Band coaches are responsible for anything that happens within the rehearsal studios during Rehearsal time (including Rehearsal weekend rehearsals). Their ultimate goals are to ensure rehearsal time is used as efficiently as possible (read high quality, little waste), and that the final performance of the Songs they coach live up to and beyond the wishes and imagination of the band members. This includes the following responsibilities:
- Ensuring rehearsals go as described on the Rehearsal page.
- Band coaches are responsible for keeping order within a rehearsal, i.e., making sure the band stays on topic.
- Band coaches should try to minimize changeover time between rehearsal slots. Think making sure the next people are ready to set up as soon as the previous band starts breaking down, limiting setup time, helping with setup, etc. This can be coordinated with other band coaches responsible for the rehearsal slot adjacent to that of the band coach.
- A band coach should give the band they’re coaching tips on how to improve their performance. This can be about playing style, interplay, composition, individual parts, missing flare, or anything else that you think could improve the performance. This often requires the band coach to be familiar with the song, so preparation on the band coach’s part is advised. When a band coach thinks the expertise of someone not on the song may be useful, they are encouraged to invite them to a rehearsal. This should always be discussed with the person/people the external person is asked to help. For example, when they notice something is off with the drum part, they can ask the committee drummer to join them for the next rehearsal so they can help find and resolve the issue.
- In addition to ensuring the songs they coach are performable and enjoyable in the musical sense, the band coach is also responsible for enhancing the performance through coaching and helping with stage presence, chemistry, preparing light plans (collected by Production manager), dressing plans, and possible choreographies. This gets increasingly important as the show approaches. The band coach should not have to be the one doing most of the work here as this is the responsibility of the band members, but the band coach should trigger and support these processes.
- Of course, rehearsing and performing a song should be fun! Making sure everybody in the band is happy with the song, the rehearsals, etc. is part of the responsibilities of the band coach.
- Band coaches are responsible for social safety within a rehearsal. This isn’t only about issues between band members, but also about band members or others in the studio displaying potentially problematic behavior. If the band coach isn’t able or comfortable with resolving an issue themselves, they are responsible for getting external help (e.g., the Confidant) so the issue can be resolved.
- After rehearsals, a Band coach meeting will take place with everyone who coached a band that day. To prepare for this, each band coach has the responsibility of taking notes on each of the song rehearsals of that day during the rehearsal slots to discuss during the meeting.
- Preferably, at least one of the band coaches has prior experiences with band coaching. Band coaches with prior experience have the responsibility of making sure the other band coaches have the knowledge and skills to maximize their efficacy. This can be formalized by choosing a band coach coach. This role should preferably be fulfilled by either a band coach or the Operations manager .
Band coaches are assigned to Songs in the set list, and, depending on scheduling conflicts and other factors, individual rehearsal slots of songs they aren’t assigned to.
Being a band coach can be taxing during rehearsals. You’ll be scheduled to be in a studio as a band coach for roughly the available rehearsal time (take into account potential double studios) divided by the amount of band coaches (often 3). This is on top of the songs you’re scheduled to play on yourself. During any rehearsal, this can be more or less, depending on the schedule.
Under some conditions, like Rehearsal weekend, other people than the usual band coaches might coach bands. This starts with other committee members, and might expand to ex-committee band coaches.
Possible role combinations
Considerations for and against making the operations manager Band coach :
- A operations manager/band coach may have difficulty not prioritizing the songs they coach while scheduling songs.
- Having both roles gives better insight into how band coaches handle and communicate the coaching and issues.
- If the operations manager isn’t also a band coach, this means one extra committee member is at the Band coach meeting, meaning less committee members get to socialize with musicians.
Possible solution:
- operations manager visits the band coaches for the first few rehearsals to get a feel for how they coach and communicate.
- operations manager would be primary band coach replacement if one of them is unavailable.