Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; What Will Your Reputation Be This Year?

“America’s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.” Jane Addams

Are you happy with your reputation? Is this something you planned to “be” or is this something that just happened? Is your particular situation to blame, either in a good or bad way, for your reputation?

Conrad*is a music history professor at a four college and considers himself tough. He’s tough but has always tried to be fair as well, and tells me it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. He occasionally wishes he could be more of a softy. But he knows his students wouldn’t be compelled to study as much as they need to for his subject.

Conrad teaches what he believes is the most difficult music course in the department; “Music History I,” which includes chant (all kinds) and organum. There is rarely a freshman or sophomore music major who has ever heard of organum much less heard organum. To pass his course, his students must be able to recognize organum when they hear it. Conrad makes sure they hear a lot of it!

MHI is a typical lecture course, with a midterm, final and every other week listening exams. He has all sorts of listening tools for his MHI students but tries not to overwhelm them by giving them too much to listen to at a time. He gradually adds pieces every week to his website and Sound Cloud, including music which will be heard in class.

As the semester begins, most of Conrad’s MHI students don’t believe he will grade as toughly on those every other week listening exams as he says he will. He doesn’t give partial credit for anything close; it is either right or wrong. Those listening exams, in total, count as one third of a semester’s grade, so while there are many of them, they count. He does give extra-credit listening exams for those needing a boost to their grade, so there are ways to it make up if need be.

Conrad is fine with his present reputation because while he is considered to be tough, he is also considered to be fair. He can live with that.

Dorothy’s* reputation was made the first day of her job as an elementary school music teacher. Her first class that day was a fifth grade made up of some of the most challenging students in the school. Their classroom teacher offered to stay, but since Dorothy didn’t know these were difficult kids, she told her she could go. To say it was rough was an understatement, but Dorothy was unruffled. Later, she told her husband she was going on autopilot but stayed true to who she was and her philosophy of teaching.

What is her philosophy of teaching? Not to ever raise her voice and to laugh! Well, it’s more complicated than that. But on that day, she didn’t yell, told some jokes and gradually got many of the kids to focus. She tells me, thirteen years later; those were some of her favorite students ever. Several of her students from that class became music teachers and one of the “worst” boys will take over her position this year. When he told her he got “her” job, it was one of the best days of her life. He said he became a music teacher because she taught him how to respect people, even if they don’t respect you. Everyone always said she was the most respectful teacher in the school and he wanted to be like her. Pretty great reputation, right?

*Name Withheld