Megan Paje

Dr. Maynard
MUED 271
10 Nov 2020
Practicum Observation #2: Open Rehearsal with 6th Grade Chorus
5 Strategies for Effective Classroom Management
 The use of routine helped to ease the students into this new situation that they are trying
out. By first going through the steps that they do every other day in their rehearsals, the
students will have an easier time transitioning into this performance mode in front of an
audience, with less anxiety or fear. Establishing this warm-up routine also helps
technically to get their voices working and moving to prepare for the actual repertoire
being performed. This implementation of routine can help with the community aspect of
an ensemble by having time to collectively put themselves in the same mindset ready to
sing.
 The director includes small positive affirmations throughout the entire rehearsal, making
sure to match each constructive criticism or mistake needing to be fixed with something
the choir did correctly. These remarks may be short and sweet, but they do wonders to
feed the emotional needs of these students. With each statement said, the students know
that they are on the right track, or if there is something that needs work, there is
something that the director deemed valuable as well. These positive affirmations keeps
overall morale high and encourages the students to keep working hard.
 Throughout the rehearsal, the teacher will ask questions to her choir that are somewhat
rhetorical but have an answer for the whole group to internalize and transfer to their next
run through of the section. This promotes community within the ensemble because they
can all collectively agree on what needs to be done, but also encourages participation and
inclusion of every member of the group to be present in the current performance.
 Looking at your director is key for a smooth performance. If just one person’s eyes are
straying away from the director, they could miss any improvised cues that, in turn, causes
something to happen where it should not have or something to not happen where it
should have. This director does a great job of looking and scanning across the entire choir
instead of focusing on any one particular section. This makes sure all students are
engaged in the rehearsal or performance and confirms they will not miss any cues.
 Students feed off the energy you put out as a teacher. The director made sure to always
approach every minute of her rehearsal with a positive, encouraging attitude and a
welcoming tone. Students will not effectively and willingly change any sections of the
music that they are not executing correctly if the environment they are working in is
unapproachable and full of negative energy. These kids are old enough to sense when the
attitude they are being approached with is something hostile or dismissive. If the teacher
were to use a tone of this nature, the students would not be displaying the amount of
progress and growth within the rehearsal because they would not be inclined to learn.
5 Effective Music Pedagogy Related Practices
 A huge part of music is the ability to be creative. During the warm-ups, the director often
allows the students to make silly pitches or use different sounds while sustaining a note.
The students feel comfortable enough to display these acts without hesitation which
translates to a better director-musician relationship. In turn, this results in the ability to
produce quality work more efficiently as well as explore more options when learning
music, free from judgement within the classroom.
 Much of the singing demonstrated in this video was learned through call and response.
The director often demonstrated the phrase, and the ensemble repeated after her. At this
age, these students are on varying levels of musicality. This method ensures that every
student has a chance to learn the music, even if they do not know how to read notes on a
staff.
 Throughout the rehearsal, the teacher would point out sections of the pieces where the
ensemble makes a mistake. After establishing the corrected phrase, she makes the choir
repeat the section multiple times before moving on. This practice helps to solidify the
part they previously messed up and ensures that they have now mastered the section
instead of getting lucky and doing it correctly one time.
 The pieces the director selected highlights the strengths of this age group’s voices. With
them being in a prime developmental state physically, she had to be strategic in the range
of notes each song spanned. The songs she picked focused on the middle to upper part of
the students’ registers, the sweet spot for children who have yet to experience the voice
deepening that comes with puberty.
 Going along with my previous point, the set she chose to perform featured the skill level
of the group tremendously. There were elements of two-part work and cannons as well as
harmony which begins to develop around this time. The pieces were challenging enough
to get the students to be engaged, but still at an appropriate level where they could put on
a successful performance that they would be proud of.