Danny Miller

MUSE 356

Chapter 8: Classroom Management and Choir Conduct

Kenneth H. Phillips
2016

1. Which two of the characteristics of good teaching do you think are

most important and why?

The two characteristics of teaching that I find most important are having positive

relationships with the students and knowing the subject matter in depth. I believe

that student-teacher relationships are crucial for a successful choir. This does not

mean that all the students are the teachers friends. Rather this relationship needs to

be built upon respect. The teacher and student need to respect each other in order

to get anything accomplished in the choral environment. Without this respect,

students will not want to learn from what they believe is a bad teacher, and the

teacher will not want to teach what he/se believes are bad students. When there is a

positive relationship, choir can be fun and productive and there will be a good

morale and goals in mind. Knowledge of subject matter is also extremely important

because simply, students will always defy teachers who do not know what they are

talking about. Students can instantly spot when the teacher does not know

something or makes frequent mistakes in the same areas. This makes the teacher

seem uneducated to the students and they will shut down and not want to learn. We

want our students to get as much out of choir as they can and unless the teacher

knows the subject material frontward and backward, then nothing will be

accomplished.