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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 27, 2006 11:25:34 GMT
I'm hoping I might get some good ideas on this one....
I'm in charge of the "school choir" - a motley band of about 35 pupils (at the most) ranging from Year 7 to Year 10. The Christmas carol service went really well and I want to build on the success, but there are several difficult issues to resolve first...
1. Kids won't turn up to a weekly after-school practice. Last year the most I ever got after school was about 10 - and I've made sure I'm not clashing with sports practices/art club/drama club etc. Yet if I get them off timetable, I can easily get 30+.
2. Head of music suggested making it more competitive/elite. i.e. audition only, attendance records kept - if you don't turn up to practices, you're out etc. I'm not sure if this would work.........
3. There is NO culture of singing in the school at all - no singing in assembly, only occasional singing in the music lessons. There also isn't a culture of commitment - a lot of the pupils really don't see the need to work hard at something for a long-term goal. They are quite passive/placid/content kids - not a lot of drive or passion....
4. There is a fantastic culture of "performance". Any chance of getting up on stage and singing along to the latest Mariah Carey (or whatever) particularly with a dance routine.....they turn up in dozens to audition for these sort of things.
I'm quite ambitious and a bit of a perfectionist, so I have lots of choral pieces I want to do. I'd like to be taking the choir out to sing at events (local festivals, old folk's homes, summer fairs etc.) - ultimately I'd love to be taking part in choir of the year competitions.....SIGH!!
Suggestions?
Those of you who are still at school and sing in choirs - what are the "entry requirements"? Are your practices after school? Is attendance compulsory?
Should the choir be open to anyone who wants to come along?
Lunchtimes are out of the question - we only have a 35 minute break.
Thanks (in anticipation of thousands of creative ideas!!) PJ
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 27, 2006 13:10:59 GMT
1. It's hard, you can't force them to come after school. Most kids I know rarely turn up to anything after school . Perhaps ask them? 2. Having it that competitive might not work but maybe you should say to them all, if you ever get them all together, that you have aims etc and it requires everyone turning up to as many rehearsals as poss. If not then they're out. Once it happens to a few of them, the rest might get the hint. 3. Get them to sing something in assembly? 4. Maybe trade one of their dancing songs for one of yours ? No idea if this is of any help, probably useless advice seeing as the choir we have at school consists of 4 or 5 year 8's who aren't great singers. Usually results in me having to sing at the concerts instead of playing . The choir has been bigger but it comes and goes. There are no entry requirements, - if you want to join then you can. When they do have a rehearsal it tends to be at a lunchtime, they come and eat their lunch and then they rehearse. There have been issues of people not turning up, but to be quite honest there is not much that we can do. We've spoken to some and asked them to come along, we've got their friends to remind them, so it's up to them . The usual reason is that they forgot . I do have a attendance record thingy with peri teaching at the same school in that if you don't turn up for 3 weeks in a row, then that's it, no more lessons. That usually shapes them up, and I find that if they realise they're getting close to that they do find a valid reason or suddenly remember to come to the next one . Although generally they are quite good. Sorry a bit of random waffle...
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 27, 2006 16:42:55 GMT
What about making it a social thing as well as work? cokktail sausages, etc before the after-school practice - kids are always hungry at that time. Involve them in the catering - they can't not turn up if it's their turn to bring the buns! Or ten-pin bowling after each performance for those who have made it to a certain number of practices?
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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 27, 2006 19:18:05 GMT
Thanks Nat & Dulci! Nat - I know what you mean about singing yourself at concerts - me too! And I'm aware that I'm singing rather loud as I conduct the choir, keeping them all in tune!
Like the social ideas, Dulci - you may have a good point there. I'll have a think.....
And I'll report back to you soon!!
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Post by AnotherPianist on Dec 27, 2006 19:29:03 GMT
Is practising at lunchtime instead a possibility? Sometimes people will do it for as simple a reason as staying in out of the cold . About elitism it might help: the choir at my high school was full of lots of people who really couldn't sing. The consequence of this was that no one who was a good singer wanted to be associated with it and thus it remained bad. Another way to get people in is to rope in the first years, or get the head of music to require that everyone taking GCSE music is in it (although this is sometimes sufficient to make people chose not to do GCSE music to avoid it), then rule strictly and don't let people leave .
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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 28, 2006 10:14:39 GMT
get the head of music to require that everyone taking GCSE music is in it (although this is sometimes sufficient to make people chose not to do GCSE music to avoid it), then rule strictly and don't let people leave . I like that idea. We have GCSE music and a BTEC in Performing Arts. Just in Year 10 alone, that's about 40 pupils....
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 28, 2006 12:33:59 GMT
However if one did that, you might get the talented instrumentalists who just don't want to sing, not taking GCSE Music. Especially seeing as the rehearsals at the moment are after school it seems a bit unfair to force them to stay after school just because they take GCSE Music. If rehearsals were at a lunchtime or another feasible time then perhaps that might be ok.
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 28, 2006 16:35:03 GMT
You cannot use coercion with modern teenagers. Try to force GCSE music students to sing in a choir that rehearses after school and you will get rebellion and friction; you will decimate your music group. There is the potential for conflict with parents objecting to their children being forced to stay after school. I know a music teacher who maintains an enthusiastic choir by combining vast enthusiasm and enjoyment of children with allowing them to sing the music they want to sing. 'Classical' repertoire does not feature, so it might be worth following the same path with your group. Would the Head allow you to book some performances during school hours? Most kids like coming off timetable, so you would be able to make taking part dependent on attending rehearsals.
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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 28, 2006 18:20:37 GMT
Thanks for the thoughts! Keep them coming!
I see what you're saying, Nat & Steve - but the other side of the coin is kids doing GCSE music and not taking part in either the school band OR the choir. Considering that "performance" is actually part of the GCSE, surely the band or the choir would be useful experience for them. (And, don't get me wrong, I DO sympathise with the pianists and guitarists who don't fit into the band, and don't necessarily want to sing - but I need accompanists too!).
I just wish lunchtimes were not so rushed at our place - lesson 4 stops at 1.20pm, and registration before lesson 5 is at 2pm - that's only 40 minutes, but some kids spend a good 20 minutes queuing in the canteen for food. We had lunchtime rehearsals in the run-up to Christmas - the 30 + choir was on certain days down to 5!!
One option we've not really looked into in detail yet is to have groups of kids off timetable for singing workshops e.g. all of Year 7 off for a whole morning, and bring some sort of "expert" in to do fun singing-things with them. The Head is very supportive - I think he would be happy to consider anything we come up with - he won't just fob us off (though, having said that, we faced quite major opposition from other members of the leadership team when we tried to organise a school band trip).
I'm probably going to have to use High School Musical (in some shape or form) - the kids LOVE it and it is very singable (if tripe!) - it may be enough of a carrot to bring some of them in.
One of the other local high schools has one afternoon a week for "extra-curricular" activities - that's when they have art, music, drama, sport, first aid, Duke of Edinburgh etc activities. If only!!!
Steve - the teacher you know of the "enthusiastic" choir - I don't suppose he/she would share some ideas with me??? If you think its possible, PM me - thanks!
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 28, 2006 18:32:59 GMT
I know performance is an important aspect and in some schools it doesn't seem to happen enough but one has to question if they really don't want to do it then is there any point in forcing them? You'll just get miserable faces . I'm not saying don't try, and some might enjoy it, but I don't believe in forcing people to do what they don't want to do. I see no point in it. School band or choir would be great experience for them, but in my opinion those that do GCSE Music and take part in such activities are the ones who probably take Music seriously, the others are often doing it just because they think it's a soft option. We had a Music day where we took year 7's out of lessons to take part in DJ Workshops, African drumming things, we also had a local saxophone quartet come in to play to them and some had a chance to conduct the quartet, and stuff like that. Being a Performing Arts Specialist School we have to do more of that and it's great. We recently took the school pupils in our show band to care homes, along with some Dance and Drama stuff and it went down well, so I do recommend encouraging that.
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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 28, 2006 22:10:05 GMT
We had a Music day where we took year 7's out of lessons to take part in DJ Workshops, African drumming things, we also had a local saxophone quartet come in to play to them and some had a chance to conduct the quartet, and stuff like that. Being a Performing Arts Specialist School we have to do more of that and it's great. We recently took the school pupils in our show band to care homes, along with some Dance and Drama stuff and it went down well, so I do recommend encouraging that. Great Nat! That is sooooooooooo encouraging - I really like the idea of getting them off timetable for a special event, and its nice to know that these sort of things do actually happen in other schools (and that its not just me going off at a mad tangent again!!). We've not got Arts status yet, but it has been mooted as our second specialism (we are currently a technology college).
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 28, 2006 22:16:24 GMT
Cool . I think there has to be a point where we stop trying to drum classical stuff into them when that clearly isn't what they want. The looks on some of their faces when they got to DJ etc was hilarious, they were like wow we get to do music like this too! . There was a bit of classical stuff with the sax quartet, but they played well known tunes too and it was fun because the pupils were allowed to conduct so it was a great day for them. Even the awfully behaved ones managed ok on that day .
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Post by petite joueuse on Dec 28, 2006 22:18:19 GMT
So have you got an African drumming contact?
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 28, 2006 22:25:28 GMT
It was a company we used, but when I go back after Christmas I can try to get it for you! .
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Post by hoxie on Jan 3, 2007 19:29:54 GMT
Another way to get people in is to rope in the first years, or get the head of music to require that everyone taking GCSE music is in it (although this is sometimes sufficient to make people chose not to do GCSE music to avoid it), then rule strictly and don't let people leave . We have that, but for A-level students. I was already in choir anyway, but a lot of the people in the year below weren't and all of them have loved singing, especially the stuff that we do in music lessons (our group has 5 and their's about 7, so we sing both as separate classes and as a joint 'centre' choir type thing). We sing a lot of 4-part classical stuff in our A level classes and they were surprised just how much they have enjoyed doing it! And several of them really aren't the type that you expect to see singing big classical pieces! We also have a choir where you need to audition to get in. It used to be really strict but I think it's gotten a lot less so in recent years. It used to be more of an upper school thing (it replaced the senior choir) but is now the biggest choir. I think this works but only if you stick to the standard you are auditioning - there is quite a bit of bad feeling in our choir now of how many year 7/8 pupils have got in when previously most people under year 9 didn't have 'mature enough' voices, people that can't sing in tune/learn their parts and loads and loads of people who don't seem to be able to read music at all - when I first joined nearly everyone was fluent enough at reading music to go away and learn their parts, now the majority either can't or won't so it take ages to learn anything! Kids are always more likely to turn up when they're taken off timetable - we even had someone trying to join the second (easier) band the day before the rehearsal (and concert) so they could miss physics or something ;D I think the head of music's suggestion of if you don't turn up you're out is good - emphasise how important the rehearsals are, otherwise people think it's ok to miss them, then those who turn up every week get bored of being taken for granted and will end up skipping rehearsals too. For number 3 - give them the drive!! Talk to your head of music, try to get some sort of singing during music lessons on a regular basis - I help in in-class support lessons at both my schools (and the teachers at both think singing is really important for all ages) - I have been in a year 7 lesson where the kids have been having the time of their lives belting out daft little tunes, doing rounds and singing in parts and things - this stretches all the way from the daft songs in year 7 right to the classical stuff in year 13 and something that nearly all of the kids love doing, especially once they've got over the initial nervousness! The 'performance culture' is the same as in one of the schools I'm at (actually, probably both!) - just try and work with it! If the kids are happy to get up and do something, that's great, if you can figure out a way to use it to your advantage that's even better! One of the choirs recently performed 'beautiful' by Christina Aguilera - the 'warbly' parts (as I like to call them...) and vocal ad libs were taken as solos which seemed to work pretty well. They love doing songs they know, and classical is pretty much off limits at the moment, but they all seem to enjoy it which is the important thing! I think there are quite a lot of arrangements of pop songs anyway, but all else fails just buy the 'proper' sheet music and let them sing along I think there should be some sort of choir open to everyone, otherwise there is no 'training' grounds for anyone new to singing who may not otherwise get to the standard for an auditioned choir.
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