It's hard to make a real plan bad

I got an interesting email from a reader the other day, and I bet that her thoughts will resonate with a lot of people who follow Owning The Stage.  She is a musical director in a choral group.  Here's an excerpt:

My problem is with 'the plan'.  Surely no-one sets out to do a lousy plan? I'm soooooooo scared of doing the wrong thing. I've analyzed our new songs to death and I feel really strongly that the way forward is NOT to copy someone else's performance to the letter.. but it's really hard to know what to do!!  Our marks in contest last year had us teetering on the edge of an entirely different level- so i know it's more crucial than ever. I feel like a complete novice and I'm supposed to be one of the ones in the know! it's almost as though the more i read, the more nervous i get...

There's no question about it - when you sit down and try to make a whole plan appear from nothing but your own intuition, it's a daunting task.  How do you make all those decisions about how to approach a song?  How can you be sure it's going to work?

As I've written previously, there are some sure-fire ways to screw up a plan, like trying to create one without creating a story first, or trying to create one that's fully-formed and rigid right out of your head, or even plain stealing copying someone else's work!  But here's the good news - if you avoid these pitfalls, pretty much anything you come up with will be good.

Yes, you heard correctly - it's hard to go wrong!  Why?  Because you are a human being and a musician, therefore you have access to a lifetime of experience with this world that gives you insight about the human condition, and you know good music, so once you know what you want to say to your listeners (a.k.a. your "story" for the piece) you will be able to make good choices.  And for heaven's sake, it's ART!  It's entirely subjective!  The value in art is in the mind of the beholder, and if you're making good musical choices and not getting in the way, the art will work its magic.

So here's the recipe, if you're worried about doing a lousy job:

1. Establish a great and truthful story that supports the piece.  For this, you need little other than your humanity.  If you get stuck, get together with a few friends and talk about it.  Good things will emerge.  It never fails, because stories are what humans do!
2. With that story in mind, look at the piece.  See how it fits with the story.  Try it out in your head a few times.  Note the inflection points in the story, and how they fit with the music.  Paint the moods arising from the story, with a broad brush, onto the form and phrasing, as well as the choreography.  Don't get it too perfect (see 3, below).
3. Try it out, and see what works, just a few times.  If you're in a group, engage the group in the story to make sure it's vivid and clear.  See what they do with it.  Refine your plan organically, and it can only improve.
4. When the plan comes together, and you have the feeling that it's good and right, you can start to rehearse it for real.  But remember, it will never be "done" - only the pace of change will slow down as the group finds the groove.  Every performance is unique - be open to new ideas.

Most of all, don't worry too much.  If the plan comes from a place of truth within you, it can not be an awful plan.

It may be easy to make a real bad plan, but it's hard to make a real plan bad.  :)