Students zoning out? Could you use a helping hand to finish the school year on a high note?
Members on the MENC Choral Forum recently shared tips to engage students in musical learning while summer beckons.
PREVIEW and INTRIGUE
Sara: We pull out some selections I might want to try for next year. It piques the interest of those bordering on not coming back next year
THEORIZE and GET HISTORICAL
Sara: We also spend time on theory and some music history. There are so many “remix” songs that the kids think are originals!
EXPERIMENT with ACADEMIA
Ian: If there’s a university with a music education program nearby, contact the director and offer your group as a laboratory setting for music ed majors.
DRAMATIZE and LISTEN UP
Becky: I always enjoy throwing in a unit on high quality musical theater. You could make it as involved as you want or just share some music. Many students have never seen or heard some of the musicals we all know and love. It is a fun topic, but important at the same time.
To stimulate listening, you can add various projects and activities, such as drawing costumes, creating or drawing set designs, performing a song or scene, or writing a paper about the composer, lyricist or choreographer of the show.
And great for the last week of class: watch the movie!
ROCK OUT
Katie: Try rock music. Have the kids talk about what groups are associated with this style, what they like/dislike about it, etc. It’s always interesting to show students ways that choral and rock music can be related. They like to see how “their” music is like other styles.
PLAY ANALYST and CRITIC
MusicRose: It’s a good time to listen to the same piece of music done by two different groups and compare/contrast them. You can also critique videos of choral performances, according to a set of guidelines discussed as a class.
SEE THE FUTURE
MusicRose: At the high school level, lead a discussion about different careers in the field of music, or other opportunities available to students after graduating.
SURF, LISTEN, REPORT
Scimmia: My kids liked this one because they got to surf the Internet and listen to (legal!) free music. Using sound clips (J.W. Pepper), have each student pick a piece he or she would like to do next year. Have them write mini-reports addressing what skills the piece would help the choir develop. Where in concert order would this piece fit? Would the choir be challenged by this piece? What style would you classify the piece as, and why? Then have students play sound clips and summarize their papers to the group.
Discuss what you do to inspire your students through the last days of school.
MORE TIPS
See these tips on the General Music Forum
-- Sue Rarus, June 4, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education