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Question 6
I have noticed that my students get bored of rehearsing

our pieces for our concert. We’ve been learning our pieces

for a month and have another month before our concert.
How can I make learning our pieces more engaging for

them?

Welcome to the “Ask a Conductor” section of Chor- Stephanie Gravelle
Teach. In this reader-generated Q&A format, readers Middle School/High School
submit questions related to teaching, conducting, re- Performing Arts Teacher
hearsing with, or singing with K-12 students. Educa-
tors who either currently work in K-12 or who have American Embassy School, New Delhi
past experience in K-12 will answer the question, with sgravelle@aes.ac.in
a new question appearing in each issue. Our goal is for
this to be a very practical section that applies directly Students and people in general are more engaged and
to current concerns in the choral classroom. Readers committed when they really feel a sense of ownership in
can submit questions via the link in this Google form the work. I personally love the Comprehensive Musicianship
(https://forms.gle/oVcamzqp4KwXfo5M9) or by vis- Through Performance books for this reason. The ideas in the
iting the QR code below. book go beyond learning notes and rhythms and have stu-
dents really connect with the text. Have them create visual
art or a story or write a letter or talk with the composer or
Ask a Conductor Submission Form connect the story in the music to their own lives.
How do your students know a piece is ready? Do they
have input in rehearsal? Make a student the conductor for
part of rehearsal and ask them what they hear. Sometimes
we can’t tell what the piece sounds like sitting in our sec-
Question: I have noticed that my students get tion. If that’s not working, make sure that you are plan-
bored of rehearsing our pieces for our concert. ning some brain break activities that also help with your
We’ve been learning our pieces for a month and process—play pass the beat around the room or forbidden
have another month before our concert. How pattern or learn a silly canon. Anything to break up mo-
can I make learning our pieces more engaging notony but still work toward musical excellence.
for them?

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 3 4 Spring 2023