Amy Blosser, Editor <amy.blosser@bexleyschools.
org>
Junior Hig
High/
h/
Middle School Choirs
Gretchen Harrison
National R&S Chair
<gharrison.jhms@gmail.com>
Facilitating Lifelong Success:
Teaching Middle School Choristers
to Practice
by
Elizabeth Hogan McFarland
Middle school musicians find joy and
inspiration in the social music-making
setting of the choral ensemble. Guided
by a passionate, expert teacher, students
build musical skills such as healthy vo-
cal technique, music reading skills, and
expressive singing ability while being
exposed to great literature from the
choral repertoire. These skills gained
by students during choral rehearsals
can be further improved by students’
Elizabeth Hogan McFarland is a PhD
student in music education at the
University of Missouri–Columbia, where
she directs the MU Women’s Chorale.
She is codirector of the Choristers
ensemble with the St. Louis Children’s
Choirs, and served as R&S chair for
Middle Level Choirs for Missouri ACDA
in 2011–12.
independent practice. Although teachers
may implore all students to practice at
home, do middle school students truly
understand what strategies should be
used in their practice sessions? What
happens when students are left alone
to practice?
Musicians of all ages discover that
practicing can be daunting if they are
not properly guided to make effective
practice decisions. Little research exists
concerning practice behaviors used by
adolescent vocalists, but if we are to
learn anything from our instrumental
peers, it is that young choral musicians
need our guidance to learn to practice
effectively. Teachers can learn from the
existing music practice research in order
to improve choral music instruction for
adolescent singers.
Why Practice?
Beyond the full choral rehearsal,
practice occurs individually and in sec-
tional rehearsals. In order to make these
practice sessions more useful, students
should be equipped with effective and
efficient practice strategies. By learning
to practice successfully, students will
acquire the skills necessary for lifelong,
self-sufficient music making and problem
solving.1 If choral conductors explicitly
model practice strategies in rehears-
als, young singers will be empowered
to achieve musical independence and
develop musical leadership skills that
will enhance their lives and our choral
programs.
CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 53 Number 9
Modeling Practice Strategies
in Rehearsal
Music, like many trades, involves an
apprenticeship. We work and per-
form alongside those more skilled to
learn what is needed to master our
craft. Many young choral singers’ only
relationship with a music expert is
that with their choral director. Expert
teachers can aid students in becoming
effective practicers by introducing them
to numerous strategies during the large
group rehearsal that can be applied to
their individual work.2 Not surprisingly,
novice musicians with fewer practice
strategies were found to run straight
through a piece during their practice
time without pausing to correct errors.3
Since the choral director serves as a
middle school singer’s primary source
of practice technique, we should model
many effective strategies within our cho-
ral rehearsal and help students identify
and apply these techniques to their own
music making.
Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Effective practice is goal-oriented.4 In
a study by Duke, Simmons and Cash,5
the most successful pianists practiced
approximately the same amount of
time as those rated less successful.
The strategies the pianists employed
during their practice determined the
level of achievement, not the amount
of time. Within the rehearsal, it is wise
to set practice goals that are Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and
59
Time bound (S.M.A.R.T.). Then, guide
individual students or sections in creat-
ing a goal for at-home practice each
evening.6 Rather than telling students
to practice for a set amount of time,
have them set a few specific goals to
work toward in each practice session.7
For example, guide the class in a difficult
2– 4 measure spot in the music. Assign
students to practice the excerpt at a
certain metronome marking with the
goal of incorporating all elements of the
music (e.g., text, pitches, rhythms, dynam-
ics) accurately during their practice, with
the goal of mastering this brief excerpt
by the next rehearsal. Students might
call a friend to report their practice
and share successes or failures or even
video chat to perform the excerpt for
one another. When the full ensemble
is together again, begin rehearsal of
that section at the designated tempo
and make a recording to immediately
play back for student analysis. Students
will then have the opportunity to self-
evaluate. By the next rehearsal period,
students should recognize growth as
a class. Motivated by peer interaction
and group improvement, practice can
become more enjoyable.
Whole-Part-Whole
Another strategy that might prove
beneficial is structuring practice and
rehearsal time in a “whole-part-whole”
pattern. Perform a section of the piece,
then identify one or two musical items
to be improved. Allow students to be a
part of the identification process during
the group rehearsal.8 Model ways to go
about fixing those issues before put-
ting the section back together. Finish by
assessing as a class to determine if the
goal was met. For example, the choral
teacher might lead students through
measures 4–32 of a piece of music.
The class could identify the rhythm at
60 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 54 Number 9
measure 28 as especially challenging.
Students would then isolate that rhythm,
perform it using rhythmic syllables, then
mark their scores appropriately in order
to remember the pattern. Students
could also engage in a short, improvisa-
tory exercise using the difficult rhythm.
Finally, students might try the passage
on pitch before putting it back into the
original context. By giving students many
opportunities to self-assess in the class-
room, they can become better listeners
and music analyzers.They can then apply
these techniques to fix the errors that
they detect within their own practice.
A variation of this strategy that works
especially well for more experienced
or confident singers substitutes the
first “whole” portion with listening to
an audio recording of the group from
a previous rehearsal. By isolating the
self-analysis portion of this skill, students
can more easily identify specific musical
concepts on which to focus.
Break It Down to Build It Up
The most effective musicians are
analytic (break down music into smaller
rehearsal chunks) rather than holistic
(play through from beginning to end) in
their practice strategies.9 Students must
understand the importance of applying
specific practice strategies to difficult
portions of the music before putting
it back together. Some moments in
rehearsal call for a full run-through of
a piece, but many do not. Try speaking
text in rhythm or singing the melody on
a neutral syllable. New music readers
who are intimidated by pitch reading
might feel comfortable enough to isolate
rhythm independently and can complete
productive practice on those elements
without being overwhelmed.
Tempo Variation
Often, a difficult passage becomes
more attainable at a slower tempo. Use
of a metronome in rehearsal makes
replication of an attainable tempo dur-
ing individual practice less daunting for
a student musician. Make it clear to
your students that the phrase “slow
down” actually means, “slow enough to
perform without error.”10 After find-
ing an attainable slow tempo, consider
setting benchmarks with students for
tempos to master while including all
expressive elements. For example, begin
at 60 bpm, and when that tempo is at-
tainable, increase practice tempo to 70
bpm. Increase by increments of 10 until
the performance tempo of 100 bpm is
reached.
Pencil Power
Although score marking is a skill
that some expert musicians take for
granted, teaching this skill to middle
school choristers is vital. Students can
help brainstorm symbols to place in
their music in difficult passages, mark
metronome tempi, break down difficult
rhythms, translate foreign language text,
or highlight dynamic markings. This con-
cept can be taken a step further by using
different colors to represent different
purposes, similar to that of a conduc-
tor’s score study. By taking the time to
guide these novice musicians through
a process of noticing musical language,
we help prepare them for a lifetime of
intelligent singing.
Error Detection
Error detection requires a keen ear,
and young singers must be trained to
hear music in a new way. We can help
our students build ability in detecting
errors through sight-reading and ear
training exercises. It is vital to help stu-
dents understand that these exercises
build skill in music analysis and error
detection—skills that last a lifetime.
Bridge this gap by playing recordings for
students of themselves or other groups
performing pieces familiar to them, and
ask students to identify any differences
they hear. Or, sing a line of the music
incorrectly and ask students who have
been rehearsing that part to identify the
mistake (e.g., pitch, rhythm, dynamics,
word stress). Adolescents are by nature
very self-aware. Channeling this natural
tendency can prove to be beneficial for
music making.
Structured vs.
Unstructured Practice
Although accomplishing musical goals
is essential in the choral setting, we must
not inhibit young musicians’ exploration
and free-play.11 This process looks dif-
ferent to each student. Some might get
lost singing pop-culture ballads, while
others find joy in singing classic rock
songs. More advanced adolescent musi-
cians might be practicing a piece for a
musical theater audition, figuring out
how to play a melody on the piano, put-
ting together an unaccompanied group
in their basement, or composing songs
using Macintosh Garage Band software.
As middle school choir directors,
encouraging this type of play can be ac-
complished by occasionally setting aside
time during class to allow students to
perform the music they are exploring.
As an added bonus, these performance
opportunities allow students to practice
performance and concert etiquette be-
haviors. Encouraging students to allow
time to practice choral music, as well
as musical endeavors of their own de-
sign, will show students the connection
between what is done in class and the
musical experiences in their own world.

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CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 54 Number 9 61

 Silent Study
Much music learning can be done
through silent practice.12 Students can
sing silently during rehearsal by moving
their body and face expressively, while
lip-syncing as you play, sing, or conduct
through the passage. This process of
audiating the part often fixes incorrect
pitch or text clarity issues. The same
technique can be applied in a solitary
practice setting in places where exces-
sive noise is undesirable.
Frequent Breaks
Researchers suggest that we learn
best in brief intervals with frequent
breaks.13 Model these brief intervals
in the choral rehearsal by working on
a chunk from one piece of music, then
moving on to a sight-reading task, listen-
ing to an audio recording, and returning
to the piece of music you began. Infor-
mation at the beginning and end of a re-
hearsal period is most memorable.14 By
working in shorter chunks, we help our
students solidify information because
we are, in essence, providing them with
more beginnings and endings.
When we find ourselves in a musical
standstill during rehearsal, explain to
students the power of strategic breaks.
Changing locations helps and can be ac-
complished within the choral rehearsal.
Rehearsal in circles by voice part fulfills
this need. Even planning a “body break”
such as practicing filing off and back on
the risers efficiently allows for physical
movement that is purposeful without
upsetting the flow of rehearsal.
Sleep functions as another form of
mental break. Although it is not advisable
to take naps during choir rehearsal, en-
couraging students to regularly schedule
eight hours of sleep in order to facilitate
optimal memory consolidation is a wor-
thy endeavor.15 A resting interval early in
the learning process of a new piece has
been shown to effect more long-term
improvement than taking a rest later in
the process.16

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62 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 54 Number 9

 When planning rehearsals, visit a sec-
tion of music briefly to introduce a new
idea, leave the section, and move on to
a more familiar piece of music or an un-
related activity. Come back to the new
idea or piece at the end of rehearsal and
revisit the strategy employed previously.
Even planned “rests” within the midst of
rehearsal allow the brain to consolidate
information learned.
Make Strategies Explicit
Students and teachers may have dif-
ferent perceptions of how practice time
should be structured. When left to their
own devices, novice musicians will often
play through music without making any
changes based on error-detection or
will avoid difficult segments of music al-
together and play only enjoyable or easy
portions. Teachers mistakenly assume
• Use physical movements to represent
different processes
• Vary tone of voice, method of instruc-
tion, pacing, or seating arrange-
ments
• Remember that early effort in encour-
aging intelligent musicianship will
reap great benefits as time passes.
Teach Using Technology
We empower our students to at-
tain musical achievement by preparing
them for success. Today’s technology
provides opportunities to create suc-
cessful practicers and affords teachers
OBERLIN
CONSERVATORY
OF MUSIC
the opportunity to monitor this process.
Teachers have debated use of re-
cordings to aid student practice. Some
teachers argue that use of such an aid
deters young musicians from learning
to read music. Others assert that we
should provide our students with as
many opportunities to be successful as
possible, with practice recordings being
one way of doing so. Practice recordings
can be made easily using Garage Band
or Audacity computer software and can
demonstrate vocal parts via instruments,
a voice, or layers of voices.These record-
ings can be made available to students
via online storage spaces such as Drop-
box, Soundcloud, or Google Drive, and
can be conveniently downloaded to an

their students understand the various

learning strategies demonstrated in SUMMER
daily rehearsals; therefore, this informa-
tion is often not transferring to student CONDUCTING
practice. We must take the time to
make practice strategies explicit or “talk
through” our own thought processes
INSTITUTE
with our students. By doing so, we give
our singers ample opportunity to expe-
JULY 14-19, 2014
Choral conducting intensive culminating in a performance
rience these practice strategies in action, of Haydn’s The Creation under the baton of Maestro
which will enable them to make better John Nelson at Cleveland’s renowned Severance Hall.
practice decisions.
Just like repetition in practice can
become boring for our students, teach-
ers can become weary of pointing out
these strategies. In order to keep ideas
fresh, continually vary the presentation
of strategies: Distinguished Faculty:
JASON HARRIS
• Use technology such as a SMART Oberlin Conservatory

board or projector to display visual aids JANET GALVÁN

Ithaca College
PHOT0: CHARLES OSGOOD

JO-MICHAEL SCHEIBE
• Make a strategy wall (similar to a word University of Application deadline:
Southern California
wall) to keep track of different June 1, 2014
JOHN NELSON More information at
learning strategies guest faculty oberlin.edu/
(pictured) conductinginstitute

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 54 Number 9 63


mp3 player or smartphone.
The popularity of technology has
opened many doors for the middle
school choral student. Students without
a piano at home can download a free
keyboard app and find starting pitches
or check difficult intervals easily. Tempo
issues can be resolved quickly through
metronome apps. In the same way that
teachers can easily record themselves
for practice tracks to share with stu-
dents, students can also record brief
practice sessions and submit those elec-
tronically to the teacher for assessment
through SmartMusic software, email,
Dropbox, or other sharing platforms.
Practice logs or journals can be kept and
shared on Google Drive so that both
student and teacher can comment on
progress made. Students can search You-
Tube for recordings of the choral piece
being learned and find many examples
of expert and amateur performances.
The opportunities for engaging our
adolescent singers are limitless.
Empowering
Student Achievement
Middle school choral students are
often driven by a strong desire to im-
prove musically, but they need the guid-
ance of teachers and expert musicians
to learn effective and efficient practice
strategies. By being explicit about the
way we present information to our
students during rehearsal, we help them
build a toolbox of strategies to take into
the practice room. Helping students to
transfer knowledge attained in the cho-
ral rehearsal and to be self-reflective in
their practice sessions will allow them to
develop the skills to succeed as singers
for years to come.
NOTES
1 Overnight Consolidation of a Keyboard
Debbie Rohwer and Jeremy Polk, “Practice
64 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 54 Number 9
Behaviors of Eighth-Grade Instrumental Sequence,” Journal of Research in Music
Musicians,” Journal of Research in Music Education 57, no. 3 (2009): 252–266.
15
Education 54, no. 4 (2006): 350–362. Simmons, 357–368.
2
James Byo, “Practicing: Beyond Hoping They 16
Cash, 252–266.
Will,” American Music Teacher 54, no. 2
(2004): 22–24.
3
Peter Mizska, “A Review of Research on Youth and
Practicing: Summary and Synthesis of the
Extant Research with Implications for a Student Activities
New Theoretical Orientation,” Bulletin
Amanda Quist,
of the Council for Research in Music
National R&S Chair
Education 190 (2011): 51–92.
4 <aquist@rider.edu>
Pamela B Gaston, “5 TIPS for Better Vocal
Practice,” Teaching Music 11, no. 3
(2003): 30–33.
5
Robert Duke, Amy L. Simmons, and Carla Updates from
Davis Cash, “It’s Not How Much; Student Chapters
It’s How: Characteristics of Practice
Behavior and Retention of Performance
Skills,” Journal of Research in Music
East Carolina University
Education 56, no. 4 (2009): 310–321.
6
Marilyn J Kostka, “Teach Them How to The East Carolina University Student
Practice,” Music Educators Journal 90, no. Chapter strives to fulfill the mission of
5 (2004): 23–26. ACDA through a series of events geared
7
Jennifer Hayghe, “Mindful Practice Is the toward high school singers in North
Single Most Important Thing You Can Carolina.
Teach Your Students,” Clavier Companion Every fall, the ECU-ACDA puts on
1, no. 5 (2009): 40–58. the ECU High School Choral Invitational,
8
James Byo, “Teaching Problem Solving in which hosts over 1,500 high school
Practice,” Music Educators Journal 91, no. singers from across North Carolina.
2 (2004): 35–39. Run exclusively by the student chap-
9
Mizska, 51– 92. ter, each choir is assigned a host from
10
Byo, “Practicing: Beyond Hoping They Will,” ECU-ACDA to help them throughout
22–24. the day, giving ECU students practical
11
Katherine Fraser, “Musical Independence:
experience with experienced music
Observation of Students’ Practices,”
educators. A panel of respected judges
Canadian Music Educator 49, no. 4
from the choral profession adjudicates
(2008): 29–31.
each choir; past judges have included
12
Anne M. Theiler and Louis G. Lippman,
Andrew Crane (East Carolina Univer-
“Effects of Mental Practice and Modeling
on Guitar and Vocal Performance,” The
sity), Nathan Leaf (North Carolina State
University), and Brian Schmidt (Duke
Journal of General Psychology 122, no. 4
(1995): 329–343. Chapel).
13 The ECU-ACDA also organizes the
Amy L Simmons, “Distributed Practice and
Procedural Memor y Consolidation ECU Choral Leadership Conference,
which provides high school students
in Musicians’ Skill Learning,” Journal of
the chance to learn advanced choral
Research in Music Education 59, no. 4
(2011): 357–368. skills from leading figures in choral music
14
Carla Davis Cash, “Effects of Early and Late today. Students come to learn music
selected by the clinician, developing new
Rest Intervals on Performance and
strategies and skills to take back to their