Choral members Joe Vanderpool and Cathi Wilson share recollections of the past school year, and thoughts on the upcoming one.
How do you wrap up your school year?
JV: Students wrapped up the year sightreading some pieces that we might use in the next school year. We also set achievement goals for the coming year. During the last few weeks of school, we focused on specific historical concepts and other topics that slipped through the cracks during the rush of the school year.
What was the most rewarding thing that happened with your teaching/classes this past school year?
JV: We continued to make progress on the level of musicianship at our school. At our spring concert, students performed a show choir medley. For the first time ever, the students received a standing ovation for their efforts. The students have never had that kind of recognition for anything they have done in the past. This really opened their eyes to the effect music can have on people. It also made them recognize more clearly the power of what they are doing, and what they are capable of doing.
CW: Watching various students – student leaders in particular – take on various responsibilities such as leading warm-ups, putting together a small ensemble to sing at an event, etc.
What was the most difficult thing that happened this past year with your teaching/classes?
JV: It didn’t have to do with teaching music, but was music related. Music helped people cope with several tragic events. The senior class experienced the death of two former classmates within a few weeks. There was also a third death of someone very close to the school community. Students found a way to cope, and grieve, through music that we were working on. Some of my high school students found that a piece they had sung in a vocal clinic was very appropriate and shared it with their classmates.
CW: Having to constantly reshuffle and change plans at the last minute due to students being gone from rehearsals for sports events or other activities, classes being shortened due to testing or other schedule changes. Our instructional time for music was cut in half three years ago, and these other things continued to encroach on what little time we had.
When do you usually start thinking about/actually preparing for the upcoming school year?
JV: I’m working on it right now. Whenever I hear a piece of music, I listen with an ear to whether or not my students can tackle it. During the school year, I try to attend other schools’ concerts, to gather ideas for music that might work for my program.
What are the first activities you usually do with your students at the start of the new school year?
JV: I do a welcome back type of day. We always have introductions, as we have new people joining our group all the time. I try to take a little bit of time to ask about the summer, what the students are up to now, and then we set our goals for the coming year. I find the goals help students focus on the task at hand, and can help to recall past successes.
See PART ONE and PART TWO of this questionnaire.
JV teaches in Nebraska, and CW taught in Missouri.
MENC recently sent a small questionnaire to about 200 MENC choral members chosen at random. If you're interested in taking quick e-mailed questionnaires on various topics (some responses will be shared in this space, but only with your permission!), please write info@menc.org. We welcome your input.
Next: Carefully Crafting the Choral Rehearsal
Sue Rarus, July 15, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education