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MUSC 344

MUSC 344: Teaching Choral Music

Prerequisites: Completion of MUSC 354 with minimum grades of “C”

Credit Hours: (3)


Two hours Lecture, one hour lab. Techniques for developing K-12 school choral music programs. Curriculum, pedagogy, materials, and program administration. Clinical experience in schools required.

 
Detailed Description of Content of Course

1) The Meaning and Value of Choral Music
    a. What do you believe?
    b. Creating your philosophy of choral music education
    c. Communicating the value of music education

2) Designing and Managing Your Choral Program
    a. Which choirs should be offered?
    b. Recruiting and retaining singers
    c. Programming and producing concerts

3) Choral Curriculum and Assessment
    a. Developing a Choral Curriculum
    b. Grading
    c. Selection of repertoire
    d. Adapting and arranging music

4) Group Vocal Techniques
    a. The choir director as group vocal instructor
    b. The vocal warm-up
    c. The changing voice
    d. Building musicianship skills

5) Planning the rehearsal
    a. Score Analysis
    b. Mind-mapping
    c. Shaping the rehersal
    d. Rehersal plans

6) Rehearsing the choir
    a. The step by step rehersal
    b. Effective rehearsal techniques

7) Administering the Choral Program
    a. Parent organizations
    b. Student leadership
    c. Budget
    d. Choral library
    e. Technology and equipment
    f. Attire
    g. Tours and travel
    h. Fund-raising


Detailed Description of Conduct of Course


Techniques for developing choral music programs. Curriculum, pedagogy, materials, and program administration. Clinical experiences ins chools required.


Goals and Objectives


By the conclusion of the course, students will:

1) Identify and demonstrate philosophical values for conducting/teaching in the scondary choral classroom;
2) Explore and demonstrate teaching as imagination: the art of planning instruction based on a system of score analysis and acquired teaching strategies;
3) Examine and demonstrate knowledge of relevant developmental, social, and vocal issues in the middle school and high school choral classroom;
4) Develop and demonstrate a working knowledge of arranging/adaptation/revoicing for pragmatic needs of the secondary classroom;
5) Explore concepts of choral tone including diction, vowels, and voice-building techniques;
6) Experiment with and demonstrate various teaching tasks including vocal warm-ups. sight-reading, teaching from the keyboard, and rehearsal of repertoire.


Assessment Measures

Grade will be based on writing assignments, arranging project, and conducting-teaching demonstrations.

 

Other Course Information

None


Review and Approval

April 18, 2017
Revised 2013
Revised February, 2009