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Ask a Conductor
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Question 7
What do you do with those students who don't often sing

in your class? They say they enjoy being in choir, but I

don't see evidence of this in their class performance, and
their behavior during class is negatively impacting the

group.

Welcome to the “Ask a Conductor” section of Chor- Seth K. Gregory, M.Ed.
Teach. In this reader-generated Q&A format, readers Music Specialist/Director of Choirs
submit questions related to teaching, conducting, re- Dean of 6th-Grade Students
hearsing with, or singing with K-12 students. Educa- Stewarts Creek Middle School
tors who either currently work in K-12 or who have gregorys@rcschools.net
past experience in K-12 will answer the question, with
a new question appearing in each issue. Our goal is for
this to be a very practical section that applies directly In my experience, lack of participation or negative
to current concerns in the choral classroom. Readers behavior stems from lack of expectation, lack of positive
can submit questions via the link in this Google form relationship(s), lack of engaging rehearsals, or some
(https://forms.gle/oVcamzqp4KwXfo5M9) or by vis- combination of the three. Most of my advice is given with
iting the QR code below. middle grades in mind, but I have found the following
ideas to be transferable to all ages.

Ask a Conductor Submission Form 1) Expectations
Students will only rise to the level of expectation we
set for them. Expectations need to be addressed explicitly
in the first week and revisited periodically, preferably
before something has gone wrong. I have found it crucial
Question: What do you do with those students to include expectations in my Choir Handbook, which
who don’t often sing in your class? They say is given out and explained in the first rehearsal and also
they enjoy being in choir, but I don’t see evi- summarized to parents in our first parent meeting. The
dence of this in their class performance, and handbook includes all performance dates, assessment
their behavior during class is negatively im- dates, advocacy strategies for parents, and more. It is
pacting the group. also important to have consequences clearly laid out
in the handbook, and that consequences are utilized
appropriately. I use student conferences, parent contact,

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 4 4 Summer 2023