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Choral Caffeine: Is Your Choral Curriculum HELPING or just HOOPING?

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I have a visceral – and not necessarily positive – reaction to the term “curriculum.”
 
Shudder. . . !
 
I envision a fusty, prim old schoolmarm type glaring at me over the top of her wire-rimmed glasses scolding me for failing to dot some preposterous “i” or cross a meaningless “t” in some pointless accreditation document that no one will ever read.  Dopey me, I always thought we were supposed to design ways to help our students not waste time jumping through inane hoops ordained by some apparatchik drone.
 
It seems author Alan Gumm agrees.  Writing in Michigan’s Bella Voce, Mr. Gumm takes a pragmatic approach to what is genuinely NEEDED in a choral curriculum.  In his article, “A Broader View of Choral Curriculum in Today’s World,” Alan discusses the curriculum from the perspective of appropriate pedagogy, forward-looking program development, and solid choral artistry.  Among his salient points are:
 
[1]  Using repertoire as a teaching tool
[2]  Ensemble concepts
[3]  Vocal technique
[4]  Musicianship
[5]  Long-range development
[6]  Four-year rotation
[7]  General music in the choral curriculum (listen & analyze, music history & theory)
[8]  Movement & Creativity
[9]  The role of small ensembles
 
Alan summarizes by saying, “Contrary to the notion that a curriculum is a list of dry ideas on a shelf, the choral curriculum should live and breathe and grow with the developing program at any school.”
 
How refreshing!
 
(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit ChorTeach.) 


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott, 
    Your reaction of “How refreshing!” is exactly the intent of my article, to provide a refreshing spark of ideas. Another intent was to call attention to the fact that these things we may consider to do in rehearsal a bit here and a bit there are more than short-term methods but are permanent and long-range goals that broaden the scope of the total choral program. Though I agree with John’s comment that everything I wrote in the article may be common sense and obvious to some folks, especially we who have been around a long time, from my observations of 1000s of directors and research of 1000s more it became obvious that these things are not so common sense or obvious to many in the field and many coming into the field. So I felt it my obligation to sum up the insights of a generation and pass them along for the benefit of those who have not realized these broader possibilities. Thanks for passing it on, Scott, by sharing your own positive insights. Keep passing it on!
     
    Alan Gumm

  2. Scott:  As someone who has spend a good many years serving on Department and College Curriculum Committees (now THERE are your “jumping through hoops” moments!!!!), I have to say that I found your lead paragraph just a bit offensive.  But that’s OK.  I understand that you–and Alan–are talking about the very limited subject of CHORAL curriculum.
     
    And my first reaction on reading Alan’s article was, “Isn’t all this just plain common sense?”  OK, I guess it never hurts to state and restate the obvious, and he did a nice job of organizing the obvious, but isn’t it still pretty obvious?  And also just a little bit of a one-size-fits-all viewpoint?
     
    I have to say that on the basis of only a couple of articles, pointed out here on ChoralNet, I’m less than totally impressed by the editorial standards of ChorTeach.  But I don’t want to judge on the basis of just a couple of articles, either.  There might be some good stuff there, too.
     
    All the best,
    John

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