choral education

An Unconventional Approach to the Urban Chorus Classroom for the New Choral Director

November 20, 2021 by From Our Readers Leave a Comment

By Odell Zeigler

New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. – John Locke

Have you ever gone along with the majority or followed a script and felt it was not something you should continue to do? Well, let me begin by saying that this blog isn’t about comparing non-urban to urban chorus programs, criticizing scripts, or rejecting conventional approaches to choral pedagogy because I subscribe to foundational principles, and have learned at great institutions like you, but I want to share my unconventional approach in the urban choral setting. This blog is intended for the new high school choral director in the urban setting.

I know some of you may be silently saying to yourself, “Children are children,” or similar. While this statement is true, I want to encourage each of you to think about the population you serve, and ask yourself, “What is best for this group or for my program?” Only you will know this answer. My post is based on my experience in urban education, so feel free to take what is helpful and discard the rest as you know what is truly appropriate for your program.

In graduate school I spent quality time in various chorus classrooms across the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I went above the allotted full-time credit hours so I could formulate independent studies to get a taste of what leading choruses in various communities looked like and felt like. I was able to observe and teach in each of these school districts. I learned and gained a lot, but I learned that no program operates exactly like another, and that some choral programs might operate completely in an unconventional manner. Rather than point to the overall barriers within urban education, I instead want to share a few issues for the new choral director that may be permeating through their urban choral program. Here are a few issues that choral leaders may face (these are not indicative of all urban chorus spaces and may apply to some who teach outside the urban space):

Solfège (they may have always sung on words)
Sheet music (they may have always been taught by rote without a score)
Sight-reading (May be completely foreign)
Maintaining an arched soft-palate (It feels weird to sing like this)
Tongue placement (what is this?!)
Classical literature (unfamiliar with the style overall)

These are just a few of the potential issues, but hopefully they will challenge us to reflect on our approach to the choral space in the urban setting. I know you have learned from a great institution; you may have attended several conferences, you have great books in your care written by choral legends, and so on. Fundamentally, however, you need to figure out how to handle situations when your singers come to choir with one or more of these challenges. You could jump right in and follow your script, your notes from your choral methods course, or utilize other conventional resources and approaches, but I want to encourage you to try the following:

Build relationships (make it personal and not general)
Music literacy (find fun ways to teach music literacy skills)
Begin with rote teaching, if that is the method they are most familiar with
Creative programing (collaborating with orchestra, band, dance, or theater)
Ask for song suggestions (be careful here, you may choose one selection)

I believe one of the biggest goals is getting the students interested in singing choral music before we start trying to operate out of formality. How do we get students interested in something they are not familiar with? We know that buy-in is of utmost importance; definitely the new choral director entering into this environment.

As cliché as it sounds, relationship building would be number one on my list. As you know, students will always try their best to succeed in a space where they feel valued and connected. I do not want to give you a script (no pun intended) but I would suggest focusing on individual relationships, and being intentional about getting around to speak to different students before the bell rings, during breaks, after the closure of the lesson. Personally, I do not view general greetings such as “Good morning everyone,” or general questions such as, “How is everyone doing?” as being an impactful way to build solid relationships. Try to ask these questions to each student independently when you get a chance, and think of a few more casual conversation starters.

Secondly, I would suggest finding fun and creative ways to teach music literacy skills. If students were never taught to read music or challenged from a musical notation standpoint, then teaching it straight up may not yield the best results. As you are introducing a piece, you may not want to have them sing on solfège or a neutral syllable. Why? If they do not have strong reading skills, then they will not be successful. And, students will become bored and feel defeated because they are tasked to demonstrate a set of skills they still need to learn. There are many ways to incorporate the music literacy piece. It would be best if you had a dedicated segment focusing on music literacy (make it fun like a general music class). Let’s call it like it is: chorus is considered an elective at most high schools even though we do not like to view it as such. Students do not want to feel like they are in a music theory class. In essence, creating fun and energizing ways to teach music literacy will get them there eventually.

Briefly, rote teaching is a good thing. I think we often forget about “sound before symbols, rote before notes, ear before eye, etc.” We all know the pros and cons of rote teaching, so I won’t go down that street. If music literacy levels across the ensemble are low, then rote teaching is a good start.

Next, I would suggest thinking about creative programming. Students love collaborating with other students on the campus, and if you can find a piece that your chorus and orchestra or chorus and band can perform together, then that would be great and will get students more interested. I have done pieces where we used our school’s dance team and theater team at the same time, which was something unconventional to say the least, and it was electrifying, and students still talk about it till this day.

Lastly, and this is a bit tricky, I ask for song suggestions so that my students have some buy-in and feel they have a voice. If you ask, you should choose at least one. Here’s what I do: I look at the list of songs suggested and choose between three and five songs that I feel are appropriate and doable. Then I have the class vote to select ONE of those.

As I travel to different colleges or conferences to speak on this unconventional approach to teaching and learning, the question always arises, “What if the unconventional way does not work?” I typically chuckle before responding and explain that this approach is not supposed to replace the conventional or foundational way of teaching chorus, but it can be a jump-start to the conventional approach. Buy-in is important before we try to introduce something that may be completely foreign. Once students have bought in, they are ready to learn anything from you! They will certainly try their best!

Odell Zeigler, IV, is currently the choral director at Booker T. Washington High School (Academy of Visual & Performing Arts) in Norfolk, Virginia. He conducts the Concert Choir, Women’s Chorale, Men’s Chorus, and Mixed Chorus. An active clinician, and public speaker, Odell has presented music education workshops in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and South Dakota. Odell has also written for the Teaching Music Magazine (NAfME) and the Massachusetts Music Educator Journal. Odell is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. Odell holds a B.A. (music & psychology) from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and holds an M.A.Ed. from the University of Rhode Island.

Separating Achievement from Self-Worth

October 20, 2021 by From Our Readers 4 Comments

By John C. Hughes

A few years ago, a colleague told me about the Enneagram, a personality classification system that groups people into nine broad types.¹ I took an online quiz and discovered that I am a Type Three: The Achiever. My friend told me that a lot of conductors are Threes. This makes sense; we like to lead, are organized, and find fulfillment in setting and meeting goals. Sounds admirable, right? Vaguely familiar to the so-called Protestant work ethic and American dream?

What began as a fun conversation with a friend set me off on a journey of self-discovery. Each Enneagram type has its strengths and areas of growth, and I have since learned about the challenges of being a Three. Namely, Threes may equate success with their worth as a human being. Our biggest fear is not succeeding in some aspect of our lives, because we interpret this to mean that we, as individuals, would be a failure. We will therefore work tirelessly to avoid this.

It is seemingly impossible for me to introduce myself without mentioning what I do or have done. I often allow my achievements to define me, and I pursue them like trophies—degrees, performances, positions. Before I have even had time to enjoy one success, a small voice in my mind starts to beckon, “What’s next?” Left unchecked, ambition can become an idol. Perhaps these feelings resonate with some readers.

Separating Achievement from Self-Worth

For better and for worse, competition and ambition are prized traits in the choral field. You audition for every job, graduate school, and masterclass you are interested in and are not selected for most. It is akin to baseball—a 30 percent success rate is about the most anyone can hope for. If you are going to survive in this field, you have to develop a thick skin and be willing to cast a wide net in pursuit of various opportunities.

One could argue that competition and ambition are part of a larger national identity. Side hustles and passive incomes are increasingly prized within the gig economy. Ambition is a national obsession, and, if you do not take part, you are deemed ignorant, lazy, or both.

Many ambitious conductors aspire to follow a common blueprint for a career in choral music. After graduating with an undergraduate degree, they seek to teach high school for a few years, get a master’s degree, teach at a bigger high school, get a doctorate, get a collegiate director of choral activities job wherever they can, pursue a more desirable DCA job, and eventually work with graduate students. Church jobs and community choirs are often used to supplement repertoire lists and incomes.

Of course, goals and aspirations are essential to personal and professional development, but they become unhealthy when you equate your professional achievements with your personal worth. Issues arise when you view any deviation from this path as a diminishment of your personal worth or value as a choral musician. It is easy to become so set on a plan that you feel unfulfilled, discontent, or even worthless if things do not unfold the way you expected. Those who have worked in higher education know that the academic search process is a brutal, never-ending loop: jobs begin to be posted in September for the following year, searches continue through late spring, and, after a quiet summer, the next round of jobs appear. It is easy to ride this roller coaster of anxiety and to lose sight of what really matters.

Additionally, when you are constantly focusing on the future and how to bring your next goal to fruition, you are not the best leader. You may choose repertoire not because it feeds your singers’ musical development, but because it may impress colleagues or look good on a job application. You may focus on achieving things that signify your status in the field, such as conference performances, contest ratings, or tour venues, instead of what is most beneficial for choir members. You may begin to view your present ensembles as vehicles through which to earn a personal achievement.

The false correlation between your professional achievement and self-worth grows out of elitism in choral music, a phenomenon articulated well by Chris Maunu in a 2018 Choral Journal article.² Maunu observes four common sentiments that reveal elitist attitudes:

“I am better than you because my choir is performing at this level and your choir is not.”
“If you are not as experienced or your choir isn’t performing at a certain level, you aren’t as valuable to the profession.”
“If you aren’t the best, you are nothing.”
“When are you going to ‘move up’ to teaching college?… Somehow we’ve decided that age determines how much value a student has on the choral music education totem pole.”

If taken to heart, these elitist statements can damage conductors’ self-images and motivate them to use ensembles for their own advancement. Certainly, skilled conductors improve an ensemble’s performance; however, a choir’s level of performance is determined by much more than who is standing in front of them. For example, it is not difficult to acknowledge that the teacher serving an entire K–12 district with little funding has a different set of challenges and a different definition of success than the conductor of a graduate-level university chorus. Although these conductors work in different arenas, neither should be viewed as superior. Both are trying their best to provide their students with the most outstanding choral experience possible.

Solutions

I have listed below five ways to combat the conflation of achievement with self-worth. They may at first seem trite or obvious, but, even as I write them, they are much easier said than done, at least for me.

1. Stop comparing yourself.

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” an adage attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, is worth considering. In today’s social media age, it is easy to scroll on your phone and feel envious of others’ successes without realizing that their posts and status updates are more like highlight reels than fact. Acknowledge that everyone’s path is different and that those people whose trajectories seem to be a linear progression upwards also struggle in unseen ways.

2. Live in the present.

Be assured that, at this particular moment, you are making the right choices for your unique circumstances. When you constantly look ahead, you disrespect the people with whom you are currently working. Remember, no matter what kind of choir you are standing in front of or how many letters are after your name, you will never “arrive.” Focus instead on being the best version of yourself every day.

3. Trust in your resourcefulness.

Your path may not lead where you expect; in fact, it likely will not. You will have to pivot at certain points, and success (whatever that means within your current context) is determined less by holding infinite knowledge than by being unintimidated by new tasks. You do not have to have skills in every area—that is impossible for any of us. Rather, success is engendered by having the self-assurance to figure out solutions when you are trying something new. Achievement undoubtedly requires hard work, dedication, and preparation, but it is only attainable when you are confident in your ability to solve problems.

4. Acknowledge nonmusical factors.

To follow the “ideal” career path outlined above, you may be tempted to deny nonmusical factors such as your partner’s career, physical and mental health, where you want to live, the desire to start a family, the need to make a living, or the avoidance of debt. Acknowledging these concerns can feel like weakness, a lack of dedication, or “selling out.” Contrarily, acknowledging the legitimacy of nonmusical factors in your life recognizes that your personal circumstances have no bearing on your validity as a musician.

5. Live your vocation.

The pandemic has demonstrated that people yearn for human connection. Regardless of what your job looks like, if you are making music, you have the opportunity to connect people to each other through the beauty of music. I can think of no more noble calling than this. Keep this at the forefront of all you do.

Conclusion

What would happen if we, as a profession, applied our determination to helping our current ensembles grow rather than advancing our careers? Not only would we become better musical leaders, but we would also find a deeper purpose in our work. Perhaps we would find that elusive feeling of contentment.

In his book, Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation, the twentieth-century philosopher Josef Pieper extolls “the ability to celebrate a feast.”³ He argues that profound joy and beauty is found in celebrating the work and leisure of everyday life. It is possible, though not easy, to pursue our goals while also living in the present. Yes, we are an organization comprised of dedicated choral professionals, but we are each so much more than that. Our individual worth is inherent and independent from our professional achievements.

Notes

1. Reed Michael Spencer explored the implications of the Enneagram on conductors in his dissertation. Reed Michael Spencer, “Mind, Heart, and Body: Conductors Use the Enneagram to Reflect on Musical Practice.” (PhD diss., Boston University, 2018), https://hdl.handle.net/2144/32688.

2. Chris Maunu, “Choral Elitism is Real: What It is and What We Should Do about It,” Choral Journal 58, no. 11, (June/July 2018), 59–64.

3. Josef Pieper, Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation, trans. Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1990), 26.

John C. Hughes enjoys a multifaceted career as a conductor based in Chicago. He is the music director of Chicago Master Singers and Director of Choral Programs at the Green Lake Festival of Music.

Everyday Advocacy for Your Choral Program

September 29, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Karen Bruno

What is advocacy? Advocacy is an opportunity to share with other people, many of whom are decisionmakers in some way, why choral music matters—to us, to our singers, and to the world. Advocacy should not be a term that frightens us. It should be a term that inspires us to explain to others why choral music makes a difference for the better. There are many people who never had the opportunity to experience or understand the art form that is so important to us as choral conductors and music educators.

There are lots of ways to share the impact of music education, and many organizations have spent a good deal of time and energy compiling statistics, sharing research, and distributing creative tools for large- and small-scale advocacy. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Chorus America, Americans for the Arts, and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) are some of the organizations who do this sort of work regularly, and we should all familiarize ourselves with the advocacy tools they provide. But statistics and studies tell only part of a story. They tell the larger story of why music or the choral art form is important and discuss the impact choral programs have in general, but these are probably not the primary reasons your principal, community foundation, or singers and their families support your choir. They are likely to be more interested in what you have to say than statistics provided by a national organization. Why are you a choral musician? Why do your singers show up to participate? When we tell our own story in conjunction with research about the impact of choral music writ large, we provide complete and compelling reasons to prioritize, staff, and fund choral music in our schools and our communities.

Part of the problem is that we know we should advocate for choral music, but we aren’t sure how to do it. What do we say? To whom do we say it? We have our hands full selecting repertoire, writing lesson plans, studying scores, teaching and conducting, and meeting the individual needs of our singers. We are busy! Isn’t a beautiful concert advocacy enough?

Simon Sinek’s 2009 TED talk and subsequent book, Start With Why, took the business and leadership worlds by storm. His thesis was that people are not as interested in a product as they are interested in why a business exists in the first place. The core belief, cause, or reason a business exists can be a compelling story. If a company sells its story, consumers are more likely to purchase its product, he claimed. He encourages CEOs to build a culture within their companies that is mission driven and to hire people aligned with the company’s core beliefs rather than those who are just excellent sales people. Identifying and prioritizing why a company exists, he argued, is foundational for success.

Although Sinek was speaking to business leaders, it is easy to see how his ideas are relevant to teaching and to advocacy. When we identify our core beliefs and values, we become better teachers, leaders, and storytellers. We can explain why it’s important for a student to schedule choir amid Advanced Placement (AP) classes, a foundation to award our program a grant, or an adult to attend a weekly Tuesday night rehearsal across town. While we may have spent time creating our own mission statements as undergraduates, for most of us it has been a very long time since we checked in with our own “why.” Consider:

Why do you teach and conduct choirs?
Why do your singers choose (and continue) to participate?
Why did you enter the profession?
Why do you stay in the profession?
Why does singing matter to you?
Why does singing matter to your choristers?

These are not easy questions, but the answers will help you shape your everyday advocacy stories.

If we want to tell our stories clearly and compellingly, we must identify our core values and guiding principles; these are the heart of everyday advocacy. Our stories become the message of everyday tools to engage and educate our communities. Go beyond the general research, beyond the beauty of the choir’s performance, and articulate the most profound reasons you and your singers are involved in your choral program.

Former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is remembered for saying, “All politics is local.” Whether or not this statement is true, we do well to remember that local issues are important to communities, and that sharing the value of choral music is an important part of our job. If we don’t advocate for the choral art, who will?

Excerpted from Karen L. Bruno’s “Everyday Advocacy For Your Choral Program” from Volume 60, Number 2 of Choral Journal (September 2019).

Silver Linings: Reflecting on What We Do for Our Singers

May 18, 2021 by From Our Readers Leave a Comment

By Jeanne Wohlgumuth

Finding a silver lining in a year that has been riddled with disappointments and life-changing events would seems to be daunting and virtually impossible. However, when given the opportunity to reflect on the past year, I find that there are many silver linings that have emerged from a somewhat horrendous situation.

Silver Lining #1 – In-Person Rehearsals/No COVID Transmission

New World Singers, the elite performing ensemble of the Columbus Children’s Choir (CCC), has been holding in-person rehearsals since September. There were many changes that had to occur to make this possible. These included smaller ensemble sizes, 6 ft. social distancing, opening all windows and doors (yes, even during the cold Ohio winter), turning off the HVAC system, purchasing Conway CADR HEPA Air Purifiers for each rehearsal room, taking temperatures and wearing masks, changing rehearsal rooms after 30 minutes, and fogging rehearsal room with isopropyl alcohol and letting them sit empty for 20-30 minutes.

While at first these changes felt very confining and restrictive the benefits have been innumerable. Most importantly, our organization has had NO transmission of COVID within our ensembles. We have now welcomed back all five of our ensembles and continue to maintain no COVID spread!

Silver Lining #2 – Musicianship

One of the biggest silver linings has been the opportunity for our singers to grow as strong, independent musicians. We have always made musicianship and literacy a major component of our choral program, but this year we have been able to closely monitor the growth and development of each singer, giving more time for individual assessment and immediate and transformational feedback. An increase in musicianship has likely helped to foster other outcomes including confidence which is highlighted in the next segment.

Silver Lining #3 – Confidence

From a singer’s perspective: This new arrangement has placed “more responsibility on my part in the ensemble because it comprises fewer people than in the whole choir—more ownership! Not many people I can rely on now, so I have to be stronger as a singer.” – Deanna

Silver Lining #4 – Commitment

While the majority of our singers (78 out of 86 singers) attend in-person rehearsal, there are some singers who, because of health issues, chose to attend rehearsal via zoom. These singers have pledged their commitment to their ensemble. They take their role in the ensemble seriously, always finding a quiet place in their home where they can fully engage in the rehearsal.

From a parent’s perspective: This serves as “a reminder of why my children are in CCC. Not for the uniforms. Not for the performances (although we do miss them). Not for the trips (although the disappointment still stings). They are CCC singers because they love to make music. They love to sing. They love to be surrounded by others who love to sing. Strip everything else away. They show up to sing.” – Molly

Silver Lining #5 – Few to no missed rehearsals

The use of Zoom has made absences from rehearsal virtually disappear. It has provided a way for singers who are ill to still be present during rehearsals. Singers who are traveling log on and participate from their cars, hotel rooms, parks, and so on.

Silver Lining #6 – Camaraderie/Relationships

Because of our smaller ensembles, singers have built relationships and a deeper esprit de corps. They have become more familiar with other members of the ensemble whom they might not have known very well. Their friend “bubble” has grown to include everyone in their ensemble.

From a singer’s perspective: “Since there are fewer people in each ensemble, we talk to everyone and we have become a lot closer. In the full choir everyone had their established friends and would not talk much to those outside of their circle.” – Izzy

Silver Lining #7 – Everyone Matters

It is hard for singers to imagine that 1 voice in a choir of 86 singers matters. In our smaller ensembles the singers are realizing the importance of every voice. They are realizing that a missing voice creates a different sounding ensemble. A singer who does not listen and strive to match unified vowels creates difficulty in tuning, and a lack of focus or concentration creates a frustrating and unproductive rehearsal for all.

In closing, I would like to highlight two poignant comments, the first from a singer and the second from a parent.

“This choir has taught me that even through tough times, music is the uniting force that uplifts the world. It definitely uplifts my mood with every rehearsal.” – Rhea

“We know that music has the power to heal, and I believe the students really got to experience that in depth this year through Columbus Children’s Choir. While so many students struggled being out of school or being in school only part time most of the year, thanks to your hard work our singers were still able to join together to create beautiful music. Although choir looked a bit different this year, it has allowed some sense of normalcy. The choir has provided something for the singers to look forward to every week. The rehearsals have allowed the children time to take a break from the bleakness of the past year; while in rehearsal their focus is solely on making music, allowing an escape from any depression or stress caused by the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. It has been a wonderful time for them to feel free, alive, and productive. I am confident that the Columbus Children’s Choir has saved more than one life this year.” – Annette

While we all look to a future where we can freely sing, rehearse, and perform again, it is important to not dwell on the negative, but try and find the “silver lining” in all that we do for our singers. The Columbus Children’s Choir will continue to sing . . . we will continue to share our human spirit through our voices and our music as it is vitally important to our society and to the well-being of humanity.

Throughout her forty-year career, Jeanne Wohlgamuth has been a tireless advocate for children at all levels from kindergarten through collegiate. She recently retired from Dublin Jerome High School as Director of Choirs and Performing Arts Chair and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Columbus Children’s Choir where she oversees the artistic vision of the organization and directs New World Singers, the top performing ensemble, and Una Voce. She was just elected president-elect of the Ohio Choral Directors Association.

Silver Linings: Three Snapshots from the Past Year

April 21, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Carol Earnhardt

Virtual Rehearsals, Concert, and After Party

Last August, in 2020, the board members of my community choir, the Heart of Triad Choral Society (Kernersville, North Carolina), looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I wanted to have weekly rehearsals on Zoom and give a live “virtual” concert in December. But, we did it! We met once a week, rehearsed some great music, played many games, and laughed . . . a LOT. We were joined by new members from Texas, Florida, and Canada! It was the coolest thing to have singers from outside our little North Carolina town join us each week for rehearsals – something that would not have happened had we been in person.

On a December night, we all watched the concert together on a Zoom webinar application and on Facebook live. At last count, the concert has been seen by nearly 4,000 people – with many audience members from outside the United States. We’ve NEVER had an audience that large. We had an after-party on Zoom following the performance – a great idea! We drank wine, sang Christmas carols, told jokes, and bragged about the concert. Comments made at that party, emails I received the entire month of December, and cards that were sent in the mail confirmed what I knew all along – the concert was wonderful . . . but it was the weekly rehearsals that brought great light to a time of deep darkness.

Choral Lifelines Continue to Be Important

Last week, I had an hour-long conversation with one of my choir students – a senior who was failing multiple classes and had completely stopped attending classes on Zoom. “Lillie” had been my student since she was a freshman. She was a bright, energetic, friendly girl . . . before COVID. I made a phone call to her that day to find out what was going on with her since I had not seen her in two weeks.

This was not the first time I had called her this year about her sporadic attendance, but I was extremely concerned this time because of her failing grades in classes she needed to graduate. “Lillie” poured her heart out to me. She was depressed. In our conversation, she told me that I was the only adult with whom she could be honest. By the end of the conversation, we had a plan to help her catch up in her required classes, and I am happy to say that she is back on the path to graduate in June. The relationships we build with our choir members through music are strong. These relationships have been critical in helping students adjust to their new reality and in keeping them engaged in learning.

A Virtual Coffee House for Students and Parents

We all have tried to make this year semi-normal for our students. In September, the arts department at my school held our first “virtual” coffee house. Students were assigned a theme based on one of the tenets of social-emotional learning. Some themes included “To Walk in Another Person’s Shoes,” “Who I Am,” and “A Year in Reflection: Lessons I’ve Learned in Quarantine.” Visual art, dance, theater, band, and chorus students recorded performances based on the theme of the month – many of the students created original works for their performance. Once a month, all the students and parents would gather on Zoom to enjoy the performances and socialize over a cup of coffee (or cocoa). The monthly departmental meetings have been a hit. This idea is a “silver lining” tradition that we will continue long after the pandemic is over.

Carol Earnhardt has been the director of choral activities at Robert B. Glenn High School since 1998 and has served as the artistic director for the Heart of the Triad Choral Society, a community choir in Kernersville, North Carolina, since 2016.

Silver Linings: Connections in Choir During Hybrid Learning

March 10, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

A few months ago ACDA began soliciting and sharing “silver lining” reflections from our members. We have enjoyed them so much, we decided to share them in a wider way on ChoralNet. Have you experienced a silver lining during the course of this challenging year? Please email a draft to for consideration in this series.

By Edward Norris

Teaching choral music in a hybrid model: How do I do that? How do I make this work? How will I feel? How will the kids feel? Will we be productive? These are some of the questions that made our hearts race in September when this journey began.

For all of us, the 2020-21 school year will certainly be one to remember. It has been a year filled with struggle, loss, civil and political unrest, depression, anxiety, and uncertainty. Our students’ minds are saturated with images of negativity each and every day due to the current world that we live in. When I stepped back into the choral room at Glen Cove High School in September, I vowed to have our program be a beacon of light in their lives; a place where they could forget what is going on in the world, even if it were only for 45 minutes a day. I let go of a lot that I had focused on in the past musically, and decided that the theme of this year would be connection.

I know that sounds pretty silly since on most days, I have anywhere from two to ten kids in front of me and everyone else on Google Meet, but that was my thought nonetheless. I decided to focus on what we have, as opposed to what we have lost. Yes, we have lost things like in-person rehearsals, lessons, concerts and trips, but we still have the ability to connect through music and make a difference in each other’s lives.

For much of my career, my students have talked about how our choir family has made a difference in their lives. I would beam with pride knowing that our group gave them a safe space to be who they are while appreciating some of the world’s finest choral music. I’ve always known how much I adore my students, but it wasn’t until March of 2020 that I truly learned what the choir meant to both myself and to them! During quarantine I realized that this upcoming year would be about fostering and maintaining the connections we have to one another within our choir family.

This year I have talked to my students about “stopping to smell the musical roses.” Yes, we still rehearse choral music, we still sight-read, we still learn good choral and vocal technique, but without the pressure of preparing for performances. I am able to dive very deep into things that I normally wouldn’t have as much time to do. For example, we have been talking a lot about music theory in choir. I often talk about theory during my rehearsals but this year I am really able to go into great depth about the chord structure of a piece or phrase or, perhaps, how the alto II’s have the 9th of the chord, which has to be treated differently. This has given the singers a greater understanding of the music that we sing. Another thing that I have been able to do is work quite a bit on text analysis whether it be poetry or the text to a piece of music. We have taken text and really gotten into the meaning of each section and, once again, it has given the singers great comprehension of how to interpret . . . we have to tell the story! Spending the extra time with this aspect of music making will surely pay dividends for years to come.

I know what you are thinking. Where is the “connection” piece you were talking about? All of the “stopping to smell the musical roses” is great, but how do we connect over Google Meet? How do we connect the kids who are in person to the kids who are at home? For me, the answer has been simple; just talk to them, have a conversation. Take the time to find out how they are, how they are handling all of this, and let them know that you will be there for them every step of the way. Early on in the school year I showed my choirs a video of my dear friend Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand and the Aeolians of Oakwood University doing a virtual performance of Robert T. Gibson’s “We Shall Overcome.” The in-person students cried, the virtual students cried, I cried. It was a moment. We were connected! We were apart, but we were doing the same thing and feeling the same feelings at the same time.

My colleague at Glen Cove and I work very closely with one another and a mission that we take on each and every day is to connect to every single student, be it in-person or online and we have noticed that it makes a difference. Maybe it’s a little story, a comment on their dog that’s on their lap, a comment about their LED lights on their ceiling (boy am I tired of seeing LED lights), a comment about their favorite sports team, a comment about how great that student did in their virtual lesson. With each comment comes a smile or a wave from them. So many of them tell us that it makes a difference to them, and equally as important; it makes a difference to us! It makes us feel closer to them!

A few weeks ago, I was taking virtual attendance and said “Hey Kevin, it is so great to see you with us today!” He unmuted and responded “Hey Mr. Norris, thank you for being so cheery today. I need it because I am having a really tough time mentally and emotionally.” I couldn’t let that comment go. I had to talk to him, but I couldn’t pull him into the hallway, as he was a virtual student. So, I talked to Kevin and the entire class about how it’s okay to feel these feelings and the best thing that you can do is talk about it. We talked about how the choir is a safe space and that’s why Kevin chose to say what he said. With Kevin and the group, I shared some of my personal struggles since the pandemic started, as well as with the civil unrest that has been happening. The chat was filled with comments to pick Kevin up, as well as students saying how grateful they were to be in class that day to hear what they heard. I received several emails from students (and their parents) about how that particular session struck a chord and made a difference with themselves or with their child.

This year, it’s not about perfect intonation and phrasing. It is not about having a fantastic concert. For me and for my students it is about connecting with one another and doing our very best to impact each other’s lives. It is about continuing to learn great choral music, but taking time to smile and laugh each day. I would like to leave you with this video: it is the BYU singers directed by Andrew Crane performing Elaine Hagenberg’s “Alleluia.” Together with our students, we can stay connected and make music in the midst of all of this.

Stay safe my friends.

Edward Norris is the director of choral music at Glen Cove High School (Glen Cove, New York) where he conducts the 75-voice mixed chorus and the 40-voice Select Chorale. He also teaches music theory and AP music theory. Outside of Glen Cove, he is an adjunct professor at Long Island University Post Campus and at the Aaron Copland School of Music (Queens College). Ed serves as the Division V Choral Vice President for the Nassau Music Educators Association and is a proud member of the New York State School Music Association and the American Choral Directors Association. Lastly, Ed was a contributing author of Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand’s book Teaching with Heart.