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When I first left 20 years of teaching choral music at the high school level and moved on to College of the Sequoias I had visions of how easy life was going to be. After all I now only had to teach 15 lecture hours a week, I had been teaching 30 hours a week at the high school, now I would only be working half as much and making about the same but with added years of step increases on the salary schedule. I was seeing early retirement and dollar signs.

I had built up a powerhouse choral program at Golden West High School, about 350 students, sold out concerts, many exciting choral festivals, a long string of Superior ratings, and had taken my choirs to two national ACDA conventions. I had spent the summer calling on all the seniors from the three large high schools in Visalia. I had a list of 80+ students who would be singing for me in the fall. My reputation alone would carry me, and the choral program at COS would be an overnight success!

NOT!

When I finally got my first day roll sheets instead of 80 choir members there were 45. Ten of them didn’t show the first day of class. Out of 35 seniors I knew were coming to COS from my former high school, only 3 actually signed up for choir. I was devastated. My balloon had burst. What I thought was going to be easy was the hardest job I’ve ever done!

My first semester was a real wake up call. I realized that I had to teach several more hours than many of my colleagues because my classes were considered labs. A lab hour is worth only 75% of a lecture hour, a discrimination that doesn’t exist at the high school. I failed more students that first semester than I had in all 20 years of teaching at the high school.

The biggest problem was poor attendance and a lack of commitment from students. I actually had students tell me “I don’t do choir on Tuesdays,” “Mr. Nameless always worked around my schedule,” “Can you make me a learning tape? I can’t come to class but I’ll show up for the concerts.” And these comments were from students who had attended what I would consider very successful high school choral programs!

Many times in my recruitment efforts I continue to hear: “I can’t fit choir in my schedule”, “I work,” “I play football,” “I’m not a music major,” or “I loved singing in high school, without all my friends it won’t be the same.” Well, I say, “You’re right! It isn’t the same, if you’re creative you can fit it in your schedule, it’s nice to make new friends and when you’re singing with others who really love to sing, it’s better!”

There are several reasons the “flake factor” kicks in at the Community College level. Here are just a few of them:

Many students who attend community colleges feel like failures, have low self esteem and feel less capable because they did not go on to a four year school. In their eyes, you’re a loser if you don’t make it into or can’t afford a university. I have actually heard HS students lie to their friends about colleges to save the humiliation of not leaving home to go to a university.
Some parents immediately “cut the strings” after high school. Some students are not prepared for that. They still need someone to get them up and hold them accountable.
Students are working more and their employers are not always understanding about class schedules. Often I have students who miss class for work.
There is much less “school spirit” at the CC level. Students are thinking in terms of what they need to get a job or transfer, and are less committed to the group. This is apparent in everything on campus including sports.

Here are some suggestions:

Keep standards and expectations high – Community College IS a real college not “high school with ash trays” Our curriculum meets the same high standards as the Universities.
Choose quality literature – working on great literature keeps rehearsals invigorating and exciting.
Set demanding yet attainable goals – preparing for a festival , competition or convention is an amazing motivator.
Bring in guests – having fine college choirs and clinicians visit and work with your choir sets an example to strive for.
Be consistent in enforcing the rules - even if it means your best voice is not allowed to sing in a concert.
Creative scheduling – I have tried many different configurations and have found four days a week to work best. We don’t have class on Fridays.
Listen to your students – I often meet with section leaders, hear their feedback and I take it to heart.
Put the responsibility on the students – Success of the choir is up to them and you. They must take ownership of the choir.
Be Visible – You need to perform for the students you want to recruit. We perform at the local festivals and I try to visit every high school in our district.
Likenesses attract – Success breeds success and flakes breed flakes – identify the leadership qualities you desire in students and actively recruit them.
Don’t Give Up – do not become a minimalist.

With the limited resources available to us we have all had to do more with less and I have found that those whose heart is in teaching and serving students first, have continued to thrive. One of my goals as a teacher at COS has been to create an environment and avenue to successful and gratifying performance of great choral literature. Conducting my choir at the National Convention in Los Angeles was a culmination of that. But I know that learning is an ongoing process, the longer I teach, I realize how much there is that I do not know. By striving for excellence and constantly stressing responsibility and commitment, I can make choir a positive experience for everyone. I have an intense love for the choral art and working with young people. Music has a way of touching the soul and crossing all cultural, ethnic, and social boundaries, thus being a constant source of energy, excitement and lifting of the human spirit. I love my students and I love making choral music.

Guest articles (Reprinted by permission)
Dealing with the “FLAKE” factor Jeff Seaward Two-year College R&S Rep (reprinted from "Cantate," California's ACDA newsletter.
When I first left 20 years of teaching choral music at the high school level and moved on to College of the Sequoias I had visions of how easy life was going to be. After all I now only had to teach 15 lecture hours a week, I had been teaching 30 hours a week at the high school, now I would only be working half as much and making about the same but with added years of step increases on the salary schedule. I was seeing early retirement and dollar signs. I had built up a powerhouse choral program at Golden West High School, about 350 students, sold out concerts, many exciting choral festivals, a long string of Superior ratings, and had taken my choirs to two national ACDA conventions. I had spent the summer calling on all the seniors from the three large high schools in Visalia. I had a list of 80+ students who would be singing for me in the fall. My reputation alone would carry me, and the choral program at COS would be an overnight success! NOT! When I finally got my first day roll sheets instead of 80 choir members there were 45. Ten of them didn’t show the first day of class. Out of 35 seniors I knew were coming to COS from my former high school, only 3 actually signed up for choir. I was devastated. My balloon had burst. What I thought was going to be easy was the hardest job I’ve ever done! My first semester was a real wake up call. I realized that I had to teach several more hours than many of my colleagues because my classes were considered labs. A lab hour is worth only 75% of a lecture hour, a discrimination that doesn’t exist at the high school. I failed more students that first semester than I had in all 20 years of teaching at the high school. The biggest problem was poor attendance and a lack of commitment from students. I actually had students tell me “I don’t do choir on Tuesdays,” “Mr. Nameless always worked around my schedule,” “Can you make me a learning tape? I can’t come to class but I’ll show up for the concerts.” And these comments were from students who had attended what I would consider very successful high school choral programs! Many times in my recruitment efforts I continue to hear: “I can’t fit choir in my schedule”, “I work,” “I play football,” “I’m not a music major,” or “I loved singing in high school, without all my friends it won’t be the same.” Well, I say, “You’re right! It isn’t the same, if you’re creative you can fit it in your schedule, it’s nice to make new friends and when you’re singing with others who really love to sing, it’s better!” There are several reasons the “flake factor” kicks in at the Community College level. Here are just a few of them: Many students who attend community colleges feel like failures, have low self esteem and feel less capable because they did not go on to a four year school. In their eyes, you’re a loser if you don’t make it into or can’t afford a university. I have actually heard HS students lie to their friends about colleges to save the humiliation of not leaving home to go to a university. Some parents immediately “cut the strings” after high school. Some students are not prepared for that. They still need someone to get them up and hold them accountable. Students are working more and their employers are not always understanding about class schedules. Often I have students who miss class for work. There is much less “school spirit” at the CC level. Students are thinking in terms of what they need to get a job or transfer, and are less committed to the group. This is apparent in everything on campus including sports. Here are some suggestions: Keep standards and expectations high – Community College IS a real college not “high school with ash trays” Our curriculum meets the same high standards as the Universities. Choose quality literature – working on great literature keeps rehearsals invigorating and exciting. Set demanding yet attainable goals – preparing for a festival , competition or convention is an amazing motivator. Bring in guests – having fine college choirs and clinicians visit and work with your choir sets an example to strive for. Be consistent in enforcing the rules - even if it means your best voice is not allowed to sing in a concert. Creative scheduling – I have tried many different configurations and have found four days a week to work best. We don’t have class on Fridays. Listen to your students – I often meet with section leaders, hear their feedback and I take it to heart. Put the responsibility on the students – Success of the choir is up to them and you. They must take ownership of the choir. Be Visible – You need to perform for the students you want to recruit. We perform at the local festivals and I try to visit every high school in our district. Likenesses attract – Success breeds success and flakes breed flakes – identify the leadership qualities you desire in students and actively recruit them. Don’t Give Up – do not become a minimalist. With the limited resources available to us we have all had to do more with less and I have found that those whose heart is in teaching and serving students first, have continued to thrive. One of my goals as a teacher at COS has been to create an environment and avenue to successful and gratifying performance of great choral literature. Conducting my choir at the National Convention in Los Angeles was a culmination of that. But I know that learning is an ongoing process, the longer I teach, I realize how much there is that I do not know. By striving for excellence and constantly stressing responsibility and commitment, I can make choir a positive experience for everyone. I have an intense love for the choral art and working with young people. Music has a way of touching the soul and crossing all cultural, ethnic, and social boundaries, thus being a constant source of energy, excitement and lifting of the human spirit. I love my students and I love making choral music.		Return to NW Notes Fall 2005 home Return to NW ACDA homepage
Stepping from Success to Significance Mark Lawley, MCDA President (reprinted from the Missouri ACDA "Reporter," Greg Gilmore, Editor by permission)		Return to NW Notes Fall 2005 home Return to NW ACDA homepage
When choral conductors begin their career, they may struggle with several demands that are common to the profession. They likely will toil over: Selecting correct literature that suits their ensemble. Developing their interpretation of the ideal choral sound. Setting a rehearsal pace that incorporates the delicate blend of learning and inspiration, while creating a hunger for perfection. Analyzing and correcting vocal and choral faults. Learning to coordinate musical ideas with an accompanist. Preparing and managing a budget. Scheduling extra rehearsals and performances around society’s increasingly demanding calendar. Establishing a warm and respectful rapport with their ensemble. With a few years of experience, most conductors enjoy the blissful feeling of achieving a level of success in most of the areas listed above. At times success focuses on accomplishments, trophies, ratings, applause, ovations, and the acknowledgement of colleagues. I have overheard conductors talk about striving to have their choir selected for convention performances, taking first place at competitions, or being invited to guest conduct honor choirs. While there is certainly value in setting and maintaining high goals and aspirations, striving for success can cause people to focus on things that dissipate once the trophy is placed in the case and the recording of the concert is placed on the shelf. It is time for us to step from success to significance. It is time to tire of the cheap after-taste of being success- driven and to find ways that we can bring significance to the concert hall, classroom, and rehearsal hall. The conductor who attempts to step from being success-driven to finding significance may have to take a sobering backwards glance to see that earned success was “me” oriented and the singers and music were tools manipulated to bring the spotlight on themselves. Significance is striving for lasting change. Real significance occurs when we invest in others regardless of the outcome or personal gain. Success is about me, significance is about everybody else. The search for significance can redefine who you are as a conductor and teacher. Practical ways to find significance as a conductor include: Worry more about long-term learning and less about performance level. (These may go hand in hand; but at times, education is set aside for the goal of slick performance.) Take time to study, explore, and rehearse music that requires growth, tenacity, and technical facility. Hold firm to music that requires digging deeper for the conductor and the singer. The music may not create an emotional response after the first or twenty-first read through. Stay the course; significant music is worth a significant effort. Be tireless in searching for text that holds a lasting significant message for the singer and the audience. The text must be artistically “married” to the music. Put yourself in the position of the ensemble. What does this particular choir need from the conductor? A director, serious about stepping into the realm of significance, will be undeterred from painful soul- searching and will bring her finest self to the rehearsal. Become aware of the intricate personalities in your ensemble. In what way can you make a difference in the musical and emotional life of the singers? Vocalists need conductors who believe in them; they may be completely unaware of their potential and what they have to contribute to the ensemble. Take a moment before or after the rehearsal to give constructive feedback and encouragement to singers. The path to significance is costly. Significant work requires an extra amount of thought and preparation. It also demands that you take a microscopic view of your own dreams and desires to determine if these will bring lasting change for your choir. Avoid the deceptively sweet allure of success, the path to significance is not smoothly paved, but the lasting results will be worth the effort.
Educational Concerts –Teaching the Etiquette of Singers and Audience Ed Hanson, R & S Chair, Children’s Choirs (reprinted from MCDA's "Reporter" by permission)
My wife, Kathy, having been forced to attend many elementary concerts in her day, often comments to me about how audiences don’t seem to know basic concert manners: cameras flashing; camcorders blocking the view of others; people talking during songs; a baby remaining in the auditorium long after the crying begins. Does this sound like one of your concerts? It certainly sounds like many of my past concerts. I’ve decided to take the proactive approach this year. We are going to do an “educational” concert. I’ve also heard them called “instructional” concerts. It’s basically teaching as you go. Of course, it will be very important to be a teacher and not a criticizer. Many items of etiquette can simply be included in the program. Parents with small children can be encouraged, in print, to sit on an aisle seat for a quick escape if necessary. Parents with camcorders should be encouraged, in print, to sit on the outside of the aisle near the walls so that they can get the shots they want without blocking others. Flash camera operators can be asked to take pictures at the beginning of the concert, at the end of the concert, or at another designated time so that singers are not distracted. (Telling them why you are making the request generally has very good results.) Before the concert begins, welcome your crowd and call their attention to the etiquette items listed in the program. Make sure you list them together with the heading “Concert Etiquette Items”. I plan to have a different student cover each one briefly to explain why that item is there and why it’s important. As the concert begins, I hope to see audience members that are enjoying the program and not distracted with unnecessary sounds or movement. In the final weeks before the concert, tell your singers about the etiquette items that will be listed. Help them to understand why each item is there, and why it is important to share with the audience that evening. This information will help them to better understand the listings and to do a good job in the concert’s opening narrative. I wish you the best during your concerts over the next few months! Let me know if you did an “educational” concert!
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Recruitment Kelly Dame, Male Choir R&S (reprinted by permission from MCDA's "Reporter")
Nearly every high school choral director I have ever met in my thirty-three years of teaching has one common concern: how can I get more males involved in singing. I have attended many workshops on the male changing voice and heard lectures about vocal mutation as understood by Irvin Cooper and Harold Cooksey. The point is often made that the battle for the involvement of boys begins at the middle school level, since this is where the vocal change begins. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Voices may have begun changing at age 13 or 14 in 1968 but kids voices today are changing as early as age 10. I have the unique task of teaching grades five through twelve in a rather large district. In my three fifth grade music classes there are 61 boys, 22 of which are young baritones with the typical g2 to middle c range. This early change is not unique to West Plains, I am certain. When I reflect back to the first fall concert I conducted in October of 1972, the 7th grade mixed chorus sang two-part music because there were no baritones, and this was with a group of sixty, 24 of which were boys. Today we have over 70 7th & 8th boys involved in choral singing at our middle school, and there are only five who have voices which are truly unchanged. There are four problem areas of this early change; 1. Voices which change early do so in a very unfriendly environment. Elementary music texts contain songs, which for the most part are written in unison and in high keys. 2. Any part singing is usually introduced as rounds or partner songs which also do not address the range issue. 3. Any attempt at note reading whether with recorders, tone chimes, boomwackers, etc, is written in treble clef. 4. Elementary honor groups almost always select SA music. This environment causes guys to really turn off to singing because of one fundamental aspect of the male psyche; most boys will simply not do that which is not enjoyable, or as my friend Bud Clark puts it “Boys just want to have fun”. Most girls will stick with something to the bitter end, even if they are bored to death, especially if their friends are in the group. So what can you do? I suppose we could all launch a drive to forbid the introduction of growth hormones in animal foods or attempt to promote a vegetarian lifestyle, Not being a political activist or health food groupie, I have had to come up with my own. 1. Introduce bass clef reading early. You only have to teach middle c down to g. 2. Choose music which has a third part and is in the classic restricted fifth range. 3. Make your part threes feel important. (I tell my guys that a choir is only as good as the bottom tones) 4. Visit your elementary music teachers and discuss the male voice with them. Offer to bring some of your students to sing for the younger students. In closing, I would like to give some literature suggestions. This is not the classiest stuff in the world, and it certainly is not new, but I promise it will work. These tunes were all arranged by Joice Eilers in the late 1970s when she was teaching 7th and 8th grade students. I use them with grades 5 & 6. “Just A Bit of Sunshine” “Still, Still, Still” “Follow the Sun” “It’s My Song” “Come In From The Firefly Darkness” –Benson-Heritage Press “The Clouds”Gray-Heritage Press “Dance, Dance, Dance”Donnely/Strid-Hal Leonard “I’d do Anything”arr. Bart-Hal Leonard There are many more titles; and if you would like more, Email me at lbdame (at) wpcs (dot) net		Return to NW Notes Fall 2005 home Return to NW ACDA homepage
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