Singing revives: Vivificanos

Abstract

With these lesson plans, I demonstrated a part of my teaching philosophy, that learning can be a life-long process, and singing in particular can be reviving. These lessons helped choir members appreciate the cultural and historical context that informs the music written in that culture's style, including the communication of the joy and vibrancy found in that music, in its historical context. I acted as a facilitator to encourage mastering the language and feeling of the music. And, I believe that I reinforced my philosophy that all students with desire can learn. The videos will show positive reactions to the idea that they can confidently learn and express this music. During the time I have spent with the professors in all my classes, I have noticed a trend: learning styles of students relate directly to how to best make connections with students. In the context of Survey of Vocal Music for Adolescent Singers, I noted how often I have in fact worked as a vocal coach and teacher during my work with choirs, choral ensembles, and soloists. I have already been instrumental in helping young singers develop healthy singing habits, and I have seen how sandwiching gentle corrections between declarations of positive encouragement can facilitate such learning. While I already noticed the impact of outstanding choral arranging, Choral Arranging provided me with specific tools for using arrangement to enhance the message of a song. Because I lacked choral conducting experience prior to taking Advanced Choral Rehearsal techniques, the class challenged me, and brought me to a new appreciation for what characterizes skillful choral conducting. The choral classroom setting looks different from the perspective of the choral director than from the view from the piano bench. When I learned to focus on several of these elements, I realized how much a couple of things can impact students' success in choral singing: 1) better reading skills, and 2) greater understanding of what, why and how singers sing.