Sing the song Happy Birthday in La based minor using solfège and hand signs.Count sing America (My county ‘Tis of Thee) retrograde.Create a piggyback rap to help the choir memorize key signatures.Perform a four-part round using Kodaly hand signs for the ascending and descending chromatic scale. Recently, a member of ACDA posted the following […]
Curriculum and Instruction
Leading Voices: Summer Reading
Whether you are recovering this summer from the past sixteen months of teaching vocal music during a pandemic or currently preparing for the next year, our challenge is that we have no way of knowing what the new school year will bring. The undeniable reality is that we will not and actually should not go […]
Leading Voices: Adjusting to the New Dynamics
“Hey Susan, your work in choir this year was outstanding – thank you for a great year” In disbelief of what I just wrote in Susan’s yearbook, I looked up and said, “You did such a great job this year in and really grew as a musician, congratulations! You know, considering everything we went through, […]
Leading Voices: Purposeful Teaching Through Agile-Centered Instruction
I remember memorizing the phrase “whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half” many years ago when I began taking piano lessons in third grade. My piano teacher Mrs. Peterson was incredibly pleased that I had the phrase memorized and could recite it at a moment’s notice. She would smile and congratulate me on my new skill. The problem was, even though […]
Leading Voices: Initiate a Discipline with Lesson Prompts
“Do you call yourself a vocal music teacher or a choir director?” At first, this question seemed relatively simple and straightforward. I was wrong. I was asked this question along with a few of our colleagues during an interview for a research study earlier this year. As each of us took turns responding to the […]
Leading Voices: Oh, Now I Get it! – Understanding Threshold Concepts
Have you ever wondered how some of our students seem to naturally catch on and succeed in their studies? They may or may not have an extraordinary aptitude in any particular content area, yet they can grasp and apply the fundamental concepts in a variety of subjects and excel. Some would say it is because […]