ChorTeach Index Spotlight: Adolescent

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly publication for choral conductors and teachers at all levels. It is published online, and each issue contains four practical articles. If you are not already a member of ACDA, you can join as an Associate for $45 per year and receive access to ChorTeach and the Choral Journal online.

Last year I created an annotated ChorTeach index (found here) with seventeen categories for classification. A sample of the articles found in the “Adolescent” category are below. To find any of these articles, click here and use the dropdown menu.
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“Adolescent Voice Change: Frustration or Celebration” by Sandra Stegman and Tracey Nycz; Vol 8. Issue 2, Winter 2016
Adolescence is an important time of vocal exploration and accomplishment for young singers. This article offers methods grounded in research and a real-world classroom for accepting and celebrating the changing voice.

“Choosing Music for Those Awkward, Difficult, yet Beautiful People: Middle School Singers” by Elizabeth Batey; Vol 7. Issue 2, Winter 2015
This article contains a compilation of music for middle school singers of all vocal ranges.

“End-of-the-Year Activities in the Music Classroom” by Andrew Bruhn; Vol 9. Issue 3, Spring 2017
In this article the author offers ideas for keeping the end of the school year positive and successful for middle and high school students, keeping things fun while remaining musically focused.

“Exercises for Head Voice Exploration and Development for Junior High/Middle School and High School Boys” by Terry J. Barham; Vol 5. Issue 2, Winter 2013
The author of this article shares exercises for the strengthening and healthy development of the boy’s head voice.

“How to Handle Middle School Choir Students Who Talk Too Much” by Michael Murphy; Vol 8. Issue 2, Winter 2016
Middle school choir students often talk too much, taking up valuable rehearsal time. What can you do? Consider learning to give nonverbal instructions using the tips provided in this article.

“The Changing Voice—A Project for General Music in Middle Schools” by Sara Gaines; Vol 4. Issue 4, Summer 2012
This article provides tips for including a unit on the vocal mechanism in general music classes to help singers understand what is happening in their own voices and those of their peers.

“The Mother/Daughter Choir: A Unique Experience for Your High School Women’s Choir” by Carol Earnhardt; Vol 6. Issue 3, Spring 2014
Find repertoire examples and tips for successful implementation of activities specific to your women’s choir in this article.

“Who’s Afraid of Renaissance Music? No-Fear Solutions for Middle and Senior High Choirs” by Michael Zemek; Vol 4. Issue 3, Spring 2012
This article invites conductors to program Renaissance music with their choirs and offers suggestions for vocal range, notation, accompaniment, and more.

“Why Do They Sing? Students Speak Up” by Debbie Aurelis-Muir; Vol 8. Issue 4, Summer 2016
The author suggests that students do not join choir because of graduation requirements but for the experience. Eighty students were asked why they signed up for choir; a sample of the responses is included.

“Why Won’t My Choir Sing?” by Dale Duncan; Vol 7. Issue 2, Winter 2015
This article shares five reasons why middle school singers won’t sing and presents practical ideas to help work toward rehearsals full of enthusiastic middle school singers.

Find these (and more!) ChorTeach articles here.