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The Ideal Choral Music Teacher: A Student Description

Mr. ________ must have realized how many of us an opera, play an accompanying instrument, etc.
were afraid of solo work. But the way he eased us One thing is for sure, it is fun and yet everyone
into it in a gradual manner made it not so frighten- works to present their talent in the best possible
ing. He started us out as a large choir, then we per- way.
formed in small groups, and then we sang in duets.
By that time I really felt ready for my first solo and Since my voice had not yet taken on a masculine
I can truthfully say I enjoyed the experience. quality, my biggest concern about singing in choir
was a fear that I would be placed in the girl’s sec-
Mrs. ________ is a positive kind of person. She tion. Mr. ________ explained to me that there
is constantly encouraging us in the classroom, in was nothing abnormal about my apprehension,
rehearsals, and in informal contests. I work best in and explained·how he would place me on the end
this kind of classroom where there is encourage- of the boy’s section closest to the girl’s section in
ment coupled with constructive criticism. which my voice would best blend. Then as my
voice began to change I would be positioned ac-
It is nice to have a teacher who knows that some- cordingly. Frankly, I would not have stayed in choir
thing exists besides their own class. Mrs. ________ except for Mr. ________ being so understanding.
keeps up with what we are doing and she often
expresses an interest and comments on my in- From the first few days of class I knew I would
volement in tennis, Thespians, and other school like Mr. ________. He learned everyone’s name
activities in which I participate. within a few days, and that makes a difference in
my attitude toward the teacher and the class.
I will never forget Mr. ________’s choral music
class. When I began the new semester my voice The significance of the statements by the secondary
had started to change and I was worried what school students is obvious. Those teachers identified as out-
might happen and what everyone would think. But standing combined three elements essential for successful
on the first day of class, Mr. ________ explained teaching: 1) a knowledge of subject matter, 2) innovative
to all the students how we were going through and creative learning activities, and 3) skills in human rela-
rapid physical changes, which included change in tions.
the vocal range. After that I didn’t feel as embar- As a result of this assignment, the pre-service teach-
rassed or self-conscious about what might happen ers who conducted these interviews now understand the
because I knew he and the rest of the class under- attributes of outstanding secondary school choral music
stood. teachers more thoroughly than if they had merely heard a
lecture. An opportunity to interview public school students
I particularly liked the way Miss ________ used who are themselves the product of superior instruction in
designated students as teacher assistants within choral music helped these pre-service teachers learn those
the classroom. It was helpful to me to be able to traits embodied in the best teachers.
seek help from a classmate as well as the teacher in
some of the skills we were expected to learn.

The last Friday in each month is something spe-
cial in Miss ________ ’s class. We have a regularly
scheduled chorus talent show, during which time
students present their own talent and music. Stu-
dents can perform both individually or in groups.
Some of the interesting presentations have seen
students singing as part of a folkdance, dramatize

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 4 20 Summer 2023