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As a director of an active choral program, I can easily identify with
the need for quality rehearsal time. I know how much effort is needed
to prepare the students for the various types of programs in which they
participate. I also realize that if I only teach for the performances,
my students will miss out on many aspects needed for a well rounded, comprehensive
music education. A few years ago, I started teaching mini-units that dealt
with basic music knowledge. The students have covered much of the materials
many times on their journey through elementary and middle school education.
Much was review but many students that and they were also challenged to
new levels of musical awareness. I also discovered that the more basic
information the singers had, the better they were prepared to deal with
the literature I gave them. So, I continued working on these units and
have put together sixteen dealing with music fundamentals. Some units
are shorter than others. Some units are easier than others. Some units
take a long time to teach while others are mastered in a few days. Some
units need supplementation while others stand alone. By choosing unit's
to teach each quarter, I can give students the foundations of a good musical
understanding and keep the concert preparation on track.
Five years ago, we moved to the four period day. We are fortunate to
have choir 85 minutes a day all year long. While our advanced ensembles
thrive on the extra time, our younger groups needed a wider variety of
activities to keep them focused throughout the entire period. I started
experimenting with other classroom activities and have included 10 that
work the best in my situation. Some are music related, others are not.
I use those to develop social groups skills with our students.
Last year we started the game called "So You Think You Know Your
Music" patterned after the familiar TV game, "So You Want to
Be a Millionaire." I had the students write some questions and I
wrote more. That, too, was a huge success so I decided to expand on that
and make it a part of this manual.
This tool has worked for me and will work for you as well. Add your own
units. Add to what is presented here. Incorporate this into your curriculum
and enjoy the immediate benefits you will see as your students grow to
a more comprehensive understanding of this art form called "music."
The purchase of this manual gives you the right to reproduce any
and all pages for use in your school.
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