Don't Be This Singer - Distractions

You are mid phrase. The chord is starting to ring. The ensemble starts to lock in.

Then someone looks down at their watch.

Focus drops. Energy shifts. The moment breaks.

When one singer checks a device in rehearsal, three things happen.

First, your attention leaves the music. Singing well demands full cognitive load. Pitch, vowel shape, breath timing, blend. When you split attention, accuracy drops. Studies on task switching show even brief interruptions reduce performance and increase errors.

Second, you signal disengagement. Choir is collective work. When one singer disconnects, others feel it. Peripheral vision is powerful. A glance down pulls visual focus across the section - not just the immediately singers either side of you. Those in your vicinity notice and get distracted too. The musical director locks their eyes onto you. The group sound tightens or de-stabilises in response.

Third, you waste rehearsal minutes. Rehearsal time is finite. If 30 singers each lose 10 seconds of focus, that is five minutes gone. Multiply that across a term. You lose hours of progress.

Every face communicates commitment. Or distraction.

Phones on silent.Watches off or on airplane mode. Check messages during chorus breaks or before / after rehearsal. Singers - protect your focus.

Trust that nothing online outranks the work in the room.

Your ensemble deserves your full attention. So does your voice.

Your Musical Director