The Things I Use at Every Rehearsal
- Esperanza Salgado
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
I have always been extra about rehearsals-- in part, because I'm an AuDHDer but mostly because I have learned that rehearsals go much more smoothly when I come prepared. While I am not carrying a music store in my bag, I do have a dedicated rehearsal bag that helps me stay organized, cozy, and ready to work.
Some of these items are obvious to the avid rehearser but some are things I learned to carry after being personally victimized by an inconvenient rehearsal situation. The exact supplies you need will depend on your instrument, so I will not deep-dive into every instrument-specific possibility. I can really only comment on the flute and piccolo (I wrote this blog about it). Still, many of these essentials will be useful to almost any musician.
This blog may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use, have used, and genuinely believe may be useful to musicians.
A dedicated Rehearsal Bag & Purse
Overkill? Mayhaps but I gotta make sure I got myself situated. What I need to function may not be the same as what you need, so I am not going to get too specific about everything in my purse or personal-care kit. Think of the usual essentials: wallet, keys, medication, menstrual products, lip balm, and anything else you regularly need when leaving the house.
To carry all my stuff, I use a backpack because it is easy to carry and distributes the weight more comfortably than a shoulder bag. I recommend Swiss Gear bookbags because they are spacious, have compartments, and they are sturdy! Plus most of the time I can stuff my flute in there no problem!
My Little bag of Cleaning Supplies
The world is nasty, and I am tired of getting sick. You know they do not sanitize those music stands. Ever. I like being able to quickly wipe down a shared stand, chair, or surface before settling in. So I usually carry:
Hand sanitizer is never a bad idea, especially after moving chairs, touching shared equipment, or handling music that has passed through several hands.
My Sensory and Regulation Supplies
These items are for moments when I need a sensory break or help regulating myself. Now that I know about my AuDHD and I know how overwhelming rehearsal can be, I usually carry:
Headphones
A silent fidget
An eye mask
Backup earplugs
A snack
I may not use all of these things during every rehearsal, but knowing they are available makes a difference. I have a blog that talks more about regulating in rehearsal here.
My Phone & A Portable Charger
In my younger days I heavily relied on the CTA and on occassion taxis. And there is nothing like being in an place you don't know as well with 2% battery. The amount of times that happened to me-- ugh the horror. Now I carry both a charging cable and a portable charger. I do not play around with my technology, so I want a power bank that can hold a charge, power my phone more than once, and survive being tossed around in my bag.
For this I recommend The Anker Prime Power Bank
My Instrument and All of Its Necessary Parts
Right obvious.. but it's happened to me. And it SUCKED. After that one faithful night, I make sure I have my instrument and everything I need to actually play it.
Like I said I can't speak on anything but the flute and piccolo (here's a blog about that) but depending on the instrument, it might include something along the lines of extra reeds, cables, mallets--- you get the point!
Check out this blog on my favorite flute items!
My Music & Binder
I know some people swear by their tablets but I personally cannot commit to that lifestyle. I think we spend too much time looking at screens and I need a break! Old-lady rant aside, I do not think I learn or perform as well from a screen as I do from actual paper I can write on. Plus, I know myself. I will forget to charge the thing. Call me old fashioned but I'd rather lug a binder around.
I used to be a folder girly and I've tried portfolios as well but it just doesn't work for me so I've been using binders instead. Just regular binders. A binder keeps my sheet music from becoming completely destroyed, and I find that I can organize myself much better this way. I can use dividers for different ensembles, keep pages in order, and add or remove music without rebuilding the entire system.
If you are in a band or ensemble, and you use the original large sheet music, I would recommend Protec's Portfolio Bag:
If you aren't getting large sheet music then a regular 1-in binder will suffice. But if you got the extra cash and don't like how binders, I recommend I'd suggest going with this choral binder. I spent the extra cash to use this for performances really. I looks much nicer than my binder.
Mechanical Pencils with good Erasers
I rarely use traditional pencils unless I am drawing. I do not want to deal with sharpening them, so I use mechanical pencils. You can replace the lead and eraser, and they are easy to keep in a music binder. Any dependable standard mechanical pencils will do but I love drafting pencils. I tend to not lose them for one, but also they are oh so very smooth! For this I recommend Pentel's GraphGear 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil. I go between a .3 or .5 mm pencil but there are different sizes. I don't know what it is but I'm telling you, it will change your life!
Any reliable pencil is fine. The visual artist in me simply respects and values a really nice pencil and eraser.
Pencil Bag for three ring binders
With every good pencil, you need a good pencil bag. You can use any pencil case, but I look for functionality. I prefer a three-ring pencil pouch that attaches directly inside my binder. That way, my pencils are always with my music.
A tuner (metroTuner)
I am an AuDHDer. And it brings me a lot of beautiful gifts but some challenges as well. The unfortunate thing is, when I'm in a "loud" setting, I get overwhelmed and my senses start going awry. Meaning that sometimes I can't process the information I'm hearing sometimes. Hence why I need a tuner to fact check myself sometimes. I have an app that I prefer to use but you know no one be bringing tuners to rehearsal anymore and then everyone wants to use it. So instead of passing my phone around I have the Korg TM-70C Tuner and Metronome In controlled settings, I can tune by ear no problem, but in a rehearsal space, I struggle sometimes so I just have it just in case.
You could just get a regular tuner but I feel if you are going to spend money on a tuner, it might as well have a metronome.
Water
I cannot fathom how some people, especially wind players, do not bring water. These rehearsals are usually 2 hours+! What are we doing? We need to hydrate. Bring water. The best water bottles I have owned are Owala bottles. The fact that my water remains ice-cold throughout the day is top-tier. Immaculate, if you will.
If I had to choose one, I would get the 40-ounce Owala FreeSip Sway because I just get oh so very thirsty! There are thinner ones that I also have !
Earplugs made for musicians
To be fully transparent, I have not fully explored this aspect of the best ear buds or anything because my AuDHD awareness is relatively new and I am on a budget. What I can tell you is that I have extremely sensitive ears. These just help with lowering the dBs. I eventually plan on trying more out and maybe even considering getting custom earplugs, but that's an exploration for a later time. I have been using the Eargasm Reusable Earplugs.
A Few Final Notes
I think that covers everything I keep in my standard rehearsal bag! This is not every single thing I carry with me as a working musician, though because my car has a little extra stuff. I have a separate blog about what I keep in my car when I am traveling from gig to gig, as well as another blog specifically about the supplies and accessories I use as a flutist. Part of why I write these blogs is so I have a checklist for myself 🤣 But in all seriousness, it took me a long time to figure out how to have a functional and accessible rehearsal bag to make my life easier so I'm able to just focus on the music. Your rehearsal bag may look completely different from mine-- and that's quite alright. In fact, feel free to comment on it!
Comments