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school name, street name, house number, etc.? In addition, your experience! When you are ready to go a bit deeper, ask
be careful about who you allow to direct message you. Tik- students to create videos for the class, engaging the arts stan-
Tok’s privacy settings allow you to choose who can follow dards of create, perform, respond, connect. And finally, if
you, comment on your videos, duet and stitch your videos, you are so inclined, please do show off your students’ hard
etc. I also encourage you to utilize the digital well-being work! Even if you don’t post publicly, you can share with
features in the app and on your phone, setting a timer to your community via email or in a private social media group.
help limit your use of the app. Through the use of apps like TikTok, we have the oppor-
tunity to engage and challenge our choir students in new and
Am I Allowed to Post Videos of My Students? exciting ways. Through the app, we have the opportunity to
Especially if you teach minors, check with your adminis- virtually bring high-caliber musicians, teachers, choirs, and
tration to see if your school’s media release includes videos so on into our classrooms to teach our students. We also have
on social media. In a university, community, or professional the chance to empower our students with the technological
setting, it is always courteous to ask permission of your skills to learn from and interact with musicians around the
ensemble members. Once you have the necessary permis- world via social media.
sions, film strategically to avoid showing those who elect to
not be a part of videos. If you are posting on a personal ac-
count, it is best practice to not show students’ faces. Show- NOTES
ing singers’ faces is more widely accepted if you are posting
on an ensemble account. 1 Christina Bucknell Bossen and Rita Kottasz, “Uses and
gratifications sought by pre-adolescent and adolescent TikTok
What if I don’t have anything new to add to the TikTok or Reels consumers” Young Consumers, 21(4), (2020): 463-478. doi:http://
Dialogue? dx.doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2020-1186
Even if what you are saying or singing might not be 2 Daniel J. Albert, “Social Media in Music Education: Extending
unique, your voice or the voices of your ensemble will be. Learning to Where Students ‘Live.’” Music Educators Journal,
Add your voices to the dialogue! 102(2), (2015): 31–38.
3 Robin Giebelhausen, “What the Tech Is Going On? Social Media
Am I allowed to copy what another choir did? and Your Music Classroom,” General Music Today, 28(2), (2015):
Yes! So much of TikTok and Reels is imitation. Just 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1048371314552523
make sure to give them credit in your caption. 4 Sum Yi Lei, Dickson K. W. Chiu, Mavis Man-wai Lung, and
Cheuk Ting Chan, “Exploring the aids of social media for
Do I have to do trends? musical instrument education,” International Journal of Music
No, you do not! If your goal is audience growth, they will Education, 39(2), (2021): 187–201. https://journals.sagepub.
help you. If your goal is to have fun and share your or your com/doi/abs/10.1177/0255761420986217
singers’ work, trends are not necessary. 5 Ioana Literat, “‘Teachers act like We’re robots’: TikTok as
a window into youth experiences of online learning
during COVID-19.” AERA Open, 7 (2021). https://doi.
Conclusion org/10.1177/23328584219955
If you are considering utilizing TikTok with your en- 6 Audrey Valeria Bernard, et al., “Expanding ESL students’
sembles, I encourage you to start simple and share short vocabulary through TikTok videos” Lensa (Semarang
videos with students in order to start conversations or begin Online), 11(2), (2021): 171-184. https://doi.org/10.26714/
exploring techniques. Allow students to flex their search- lensa.11.2.2021.171-184
ing skills and find examples of musical techniques or per- 7 Paloma Escamilla-Fajardo, Mario Alguacil, and Samuel
formances for the ensemble. This has the bonus effect of López-Carril, “Incorporating TikTok in higher education:
remixing their algorithms within the app, including choir Pedagogical perspectives from a corporal expression sport
in their scrolling more often. Develop professionally via sciences course,” Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and
TikTok by learning, asking for help, or sharing your exper- Tourism Education, 28 (2021). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.
tise. There are teachers out there who want to learn from jhlste.2021.100302

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 4 11 Summer 2023