elationships with the rest of the
world. However this may be in general, it is certain that the
conductor of the present must take more definitely into consideration
what is going on outside the world of art; must recognize the fact
that this is now a busy world and that there are a great many
interesting things to do and a great many more distractions and
amusements than there were a half-century ago; and that if the members
of a chorus or orchestra (particularly in the case of an amateur
society) are to continue to attend rehearsals regularly and to keep up
their enthusiasm for the work of the organization, the conductor must
see to it that something tangible is accomplished not only during each
season, but in each and every practice hour, and that regular
attendance at the rehearsals does not cause the members to feel that
they are wasting time and energy.

This is, after all, the essence of scientific management--to
accomplish some desired result without any waste moves and without
squandering valuable material; and surely no artistic loss will be
involved if efficiency of this type is applied to conducting a musical
rehearsal. On the contrary, the application of such methods will
enable the conductor to secure a much higher degree of artistry in the
public performance because, by avoiding any waste of time in
rehearsing, he will be able to put the musicians through the music
more often, and thus not only arouse greater confidence on their part,
but be enabled to emphasize more strongly the interpretative, the
artistic aspect of the music. Most of the rehearsal hour is often
spent in drilling upon mere _correctness_ of tone and rhythm,
especially in the case of amateur organizations.

In order to make these matters as concrete and practical as possible,
we shall give in the remainder of this chapter a series of somewhat
unrelated suggestions about conducting an ensemble rehearsal, trusting
that the reader will forgive the didactic (and possibly pedantic)
language in which they are couched.

[Sidenote: PLANNING THE REHEARSAL]

Do not make the mistake of attempting to study your score at the same
time that your singers or players are learning it. Study your music
exhaustively beforehand so that at the rehearsal you may know
definitely just what you are going to do with each selection and may
be able to give pointed directions as to its rendition. This will
enable you to look at your performers most of the time, a