If you missed Part ONE of this series "Rebuilding Your Choir for 2021-2022, click here.
----
It's March 18, 2021, and like you, I am carefully navigating the unpredictability of the day to day of chorus class during a pandemic. I am doing everything I can to engage and keep all of my students interested and learning even though we are unable to prepare concerts in the usual way.
We get out of school May 27th here.
The arc of learning and engagement with middle school students is always tricky at this time of year, and this year, it is obviously, even more so. If you have been reading this series from the beginning, you know that I have been consciously and deliberately rebuilding since January. In my district, some of the students just returned for the first time in a year on March 9, so this rebuilding process has been one I've had to navigate organically with each changing data point, and we all know how that has gone this year.
As you know from the previous parts of this series, I am producing a documentary film version of our annual spring musical revue. There will be far fewer music performances than normal, and the only live singing will be the small groups. Instead of 60-75 minutes of music, we are doing 30 minutes of music because logistically, with all of the unpredictable moving parts we are coping with, I didn't want to overwhelm myself or the people I've hired who help me make this happen. We have now "frozen" the show. There are 10 songs, mostly solo and small groups, but we do have 3 large ensemble songs that will include all 45 of the children who auditioned (normally, I have 130 who audition out of my 300 in my chorus at large). We had our first "live" rehearsal outside last Saturday, and shockingly, things were in good shape after the Zoom rehearsals!
These kids want this to happen.
They need it to happen.
Last Saturday at the rehearsal, we began the live interviews with students who were comfortable sharing their pandemic experience by answering some key questions that will be a part of our documentary components.
Students this age have to feel the "build" of the process. Otherwise, we lose them.
We have carefully and strategically progressed so they feel the build. The day of our first "live" large group rehearsal was set on the Saturday right after we started the return to school. I announced to the students on the Friday before the "live" rehearsal that we would begin interviewing those who were comfortable being interviewed. I told them we wouldn't just be interviewing the "stars"...I wanted to make sure they all feel heard and valued and respected as we document this unbelievable year in their young lives.
I am going to show some of the raw footage tomorrow in our classes so they can SEE that this is really happening. I aim to release this privately to our school community in early May so we have 3 weeks to enjoy it, talk about it and process it and more importantly...to feel it. I know that it will be a key component in re-igniting the fire in this community so new students sign up for chorus next year. I plan to partner with our school media specialist and our PTSA and all of the social media outlets so they see what these kids have been a part of.
Here is the sequence of our show-
Brand New Day Wiz
*One of the comedy bits*
*Question: In one word, how did this pandemic make you feel? Multiple students answer*
*One of the comedy bits*
Popular Wicked
Top Secret Personal Beeswax. June B. Jones
Shy Once Upon a Mattress
*comedy bit*
Little Miss Perfect 13 Reasons why
*What are you most looking forward to after this pandemic? Multiple students answer*
You Can’t Stop the Beat Hairspray
Till Someone Gets Hurt Mean Girls
Burn Hamilton
*Student shares a vulnerable story. Ask questions like, ``Describe your lowest point of this year.” This needs to be the most genuine authentic moment preferably told by one child, but open to have a few moments shared.
Requiem Dear Evan Hansen
*What positive outcome has this pandemic brought you? Multiple students answer*
No Day But Today (done with video editing that includes footage from the creation of our show like like the movie version of Rent.
-----
*Outtakes
--------
Comedy bit Ideas-
Teacher/kids all unmuted with feedback, teacher not being able to unmute and the kids faces being what they are when that happens….
student accidentally being unmuted,
student is asked by teacher to sing off mute alone...student says “Sure Mr. Duncan, but I need to go ask my Mom not to curse for a few moments.”,
someone has a name that is funny (instead of their own) because over the weekend, the father or Mother was on Zoom and changed it.
The teacher has a silly filter face and doesn’t know it on a Monday morning Zoom.
Teacher “frozen” on screen in odd position.
Here is some unedited footage of some of the filming/rehearsals:
Interview with one of the students for the documentary portion
Our first "live" rehearsal in a parking lot after weeks on Zoom.
Normally, the chorus as a whole (all 300) would sing "live" as a part of our production.
Since that isn't happening this year, I am going to continue to talk about the musical and show them the footage as it is available. I am doing that so that the students who didn't or couldn't be involved this year will see that we always do what we say we are going to do, and that we always do it in a meaningful and powerful way.
Maya Angelous said "People forget what you do. They forget what you say. But they don't forget how you make them feel."
I need the students to FEEL this musical documentary, and that is what we aim to do.
I plan to send a link to our final version to every elementary feeder school music teacher, assistant principal and principal.
I want them to feel it too...and to know that despite all of the obstacles, we put something together that represents what we've been through along with some fun/light musical, hopeful performances.
And for the chorus as a whole, I continue to work to find ways to engage them and make them smile and simply ENJOY the experience of being a part of chorus even though it isn't a normal year.
Last week, we did Meme Wars. We did a chorus version, and this Meme won-
How appropriate for this year, right? That's me...yup...I did a "bald wig head" on Zoom for some of the students who beat me in the game, Forbidden Pattern, at their request. It took me an hour and a half to make it look that real. It was a real "theater" version. I should have looked more closely at that Amazon description.
And this Meme won for the "Perils of Online School" Meme War-
Now that we've returned in cohorts (small groups) live in the school building, I always allow social time for the students at the end of class who are "live". I socialize with them as well. Always distanced...always masked.
We continue to work on S-Cubed Sight Singing Program so I am building the reading/listening/tone skills of the younger students and maintaining the skills of the older students.
I've implemented rhythmic and melodic dictation (translates well in the hybrid setting).
We will also be watching a couple of movies (Sound of Music/6th grade, Hairspray/7th grade, Amadeus/8th grade) and having relevant historical conversations about each.
I want to maintain and rebuild their trust...Engage....Give them the outlet they need...Show my vulnerabilities as we continue to work through this unusual year in our lives.
Wishing you all the best.
This is temporary...we will sing in groups again without masks...and it will be a long time before we ever take it for granted.
----
If you'd like to see Part Five of "Rebuilding your Choir for 2021-2022", click here.
