While I was out sick recently for a week with COVID, one of my lesson plans for the Select Choir consisted of having the students break into their Sectional Sprint Groups and check and memorize their music for their upcoming Pops Concert the following week. At the end of each student-run Sectional Sprint rehearsal, I […]
Agile Development Instructional Framework
Leading Voices: Re-envisioning and Rediscovering Singing
Suddenly, the bass section broke out in full, boisterous song. After they finished, I said, “That was great! what were you singing?” They all heartily replied, “The Wellerman,” with a few Arrr’s thrown in for effect. It was the beginning of the school year, and each section of the choir was working on their […]
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 […]
Leading Voices: No, Really . . . They are Worth Your Time
They can be used once a week, when a choir starts learning a new song, or just before an adjudicated choral music festival. They are a quick and effective instructional and assessment tool appropriate for the upper Elementary Choir through the Collegiate Honor Ensemble. They can be designed using Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, aligned […]
Leading Voices: Positive Reappraisal: Adapting Instruction and Managing Stress
Adapting Instruction and Managing Stress I am growing weary of being told that teaching virtual and hybrid vocal music is only “temporary.” I emphatically disagree. The virtual and hybrid vocal music model may be temporary, but its adverse effects on my music students and our program will be felt for years. In response to the […]
Leading Voices: How Do We Actively Engage Students in Lifelong Music Learning And Participation?
How do we actively engage students in lifelong music learning and participation? 1985, The early years For my first three years of teaching, I taught kindergarten through fifth grade general music for two elementary schools in Texas (one had no air conditioning!). I traveled from room to room teaching the Texas Essential Elements with my […]