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Jennifer Rodgers, editor

One Text, Many Settings:
Helping Students Create Meaning Through Text in the Choir Classroom

by Emily T. Peterson

Inspiring active and analytical listening in the choral into classrooms and rushing to get to class on time.
classroom allows students to connect to the text in more “Hello Darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you
profound and thoughtful ways. Time restrictions and again. Within the vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was
other educational obligations often discourage choral sleeping… People talking without speaking, people hearing without
educators from incorporating listening activities in dai- listening….” 1
ly or weekly practice. There are, however, many ways Students were humming and singing the haunting
to build intentional listening and critical aural skills that melody as they entered the classroom. Something unique
positively impact other aspects of developing musician- and creative was happening as they experienced the mu-
ship. Accessing the same text in multiple settings is one sic on their own terms. But, I wondered, had my students
way students can connect more deeply, explore more ever considered the lyrics, what they could mean, or how
personal meaning, and discover how text influences mu- they might connect to their own lives? Had any of them
sic and performance. The purpose of this article is to ever heard the whole song without the hustle and bustle
provide an intentional listening framework that educa- of students moving to class around them?
tors can implement in daily or weekly rehearsals to rein-
vigorate student’s emotional connection to the text. This In music with lyrics, listeners and performers have
framework is focused on incorporating varying styles of the distinct opportunity to use text to guide their musi-
music in choral rehearsal to engage students and allow cal interpretation. In a choral classroom, however, it can
them to interact with text through the use of familiar sometimes be easy to tell students what we think the words
music. mean instead of asking them to draw their own connec-
tions and interact with the text.
For centuries, composers have used text to elevate
It was a junior high passing period, and students were busy the power of music. Text painting has helped compos-
chatting and socializing in the hall. Suddenly, music started to play, ers draw direct connections between what is happening
2
indicating the one-minute tardy warning. Students started darting musically to what the words are trying to portray. Emo-

CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2025 Volume 65 Number 9 41