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Go and Shine!

Part 2: Eight Strategies

for Cultivating a

Positive Rehearsal Space

ELIZABETH WEISMEHL

Elizabeth Weismehl teaches general music and choir to stressful situations and inspire our students also. Part one
grades K-5 at Avoca West School in Avoca District 37 in explored practicing mindfulness and gratitude for our own
Glenview, Illinois, and is the director of Voices Rising at the benefit. Here in part two, I will share strategies for use with
Midwest Young Artists Conservatory in Highwood, Illinois. students.

Author’s Note: I was asking students for celebratory words, and “Go
and Shine” was a third grader’s response. I was inspired to use it as Introduction
the title for this article, as this is my hope for your students. My Concert Choir was singing on the high school spring
concert, an opportunity that would take their choral expe-
The strategies included in this two-part article are influenced by my rience to the next level. Outwardly I appeared excited and
work with Dr. Matthew Arau, author of Upbeat! Mindset, Mind- confident; inwardly, I was apprehensive. The choir had the
fulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond, associate potential to be good, even great, in a few years when they
professor of music, chair of music education and associate director had been singing together for a while.
of bands at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He is also Before the pandemic, the choir consisted of advanced
president, founder, and CEO of Upbeat Global. musicians in third through fifth grades. As I rebuild the
www.upbeatglobal.com. choral program, the ensemble starts in first grade. The
choir had not sung for an audience since the freshmen who
were singing with us were in fifth grade. Before the con-
Focusing on joy and gratitude can cultivate a positive cert started, we needed to practice standing on risers and
music room culture, creating space for kindness, connec- get a sense of singing in a large space with others. I had
tion, and trust. The purpose of this two-part article is to spent time tuning the ensemble for balance and blend in a
provide strategies for finding joy by practicing gratitude five-row formation to fit in the music room. That night, we
and positivity. As I shared in part one, mindfulness practice shifted to three rows. I had no idea what impact this would
helps us to be comfortable with what is out of our control. have on the ensemble.
This can help us to remain calm and think more clearly in

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 4 15 Summer 2023