Go and Shine! Nine Strategies for Cultivating a Positive Rehearsal Space

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels but specifically K-12 and community choirs. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/publications/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For more information, email  or visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the Summer 2023 issue titled “Go and Shine! Nine Strategies for Cultivating a Positive Rehearsal Space” by Elizabeth Weismehl.
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My goal in this article is to offer eight strategies for cultivating a positive rehearsal space. The following strategies can be modified for any teaching situation. Begin with positivity to create an environment favorable for learning, and give students agency to create a culture of collaboration.

Strategy #1: Good Vibes!
The fourth graders created a chain of kindness activity called Good Vibes Compliment Tag. It is a fun way to kick off the year or whenever the group energy feels off to help students make connections and feel valued.1 It is important to discuss what a compliment is and sounds like. As students get to know each other, I encourage compliments about character. Play a “good vibes” song, maybe even something you are rehearsing or planning to teach, as students move musically around the room. When you pause the music, a student (chosen ahead of time) gives a compliment to someone nearby. The next time the music stops, both of these students compliment other students. Continue the activity until everyone is giving and receiving compliments. Take a moment to soak up the good vibes!

Strategy #2: Happy Dances, Heart Keepers, and Partner Connections
Every student in my class has their own class number. Throughout the year, I choose students randomly for different needs by using a small box filled with numbered wooden hearts. The “Happy Hearts Treasure Chest,” as I call it, keeps the environment childlike and playful. I introduce it by sharing that each one of us is a treasure to be valued and that I treasure our time together.2 Using hearts is a symbolic way to remind students that they matter and are cared for.

First graders suggested a Happy Dance to ensure the hearts are well mixed, and a Heart Keeper to be in charge of the dance and choosing hearts. The dance is a fun opportunity to let everyone, including me, cut loose, generating smiles, laughter, and connections. Students are adept at dancing with great spirit and energy and being still when a dramatic musical cutoff is given. Such joy! Using the treasure chest to choose partners ensures all students feel included. When two hearts are selected, the students ask “, will you be my partner, please?” They respond with, “I would be grateful to be your partner” or “Yes, thank you.” Sometimes they add a personal touch. As long as the communication is done in a welcoming way, including facial expression, body language, and tone of voice, anything goes. Children need opportunities to practice what kindness looks, sounds, and feels like.

*Visit acda.org/chorteach for more responses in the full article. Choose the Summer 2023 issue.