November 21, 2014
Today was day one of the Minnesota chapter of the American Choral Director's Association annual fall conference held at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. Every year ACDA-MN does an outstanding job of putting together diverse interest and reading sessions to help re-energize the choral director's in our membership as we surge into the holiday season.
This morning I attended two interest sessions that addressed the concepts of creating a community within the choral classroom. First, Reid Larsen of Cottage Grove Middle School lead a session entitled, Finding Unison in a Harmonized World. Mr. Larsen did an excellent job of reminding us that there ways in which can get students to feel ownership in the ensemble. He suggested a variety of simple games that require interaction, communication, listening, and trust. Empowering students to be leaders and established community expectations has been effective in his classroom. His ideas were numerous, and Larsen invited many of us to share what has been effective in creating community in our classes, adding to the shared knowledge.
The second session, was lead by Steven Albaugh of Rosemount High School with a session entitled, Creating Connections in a Disconnected World. Mr. Albaugh did not provide us with handouts, but kept all of us very engaged in many of the activities he does on regular basis with his ensembles. (Sometimes handouts and powerpoint presentations can be distracting in an experiential interest session.) To boil it down, Albaugh shared ways in which he creates an energized, engaged, and invested community with his ensembles. His approaches range from silly to serious, and active movement to more quiet introspection. However, he picks activities and interactions that come naturally to him so they come across as genuine to his students. (At the same time, if we are encouraging our students to stretch outside of their comfort zones, we must be willing to do so as well.)
Overall, Reid Larsen and Steven Albaugh provided great information and encouragement for the rest of us to continue to create learning communities in our choral ensembles. It is important to remember that although we must worry about the notes, rhythms, and other content, in order to take our students to a higher experiential level we must take the time to build community in our ensembles. Likely, I am better at creating this environment than I give myself credit for, however I must continue to challenge myself to do more.
