Four singers singing enthusiastically together into a microphone - the importance of core repertoire“When you step on stage, your awareness of your material will anchor your control and set your creativity free.”
The Musician’s Way, p. 37

Having coached countless aspiring musicians, I’ve found that many commit an avoidable misstep that profoundly limits their development.

That is, they don’t maintain sizable repertoires of pieces that they can perform with relative ease.

Instead, after learning new titles, they set them aside and move on to other music.

By comparison, we veteran pros regularly pick up fresh music but also practice and perform large amounts of deeply learned compositions. And those long-standing compositions form our core repertoires.

What do pros understand that students don’t?

Here are 6 reasons why building a sizable core repertoire elevates musical artistry and careers.

Six Benefits of Maintaining a Large Core Repertoire

1. Artistic Freedom

By regularly reviewing our long-standing repertoire, we can perform the compositions with minimal effort, freeing us to be expressive and spontaneous in myriad ways.

2. Musical & Technical Development

Practicing and performing compositions over long periods of time leads to profound mastery, provided that we practice deeply. And that mastery enables us to reach pinnacles of musical and technical fluency.

3. Work Readiness & Capacity

With many solo and ensemble titles stage-ready, we attract more engagements and can handle busy concert and gig schedules without exceeding our work capacity.

4. Professional Identity

The music we become known for performing – i.e., our core repertoire – communicates our identities as musicians. By assembling distinctive repertoires along with must-know standards, we can not only win more bookings but also differentiate ourselves as artists.The Musician's Way Book Cover

5. Collaborative Flexibility

As we amass large repertoires across several styles, we acquire the flexibility to partner with diverse musicians, thereby expanding our musicality, connections, and appearances.

6. Work-Life Balance

Titles in our core repertoire require relatively little practice time to prepare for performances, which helps us attain the work-life balance that underpins career sustainability.

See The Musician’s Way for inclusive guidelines to choose, master, and maintain a far-reaching repertoire.

Related posts
The Benefits of Accessible Music
Practicing Performance
Renewing Your Repertoire
The Secret to Sustainable Music Careers

© 2016 Gerald Klickstein
Image © Nejron Photo, licensed from Shutterstock