Getting to Know: Alice Parker

Photo from ACDA convention from left:
Michael Spresser, Alice Parker,
Sally Albrecht, Andy Beck

By Sally K. Albrecht

During the recent national ACDA (American Choral Directors’ Association) convention in Dallas, I had the extreme pleasure of getting to know Alice Parker. This choral treasure is a non-stop, energizer-battery lady, full of wit and wisdom. For over 60 years, her love of teaching has touched thousands of lives and voices. She has truly created a community of musicians through her work.

Composer, arranger, conductor, and teacher Alice Parker was born in Boston, MA, in 1925. She is a graduate of Smith College and the Juilliard School of Music, where she began her long association with Robert Shaw. Their arrangements form an enduring repertoire for choruses around the world. She has influenced many composers, conductors, and singers through seminars held at conventions, colleges, churches, and in her home. Ms. Parker continues to be active as a composer, with many cantatas, choral suites, and octavos published in recent years. She was named the first Director Laureate by Chorus America in 2012, is a Fellow of the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, and is the recipient of many honors and awards—including ACDA’s 2013 Robert Shaw Choral Award.

During our “The Legacy of Lawson-Gould” interest session at the convention, Ms. Parker explained her arranging process and the working relationship that she and Mr. Shaw enjoyed. She researched the music, sketched out the arrangements, then presented them to Mr. Shaw, who marked changes and suggestions as he heard them. It was a wonderful collaboration, which resulted in many subsequent performances, publications, and recordings by the Robert Shaw Chorale. She instructed us to first read the text for its true meaning, reminding us to make those “flat dots” and words on the page come to life. Then she concentrated on the melody, pointing out the line and the rhythms. Finally, she encouraged us to communicate the combination of the words and the melody in a new way, using our own voices.

Ms. Parker’s energy, expertise, and musical spirit captured us all as she led us in song through several of her favorite Parker-Shaw arrangements, giving us time-tested pointers along the way!

>Please visit melodiousaccord.org for more information on studying with Alice Parker.

>Click here for a complete listing of current Alice Parker arrangements from the Lawson-Gould catalog.

Tips from a Festival Conductor

By Sally K. Albrecht
Alfred Editor, Composer & Clinician

As I head out today to my third county choral festival in as many weeks, I thought about all of the different wonderful and magical experiences I have enjoyed as a conductor over the years. I usually guest direct from 6 to 10 such events each season. Here are some tips that have helped me along the way.

1. Select music early.

• I enjoy working with my host on music selection. It’s helpful if the host sends me programs from the previous 2-3 years, so I see what type of material has been selected in the past. I always enjoy chatting on the phone at this point, to see what was successful. I like to know the approximate number of singers (if a mixed group, how many on each voice part) and how many schools are represented. (If there’s a descant part, I’ll often say, “One singer per school may sing the descant.”)

• Will other groups be sharing our program? If so, then I always recommend a joint finale and/or opening selection.

• Are any instrumentalists available? That may alter my music choices.

• I generally send one or two possible programs for my host to select from, or say, “Here are two folk song arrangements. Pick one.” I make sure my music choices are current, in print, educational, inspirational, entertaining, challenging, yet accomplishable. I make sure we have an opener, a closer, then a variety in between, including: folk songs, spirituals, multicultural, classical, novelty, music song . . . . well, just something for everyone.

• My general rule is to select one song per hour of rehearsal. If I have a 6-hour rehearsal day, then 6 chorals should do it.

• Make sure each singer has a copy of music in his/her hands (no photocopies allowed), with a pencil handy for special markings. Even if the music is to be memorized, it’s often necessary to take another look!

2. Communicate.

• Keep communication lines open at all times. Be quick to respond to emails and/or phone calls. Let me know if there are definite times I need to anticipate breaks or lunch, or if that’s open to the flow of the day.

• Send hotel and rehearsal locations and information in plenty of time for me to mapquest the area.

• Make sure to put in writing all of the financial agreements—who pays for what, what receipts are needed, who is providing meals, etc.

• I make it a habit to send “Notes from the Director” with any special instructions for the music: things to look out for, are we singing cue-size notes, who sings the descant, will there be any solos to audition, etc.

• Let the conductor know what the mode of dress is for the concert. I’ll dress differently if singers are wearing robes than I will if singers are in jeans with a festival T-shirt!

3. Plan for the day.

• I always arrive with a plan for the day—what I want to get done in every 15-minute chunk of time. I often will let one voice section take a morning break while I rehearse with another section. Make sure there are adequate clean rest rooms nearby.

• Have enough risers set up, ready to go on stage, for the number of singers selected to participate. Anticipate 12 students per riser-secton (3-step risers plus floor). Younger students, perhaps, can fit up to 16 singers per riser section.

• Make sure that each student has a name tag. I like to see their first name, really big (so I can read it easily from afar). Teachers need name tags, too—full names. If it’s a 2-day festival, then collect the tags or have a second set available.

• I start with warm-ups, then perhaps a quick rehearsal of the opening or closing number. Then I enlist the teachers to help me get the students lined up by height and part, tallest 1st. No singer should be next to someone they already know. The goal is to form a new choir and make new friends!

• During rehearsals, make sure a few teachers are around, on hand, at all times.

• If instrumentalists are involved, decide on a specific time for them to rehearse so they don’t have to sit there all day with you. I generally request that they come mid-afternoon, then stay to play our final run-through with us.

4. The simple things that don’t go un-noticed.

• Have a great accompanist ready to go, who has prepared the music and understands how to accompany (that means, reads the mind of the guest conductor)! Make sure the piano has been tuned (and dusted off) recently.

• Have lots of water on hand, a podium (if needed), and a music stand that doesn’t wobble. Does the conductor need a microphone? And, if we’re all onstage, does that microphone have monitors on stage so the singers can hear my comments?

• Check the air temperature in the rehearsal area. Is it a place where we can work all day? Or is a second room needed for relief/change of venue?

• Have a tech person check that the lights in the auditorium are all in working order. Know how to turn the stage lights on and off, dim as needed. Same with the sound system.

• Let me know the plan for the actual concert. Who speaks when? Who introduces who? If there’s a list of “thank yous” that needs to be spoken, please do that before the concert begins or before the final number. I like to leave the audience with the sound of our music ringing in their ears!

Enjoy the special musical day you, your teachers, and your students will have. There’s just nothing like it!

Seven Songs for Spring—with Movement!

By Sally K. Albrecht

Many choir directors chose to “lighten up” their spring concerts by featuring several pop arrangements or by adding some simple movement or choreography to a few selections. Our newest choral movement DVD “Lift Me Up!” has plenty of ideas for you, including these seven songs for spring!

• Green Eggs and Ham – This swinging’ novelty number from Seussical the Musical includes a ready-made “tag.” Earlier this year, we added crazy “Cat in the Hat” headgear with a group of middle school singers. Check it out!

• Jambo Bwana (Hello, Sir) – Feel the pulse of African rhythms, sing Swahili salutations, and grab some rhythm sticks for this multicultural feature. The DVD features three different rhythm combinations that are easy to learn. Consider painting your own rhythm sticks using simple dowel rods.

• Lift Me Up! – I always enjoy having a spiritual in every program! This one has a gospel sound and several short solos. The choreography has been designed to be performed easily on risers, even while wearing choir robes!

• Moses and Daniel (Go Down Moses/Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?) – If one spiritual is good, two is even better! Upper torso movement easily matches each of the vocal lines in this spiritual combination. Eventually, three different vocal lines are sung together—with different movements matching each. Very effective!

• One World (In Harmony) – I always try to feature an inspirational ballad as the penultimate (next to last) song in a concert. Our DVD features sign language on this uplifting choral. Consider having a small group sign on the verses, then your entire choir can sign the chorus each time. Chills.

• A Pocketful of Rhymes – My other rule? Make ‘em laugh! Simple, silly staging for this trio of tunes includes a spider attached to a fishing rod or pole (“Little Miss Muffet”), a big stomp during Haydn’s Surprise Symphony (“Jack and Jill”), and a little boy dressed in a nightshirt (“Wee Willie Winkie”).

• Whatever Lola Wants – Sassy “girls vs. guys” choreography makes this Damn Yankees tango a blast to do with mixed groups. Women’s choir only . . . grab an unsuspecting guy from the audience and let your SSA ladies make him the focus of their attention!

> Click here to view a preview of the Lift Me Up! choreography DVD.

The Journey from Music Student to Teacher

An Interview with Valerie Demma, Winner of Alfred’s 90th Anniversary Sweepstakes and recent music graduate from St. Xavier University

By Anna Wentlent, Editor of School Choral and Classroom Music

Did you begin making music with your family, or were you introduced to it in school?
My musical upbringing started in fifth grade when I first joined my grammar school’s choir. I initially joined because a few of my friends did, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided to stick with it!

Do you have any favorite Alfred choral pieces?
My favorite Alfred piece would have to be the piece that Sally K. Albrecht dedicated to my grammar school’s district choral festival in 1997 when she was our guest clinician: “Gloria Deo!” (2-part, 00-16955). Out of the hundreds of choral pieces that I’ve sung in my life, I can actually remember singing this one! The memory of this particular choral festival is one of my favorites, because as a young singer, I thought it was neat that we were actually working with the person who wrote the song that we were singing (and that she autographed a copy of the music for me).

Why did you decide to become a music educator?
I first thought about becoming a music educator after seventh grade, when working with Dr. Sandra Snow, another guest clinician at one of our district choral festivals. She is the most supportive person that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She made me feel so positive about singing that I decided that I wanted to devote my career to inspiring students in the same way that she inspired me.

What has your experience in music school been like so far?
Collegiate music has been a welcome challenge. As a choral singer, I have been eager to get into the “meat and potatoes” music—major works that require a substantial, large chorus. I’ve had the opportunity to sing works like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s The Messiah and Coronation Anthems, and Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder and Neue Liebeslieder.

What do you plan to do after school?
I’m planning to obtain my graduate degree in choral music education. After completing that degree, my career goal is to teach high school choral music and sing in a professional chorus.

How do you plan to use your prizes from Alfred’s 90th Anniversary Sweepstakes?
I have actually decided to donate the majority of my prizes from the Sweepstakes. I kept three of the smaller prizes for myself, and then I donated the other prizes and split the online credit to the Alfred website between two very deserving choral music programs: my former high school director’s choirs (Meredith McGuire at Oak Lawn Community High School) and my current voice instructor’s choirs (Dr. Stacy Eckert at Providence Catholic High School). The decision was immediate; I didn’t even give it a second thought. I have been looking for the opportunity to give back to these two very deserving teachers who helped shape my musical career, and winning this contest provided me with that opportunity!

Composers Are People, Too!

By Jay Althouse

We sometimes forget that the great composers, whose music we know and love, were living, breathing people who led normal lives beyond their music. Well sometimes, as in the case of Beethoven, not so normal. After all, it’s difficult to be normal when you’re a genius. But just like the rest of us, composers had parents, went to school, grew up, sometimes married, and sometimes had children. (Bach had more than 20!) Their lives were filled sometimes with joy and sometimes with sorrow. Some, such as Giuseppe Verdi, achieved great financial success musically, while others, such as Charles Ives, rarely heard their music performed during their lifetimes.

For example, did you know that . . .

• Hector Berlioz studied to become a doctor. Igor Stravinsky and George Frideric Handel studied law.
• Charles Ives was a very successful insurance agent, and Antonio Vivaldi was a Catholic priest.
• After studying music in college and in Europe, Aaron Copland worked as a piano player at a resort hotel.
• As a teenager, Duke Ellington received a scholarship to study art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
• Franz Liszt was the first to use the word recital to describe a musical performance.
• Much of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music was largely forgotten until it was revived, in the 1830s, by Felix Mendelssohn.
• Giocomo Puccini’s hobbies were fast motorboats and faster cars.
• Gioacchino Rossini virtually abandoned composing at the age of thirty-seven. He wrote only a few pieces for the last forty years of his life. Franz Schubert, on the other hand, spent so much time composing music that he neglected his health, and lived only until the age of thirty-one.
• Clara Schumann’s father violently opposed her marriage to Robert Schumann, and at one point threatened to kill Robert!
• Richard Wagner formed his own fan clubs, which he called “Wagner societies.” Now that’s an ego!

It’s important for students to understand that the great composers were, for the most part, normal people with extraordinary talents. As a teacher, you should take every opportunity to humanize the great composers your students study.

Alfred has two fully reproducible publications (One-Page Composer Bios and Accent on Composers) designed to teach your students about the lives of the great composers. Both books feature one-page biographies and are filled with musical and personal facts about the great composers your students should know. They’re excellent classroom resources for any music teacher.

Music + Art + Dance = MAGIC! Combining the Arts

By Sally K. Albrecht
Director of School Choral &
Classroom Publications

(Photo: Heritage Middle School Choir members with Sally Albrecht and accompanist Kimberly Pryzbyl)

When we put music together with art and dance, we can create magic! That’s what the singers at Heritage Middle School (Wake Forest, NC, Elsie Shuler—Director) discovered early in the school year when they rehearsed and performed Green Eggs and Ham (arr. Andy Beck).

First, there’s a great story. Green Eggs and Ham is one of the many imaginative books written by Dr. Seuss (the pen-name of Theodor Seuss Geisel). Before it came Cat in the Hat, but this book is his top-seller. Dr. Seuss’s publisher challenged Seuss to write interesting and imaginative stories to help young readers develop their vocabulary, but using very few words. Green Eggs and Ham, published in 1960, actually consists of only 50 different words! Why not ask an English teacher to talk about this author with your singers? Have your students do a dramatic reading of the book. See if they can list the 50 different words for extra credit!

Music
The creative team of composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens took many of the amazing rhyming books of Dr. Seuss and put together a musical called Seussical, which opened on Broadway in 2000. In the musical, the Cat in the Hat cleverly tells the story of the elephant Horton, who discovers tiny Whos living in a speck of dust.

Art
We decided it would be fun to have our own hats, based on the one that the Cat in the Hat always wears. Happily, we discovered a simple craft kit available from orientaltrading.com (#IN-48/9174). These simple paper top hats (12 to a set) arrived ready for the students to color as they desired. You can use crayons, colored pencils, or markers. A small adjustable strip of paper wraps around the head (but be gentle, remember . . . this is only paper!)

Dance
We staged Green Eggs and Ham based on the choreography suggested on Alfred’s Lift Me Up! choral movement DVD (00-38171 – $39.99), though I decided to further decorate the lyrics (“house,” “mouse,” “rain,” “train,” etc.) to help us all remember the fun rhyming words!

Magic
The students performed during a special arts event at their school. And, well, it was magic. Adding the special visual touches made such a difference. And it was a perfect way to present art + music + dance! (Plus, we even got some coverage in the local paper!!)

Websites to visit:
seussville.com
guidetomusicaltheatre.com
orientaltrading.com

Note: Also available:
Seussical the Musical: A Choral Medley – arr. Andy Beck (10 minutes). Available SATB, SAB, 2pt, SoundTrax, SoundPax.
GRINCH! A Christmas Choral Medley – arr. Andy Beck (4 minutes). Available SATB, SAB, 2pt, SoundTrax, SoundPax.

Thinking Outside the Box

By Sally K. Albrecht

Musicians are, by nature, creative people. Don’t you enjoy attending concerts where something completely surprising or different happens? I’m always looking for new ideas, fresh tricks, inventive ways to present a song and create a magical, memorable moment. Here are a few ideas.

• Have your singers process in while singing, forming a circle around your audience or singing in the aisles.

• Plan a “preshow” feature with small groups singing in the lobby or in the aisles—great for a cappella training! (Cirque du Soleil does this all the time, creating audience rapport or a special mood before each of their shows.)

• Select a choral that features a special instrumental obbligato or small instrumental group.

• Plan a teacher/student selection or a parent/student selection that requires minimum rehearsal time.

• Program an audience sing-along, clap-along, or play-along. Teach the audience a rhythm if necessary before performing the song, then assign a student to be the audience “leader” and show the audience when it’s their time to participate. I’ve been known to pre-set small rhythm instruments at different seats. I’ve also invited the audience to find keys, tic-tac containers, or two writing utensils from their pockets or purses! Pens that click open even make a neat sound!

• Assign or select individual students to prepare short, concise spoken introductions, especially if the song is in a foreign language, from another country, or features a text written by a famous person/poet. Tell your audience if there’s something special they should listen for during the performance of that song.

• If several groups are performing, connect your concert with featured performers, soloists, or small groups (audition and work with them beforehand).

• Invite a sign-language specialist to your concert to sign an inspirational song.

• Consider hosting a “pyramid concert” with your feeder schools, with each level performing individual selections. Then plan a big group finale with all the participants singing from their seats or on stage. Make sure that siblings sing side by side for an extra touch!

• While performing a special “music” or “friendship” song, project a powerpoint featuring photos of your singers during rehearsals or on a recent trip or music tour.

Add a special touch with Alfred’s two new VideoTrax DVDs. Each VideoTrax DVD provides overlapping photographic images to be projected onto your large screen. Two versions are included, one with overlaid lyrics and one without, and both offer accompaniment orchestrations.

Thank You, Soldiers – By Michael & Angela Souders. Available SATB, 3-part mixed, 2-part, SoundTrax CD, VideoTrax DVD, Orchestration (Concert Band/Orchestra).
These stirring images of men and women in the military will take your audience on an emotional journey. Combine your choirs for an uplifting Veteran’s Day performance (Nov. 11) or use for any patriotic event.

Elementary teacher Karen (MD) writes: What a wonderful idea for concerts. Thank you, once again, for stepping it up for us. I love it!

Click here to see a Video Preview.

Light a Candle – By Andy Beck. Available SATB, 3-part mixed/SAB, 2-part, SoundTrax CD, VideoTrax DVD.
Experience a wonderful photo potpourri of candles and candlelight, celebrating the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Las Posadas. Music teacher Costa (NC) reports that his singers will also be holding battery-powered candles!

Click here to see a Video Preview.

Gary Fry, Emmy-winning Composer, Arranger, Producer, and Music Educator

Gary Fry is an Emmy-winning Chicago-based composer, arranger, producer, and music educator. He has crafted music for recordings, films, commercials, publication, and live performance. Significant credits include his position as arranger/composer for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Welcome, Yule! holiday concerts since 1996, artistic consultant to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas Celebration concerts, and over 100 commissions for Christmas and holiday music from those orchestras and others from around the nation.

For more than twenty years Gary Fry has been one of the nation’s foremost commercial music producers, with over 2500 nationally broadcast radio and television commercials for companies such as McDonald’s, Sears, United Airlines, Kellogg’s, the U.S. Air Force, and hundreds of other advertisers. He won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his original commercial music for WBBM-TV (Chicago).

This unique combination of symphonic skills and commercial experience has made him a highly-sought music writer for organizations looking for the highest-quality compositions and arrangements that also appeal to a broad audience.

Gary also has a passion for working with young people, particularly in choral music. Children’s choirs under his direction have performed at the White House, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and Carnegie Hall. He remains active as a clinician, lecturer, and conductor for ensembles in all levels of education from elementary schools to universities. In June 2012, Gary was Artistic Director for the first annual international choral festival Rhythms of One World in New York City, conducting his music at Avery Fisher Philharmonic Hall and at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations with a massed choir of 350 singers from around the globe.

To view all of Gary’s titles that are available through Alfred’s Rental Library, click here.

The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You!

By Sally K. Albrecht

It is so important that we work with our students on their rhythmic reading skills. That’s why we’re excited to present the new publication Rhythm Workshop, featuring 575 rhythmic reading exercises. You may chose to clap, tap a pencil, pat your thigh, stomp, walk, patty-cake with a friend, speak, play, and/or sing these rhythmic exercises.

How did you learn to read rhythms? Perhaps you used “Too” or “Doo” on long-held whole or half notes, “Ta” or “Da” on quarter notes, “Ti-ka” or “Da-ba” on eighth notes, “Ti-ka-ta-ka” or “Do-be-do-be” on sixteenth notes. Or perhaps you use a combination of different approaches to keep your reading fresh and fun!

I enjoyed presenting Rhythm Workshop at several teacher sessions over the summer. We started by reciting an exercise on a common syllable. Then I added the challenge of using participants’ names on different rhythms (Sue = half note, Joyce = quarter note, Michael = two eighth notes). On page six of the publication, I suggested many other words to use, including fruits/veggies, flowers/trees, and cities. Use your imagination! Try using musical terms such as tie, staff, beam, rest, bar line, coda, etc. Or, in the fall, how about using football terms? (Click HERE to see example.) Or ask your students to suggest other appropriate words to match a season or upcoming event.

Add a handclap on each rest, or say “shh” or “rest” in order to make sure your students are keeping a steady beat.

Ask your students to write down the rhythm of their own name, street, city, favorite food, TV show, or movie, etc. Use some of those words the next time you read a new rhythmic exercise.

Choose a chord (Bass on do, Alto on mi, Tenor on sol, Soprano on high do) and perform the next exercise on a simple “ta.” Afterwords, invite your students to make up a rhyming lyric and/or create a simple singable melody, testing and expanding their compositional skills!

Most of the examples are eight measures long, so try singing “do” on the rhythm in the 1st measure, “re” on measure 2, “mi” on measure 3, and so on moving up the scale. Or start on high “do” and move down the scale. Then split your group in half with one group moving up the scale and the other moving down on another exercise, creating a 2-part texture.

Rhythm Workshop also features several 2-part examples. Split your students in half to read these rhythms. Double the fun by having Group A read Part I followed by Part II and Group B read Part II followed by Part I. For a challenge, “play” both rhythms using two hands (right hand taps top line, left hand taps bottom line), or tap one part while speaking the other.

Also featured are 11 “Missing Bar Lines” examples, where the students are asked to fill in the missing bar lines in different time signatures (answer keys provided). The final section of the book features six pages with mixed meter examples.

An enclosed Enhanced CD includes reproducible PDF files of each page, plus 36 musical tracks in a variety of tempos and musical styles. This encourages your students to get “in the groove” and not to rush as they read the rhythms. One of my teacher groups last month in Kansas City read an entire page of 3/4 examples to a lilting waltz track, with the added challenge of walking around the room (without running into anyone else) and landing back at their seat by the time the page was completed.

Enjoy using this new reproducible publication with your students!

Rhythm Workshop:  Reproducible Book & Enhanced CD (00-38270)……$34.99

Click for more information and to view free sample exercise pages #10 and #95

Middle School Singers: Turning Their Energy into Wonderful Choirs!

Dr. Russell L. Robinson, University of Florida
Educator, Clinician, Composer/Arranger

I love working with middle school singers. (Some people might ask, “How could you love working with middle school singers?”) Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Their energy! As students this age make the transition from child to adult, they have boundless energy. Unbridled, unfocused, and unguided, this energy can be an “interesting challenge,” but as veteran middle school teachers will tell you, if you get the students going in the right direction and they know you are sincere, they will “go to the wall” for you!

2. Their voices! Although the girls’ voices are also going through many physical developmental stages, their vocal changes are not nearly as dramatic as those the boys go through between sixth and eighth grade as their vocal cords lengthen and thicken. Some boys’ voices literally change overnight—or over Thanksgiving or Christmas vacation! You cannot force a boy’s voice (or any voice for that matter) into a range or part that they do not have. Middle school choral teachers must realize that they will likely have boy sopranos, altos, and changed-voice baritones all in the same class.

3. Their potential! The expectations for middle school choirs can be too low. Often, parents and audiences (and sometimes teachers) simply do not expect middle school choirs to sing and perform at a high level of choral art. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have heard well-trained middle school choirs sing and perform choral music at the highest level.

So, given the above, what can you and I do to “turn their energy into wonderful choirs?” Let me offer the following suggestions:

Keep lessons well-paced. There is very little (to no) down time with middle school singers. Start class on time. Lead a sequential warm-up of no more than seven minutes, before transitioning into the first choral piece you are going to rehearse. Make sure that transition times between warm-ups, pieces, and activities are minimal and well-planned.

My particular sequence in a warm-up* is as follows:
1. Warm-up physically.
2. Warm “down” on the “oo” vowel (five-note descending scale).
3. Warm “up” on the other vowels. For example, “noo, nee, noh, neh, naw” in arpeggios.
4. Diction exercise.
5. Chordal warm-up in the key of the first piece.

Select quality music that is appropriate for the ensemble you are teaching. Some middle school teachers are determined to have their choirs sing 3 and 4-part literature regardless of the age and experience of the choir. This can lead to a frustrating experience for both the choir and the director. Many beginning level middle school choirs (particularly those with sixth graders) would be better served by singing unison and 2-part pieces, rather than beginning with 3-part or SAB literature, as is common. I suggest that when performing 2-part literature, have the girls sing parts I and II and the boys sing Part I (in the normal octave if they are unchanged or down the octave if they are changed). My experience is that girls have an easier time singing harmony at this age, and having the boys sing with the Part I girls allows them to solidify singing on pitch. Also utilize rounds and canons with your beginning middle school singers. You must lead them into loving to sing!

Each lesson or rehearsal should accomplish clear and well-defined objectives. Remember, the purpose of each rehearsal is to get a little better, closer to your ultimate goal. Middle school singers (and all singers) want accurate reinforcement and feedback. If they are doing something right or at least better, specifically tell or ask them about what has improved. And, if they are doing something incorrectly, tell them what it is and demonstrate how to correct it. Then, get back to singing! Remember, students in choir want to sing, not listen to us talk too long about singing. We learn by “doing” and so do middle school students, especially when they see and hear the results of quality teaching and music.

Make middle school choir fun! Rehearsals can be fast-paced, exciting, and fun, or they can be drudgery. Remember, your best recruitment tool is what the students say to their peers in the hall after class. Use this unique age group and their natural social skills to your advantage. Make choir their best period of the day, and you will “turn their energy into wonderful choirs!”

*Editors’ note: The following Russell Robinson publications may be of interest:
• The Complete Choral Warm-Up Book – Althouse & Robinson, Book (00-11653)
• Creative Rehearsal Techniques for Today’s Choral Classroom, DVD (00-24075)
• Jazz Style and Improvisation for Choirs, DVD (00-SVBM05001)
• Middle School Singers: Turning Their Energy into Wonderful Choirs, DVD (00-27467)

We hope you enjoy these ideas, and would love to hear from you – what do you do to turn middle school students’ energy into wonderful choirs?”