Quartets and Critique - Raising Standards Through Exposure
One of the most transformative things you can do in a rehearsal is ask a small group to sing while others listen. It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be honest.
Splitting your choir into halves, thirds, or even quartets does something important: it raises the stakes. When singers know they’re going to be heard, they prepare differently. When they’re asked to observe and respond to what they hear, they start listening in a new way.
This isn’t about humiliation - it’s about shared responsibility. A quartet doesn’t just sing their part; they represent the group. The audience doesn’t just critique; they listen as collaborators. The conductor’s job is to facilitate this exchange safely and purposefully.
What do you ask your singers to notice? Tone, rhythm, ensemble, dynamics, phrasing. Then go one step further - ask them to name what they’re hearing using musical language. It’s not just “that felt messy,” it’s “the second entry lacked rhythmic clarity.” The goal is to raise awareness, not to score points.
This process works because it creates investment. The quartet wants to do well. The observers want to help. Everyone becomes a little more alert.
Over time, this habit reshapes the culture of a choir. You go from a room where the conductor gives all the feedback to one where feedback flows in multiple directions. That doesn’t mean chaos. It means the choir starts thinking together.
Of course, it takes careful handling. Trust must be built. Feedback must be guided. And every singer needs to feel that they are in a space where risk-taking is encouraged, not punished.
But once it clicks, the effect is remarkable. Singers step up. They listen harder. They take more care with their musical choices. And they become more articulate about what they're doing and why.
That’s the kind of rehearsal culture that leads to real growth - not just better performances, but better musicians.
Next time: the art of energising a rehearsal when things start to flag - without needing to raise your voice.
