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Education

“Belonging” Isn’t Top-Down

May 13, 2022 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment

A hybrid episode! We run the risk of oversimplifying educational concepts, packaging them in seminars and professional development sessions for sale, and actually HARMING students. Or at least not helping them. Educational theories often carry precious little evidence, but we as educators frequently feel ill equipped to question them. Often times these oversimplifications are simply Utopian visions of education. One of the buzzwords that gets this treatment in my view is “Belonging.” I have been reading a book called “Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity” by Cobb and Krownapple. In that journey, as well as in my conversations on the show, in real life, and online it has become clear to me that there are many questions still to be ASKED about this topic before we can even begin to have enough hubris to think we can answer it.

Chris Munce

This episode started out as a car thoughts episode, which I extended with a walkthrough of two graphics that I see as questionable from the book.

You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!

Episode 101: The Science of Program Building with Dr. Seth Pendergast

Advertisements Dr. Seth Pendergast of Colorado State University joins me to dig through the critical aspects of recruiting and retention. As we are (hopefully) coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, my sense is that many K-12 choral music educators are looking to grow or rebuild their choral programs. The pandemic often limited singing and many …

Continue reading“Episode 101: The Science of Program Building with Dr. Seth Pendergast”

Episode 100: Sing Softer, You’re Off Key with Beth Munce

Advertisements This episode is a milestone. The 100th full length episode of the podcast. Since my wife Beth was the FIRST guest on the show, I thought it would be good to go full circle, and bring her on again! Being a music teacher is an important job. It is, or should be about SO …

Continue reading“Episode 100: Sing Softer, You’re Off Key with Beth Munce”

Bring your friends to the conversation:

 BY CHORALOSOPHY PODCAST APRIL 27, 2022

Episode 99: The World Imagined with Gabriel Jackson

Advertisements Part of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast Dig into the mind of Gabriel Jackson, one of my FAVORITE composers. His ability to mix the modern with the ancient really makes my “Spidey Sense” tingle! We discuss his music, and journey to composition, as well his feelings about Orchestral musicians seeming to live …

Filed Under: Choralosophy Tagged With: American Choral Directors Association, belonging, choir, Education, philosophy

My Favorite Part of the Job

April 8, 2022 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment

Directing choirs is about the people… well, it’s kind of also about the music… but I’m not supposed to say that out loud, so it’s just about PEOPLE!

I grew up captivated by music. It wasn’t until later that I fell in love with the transformative personal power of group singing. Since that time, I have felt colleagues struggling with balancing the commitment to high musical standards, academic rigor etc with creating a sense of belonging and personal development. I can solve the conundrum! It’s both. (I know it seems like that’s been my answer a lot lately.)

It’s about helping PEOPLE experience MUSIC. That’s the job. They are two inseparable parts of our job. To me it is this duality that is my favorite part of the job. If we were just about people, we could be sociologists, social workers or psychologists. If we were just about music, we could be soloists, composers, or concert pianists. But that’s not what we chose. We are choral directors, music educators, worship leaders and facilitators of group singing. With out our people we would have no music, and without the music the people wouldn’t come.

Episode 98 Out This Week!

And the music REALLY needs to be good. That matters. None of the human connection we hope to foster in our rehearsals can happen if people don’t show up. And people LOVE to show up for things that make them feel accomplished and competent. We can’t shy away from pursuing excellence in our choral rehearsals, or in our profession. The great news is that we all get to define excellence for ourselves.

What is Excellence? Who gets to define it?

I do. For my classroom. You do for yours. It’s pretty simple really. The line in the sand that I draw is that everyone has to have some definition of this word, or people will not take the choir seriously. It does not matter if excellence is centered around concepts of intonation, rhythmic precision, resonance and expressive line like mine is, or centered around facial expression, choreography, story telling like a great show choir. The priorities can be completely different and they could both be excellent. Maybe your definition of excellence is centered around the way humans FEEL in your rehearsals. Centered around an informal rubric of community, acceptance and love. That’s ok too. You are an excellent choir when you achieve your choir’s goals. This doesn’t have to be an argument. The tent of choral music is large enough for an infinite number of “Excellence models” but you must choose a definition and strive for it relentlessly.

Can We Define Success Using Both Human and Musical Elements? I think so!

  1. Consistent excellence in the final musical product. An important caveat here is that we CANNOT reserve ourselves to basing this on the concert. To understand who is doing GREAT work in this area, we need “before and after” recordings or eye witness. This matters because we don’t all have the same singers, feeders, admins etc. So, to me success in “musical excellence” should be available to elementary to professional choirs. Show me how far your singers can come under your leadership!
  2. Consistent management of choral programs that flourish. Do people want to sing for this person consistently and over years? To me, this says volumes about what is going on in that rehearsal space. I know something’s being done masterfully.
  3. Does the director have a track record of better and better music making? The beauty of this one is that it requires a synthesis of #1 and 2. You can’t make steady improvement in the music unless you have a steady stream of excited and eager singers coming into the program.
  4. Is the director an innovator in one or more areas of their teaching practice? Are they dreaming up, implementing and perfecting NEW ways to deliver the choral art form and all of its nuts and bolts to new generations of singers?
  5. Is the director contributing to the body of scholarship? This could take the form of research within academia, the creation of definitive recordings, or even by curating new discussions on various aspects of scholarship for conventions etc.

You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!

Filed Under: Choralosophy Tagged With: ACDA, belonging, Education, philosophy, rigor, standards

All Students DESERVE Music Literacy with Odell Zeigler IV

December 3, 2021 by Chris Munce Leave a Comment

An Unconventional Approach to the Urban Choral Classroom

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?

Odell Zeigler IV

Support the Show Read the Blog

Episode 86

Recently, I came across a shining light of logic, compassion and advocacy in the form of a ChoralNet article by Odell Zeigler IV. The article was shared far and wide, and it became clear to me right away that these ideas needed to be amplified on the show. I encourage you to read his short article, linked above, and THEN listen to this episode. I believe that this topic is critically important right now as we continue to grapple with what it really means to move the music education world in a more equitable direction. Are we focused on processes and root causes leading to improved outcomes later? Or are we focused on outcomes now while glossing over the processes? I appreciated Odell’s take as I read with excitement because he brings process solutions to the table, which is what we desperately need. Do you have students that aren’t comfortable using solfege, or singing with certain vowel formants? Don’t give up on them, or worse fall into the trap of “this isn’t for them!” They deserve a rich education, and all of its inherent challenges and opportunities for growth.Episode 86

Tune in!

He has since dedicated his life to inspiring the next generation of young music educators. As a music teacher himself, he understands the impact his words and actions have on a new class of great musicians and hopes to pass along his empathetic approach to education.

Odell wouldn’t be here if he didn’t live and breathe music, but his true passion lies in building leaders for tomorrow. From every live performance to his work in the classroom, Odell works to move others forward so they can one day do the same.

Filed Under: Choralosophy Tagged With: American Choral Directors Association, choir, Choir Directors, Diversity, Education, Equity, inclusion, literacy

Culturally Responsive Teaching in Urban Choral Education: Tips on Repertoire, Resources, and Relationship

November 9, 2018 by Sundra Flansburg Leave a Comment

By Emily Halbert

Culturally Responsive Teaching is the buzz phrase for teaching in the 21st century, not just in general education, in choral music education as well. When I entered the choral conducting profession, I knew there would be a disconnect between my education, experiences, and the communities I desired to teach. Thankfully, my teacher education took place with resources such as Culturally Responsive Teaching by Geneva Gay and For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Christopher Emdim. As a result, I was able to enter into my first year of teaching with the humility to admit that even though I did not know much, I had the tools to assist me in engaging these students and building my choral program.

I will begin where I firmly believe all choir directors and educators should start: building relationships.

Building Relationships Through Repertoire

Choose repertoire that mirrors your ensemble. Currently, my student body is 37% Latina, 6% White American, and 57% Black American, and even those demographics do not serve the diversity in the students I teach. In one classroom alone, I taught students from Guatemala, Mexico, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Morocco. In my small corner of the world, there is a wealth of cultures to build upon.

When my sixth grade choir received “A La Puerta del Cielo,” arranged by Shirley McRae, many students exclaimed, “Yes! It’s in Spanish,” surprised to be learning a song in their native language. These students were in choir for years, and told me they only learned songs in English, Latin, and the occasional South African piece. Being culturally relevant isn’t throwing in your African folk song quota. It is mirroring and educating those who are in your classroom. My eighth grade choir was incapable of understanding why they were learning a Spanish song, until I asked them to look around the room and they noticed a third of the class were Latina. When you program pieces that reflect your classroom, you are educating those outside of that culture and empowering those within.

Earn Respect and Loyalty

Part of reality pedagogy in the urban setting is earning the loyalty of your students. Many of them either have strong family bonds, or homes where they are constantly moving and/or the guardians who are constantly changing. Setting goals and standards with your students proves to them that you have expectations for them, and also that you are invested in them. Many students may assume that you will leave at the end of the year. Show them you are willing to show up for them if they are willing to show up for you.

Teaching in a urban education is an odd mix of stern empathy. Too much authoritarianism without relationship will result in push back, however too much “friendship” will communicate that you don’t take your subject seriously and that you allow them to run the classroom. Balancing the love for your students with the love for your craft will help them buy into what you are doing and that you want to work with them.

Show Up

Literally show up for your students and make the most out of everything they do. Attend their softball and volleyball games. When they share their grades with you, give them a high five and tell them how impressed you are with their progress. Ask about their families, especially their siblings if they have any. If they call you “extra,” chances are you are probably doing something right.

Authenticity

Another buzzword in the 21st century, authenticity is genuinely the greatest character trait I use to earn the respect of my students. I am honest with them, I laugh with them, and most importantly, I listen to them. Many students growing up in urban communities (as well as rural and equally impoverished areas) are not used to honest and consistent authority figures.

Authenticity mandates clear boundaries to maintain authority. At times, your students will think you are a friend because you may be the only teacher who laughs with them. That is when you introduce them to “code switching,” a language technique for groups of people to fit into other social or professional situations. During rehearsal, we are professional and work together to learn the music. Five minutes prior to the end of rehearsal, you can share with the class about that weird cat video or let them know they can come after school to talk about the issues at home. Boundaries are a necessity they need to learn. As choir directors, we often are teaching them more than music.

Emily Halbert is in her second year of teaching at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and is the Jr. High/Middle School Repertoire and Resource Coordinator for Tennessee ACDA. Emily’s blog is on the long side, but she is contemplating the possibility of a series on the vital topic of Culturally Responsible Choral Education.

Filed Under: Others Tagged With: Culturally Responsive Teaching, Diversity, Education

5 ACDA Members Are Semifinalists for Music Educator Award™ Grammy!

December 3, 2016 by ACDA Leave a Comment

The GRAMMY Foundation®  and The Recording Academy® have just announced 25 semi-finalists for the 2017 Music Educator Award™, and we are delighted to note that 5 ACDA members are among them!

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public, and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools. A joint partnership and presentation of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, the recipient will be honored during GRAMMY® Week 2017.

The ACDA members with a shot to be named Music Educator Award are:

  • Erica Breitbarth, Choir Director, Musical Theater Director and Chair of the Music Department at Reagan International Baccalaureate School in the Milwaukee Public Schools. She has also worked with BuildaBridge International in Philadelphia to develop a comprehensive teaching model for artists working with at-risk students in the United States and around the world.
  • David Dehner, Director of Vocal Arts Monte Vista Christian School, Choral Director Coastal Community Choir and Compass Church Celebration Choir, and President of San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
  • Keith Hancock, who is in his 15th year teaching choral music, all at Tesoro High School in California, where he directs over 250 students in five curricular and four extra-curricular ensembles, and runs the Music Production/Audio Engineering program.
  • Pamela E. McClain, who is the Parkersburg High School Choral Director in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and has been teaching in the public school system for 31 years. She currently teaches piano classes, voice class, Freshman Choir, Chamber Choir, A Cappella Choir and a Men’s and Women’s Ensemble. Ms. McClain also holds the position of Director of Music Ministries at the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Parkersburg, West Virginia, where she conducts the Chancel Choir.
  • Dr. Richard Nickerson, who has been Director of Choral Activities at Windham High School in Windham, Maine for the past 29 years. Richard is also Minister of Music at North Windham Union Church.

The winner of the Music Educator Award will be flown to the host city of the GRAMMY Awards® to be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2017. The recipient will also attend the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony and a range of GRAMMY Foundation events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 personal grant, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Additionally, 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 personal grant with matching school grants for the first time in the award’s history.

The ACDA supports the GRAMMY Foundation’s Music Educator Award program and encourages all our members to enter their name – or nominate a colleague – for consideration for the 2018 award. The entry form and more information may be found at www.grammymusicteacher.com.

The finalists will be announced in December. Good luck to Erica, David, Keith, Pamela and Richard!

 

– Rich Kirby, the GRAMMY Foundation

Filed Under: Others Tagged With: ACDA News, Awards, Education

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