the choir. Were there things that worked really well or others that weren't quite so good? Note these things down so you can avoid repeating mistakes or look to pursuing things that worked really well next season.

There may be simple things that are proving time-consuming or don't quite work. Think about how you can update or change them to make it easier for you running the choir. This can be anything from your uniform ordering system to your venue layout.

You may want to update your fee structure or offer different methods of payment. Even if you don't take action straight away, make notes so that you don't forget about these issues. Get these things out of your head and onto paper and you'll feel organised, in control and ready to make the most of your time off.