Assuming you have your repertoire chosen, how do go about getting your students to learn it?
The number one theme I hear from veteran teachers in regards to advice for beginning teachers is PLANNING! The more intentional and purposeful you are in your rehearsal planning the more efficient and effect you can be as a choir teacher. During my first year of teaching and first concert cycle, I remember a senior telling me, "You don't help us." I kept rehearsing and rehearsing but not breaking down the music in a way that was helpful to them actually learning their parts. I thought they would "get it" even if I didn't stop and correct them or address problem areas in the music. I then began to break down the repertoire and rehearsals and make sure each part was confident before moving on. Years later I know if I hear a mistake, I address it. If I ignore it the students will assume that is correct. Most new teachers use digital formats to lesson plan, but if you want to go "old school" there are tons of lesson planning books you can buy online. Like most aspects of teaching, you'll experiment and find what works for you! Most often you will start with choosing your repertoire and work backwards from the big unit or concer-planning all the way down to the daily "nitty gritty" of rehearsals. Daily Lesson Planning Format Your school, district, or administrators may ask you to submit lesson plans for your first 1-3 years of teaching. This varies per district so make sure you're clear on what they expect and if there is a format they would like you to follow. Common lesson plan designs: Each rehearsal you should have very specific objectives. Think about your favorite rehearsals in choirs you have sung in - the conductor was hopefully prepared, energetic, and your choir made significant and meaningful progress. Great choirs are made with intentional rehearsals. Also keep your school calendar in mind - when are field trips? When are testing dates? When will you have adjusted schedules? Weekly Lesson Planning If you don't have to submit daily lesson plans it may be more helpful to map out your rehearsals a week at a time. You can think about ways to add variety to your rehearsals. When can they stand in different standing arrangements? When will you integrate technology? Which songs will you focus on each day? Weekly Lesson Templates:
Concert Cycle Rehearsal Planning Look at your entire concert cycle. Map out week-to-week where you would like the students to be. Think broadly about the "non-rehearsal" items you want to address in the song. How will students understand the meaning of the text? The historical/composer background information? How will the choir emotionally and expressively connect to the music? Long-Term lesson planning: Coming up next: what to do when things go wrong! Stay tuned.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Proudly powered by Weebly