Top Items I Have Learned When Preparing For An Elementary General Music Concert Amy Burns
Far Hills Country Day School
aburns@fhcds.org
around the same topic: concert preparation. This topic continues to pop up throughout the year, dominating the threads around early winter, early spring, and the end of the school year. When preparing for a concert, it is
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a welcome joy to be able to bounce ideas off of other elementary music educators. These ideas range from concert selections to choreography to so much more. These networks are incredibly helpful, as many elementary music educators do not have another colleague to talk about curriculum and concert selections. In my teaching situation, all of my gen- eral music elementary students perform in a concert. I personally adore this because it gives each student a chance to be on stage and to experience a performance. Some stu- dents take this experience and make it grow into a lifelong love for music and the arts. Some take this experience and develop an appreciation for the arts, while some learn public speaking skills. Whatever they take from it, it is a musical experience that I am so glad that each student receives. When I first had to prepare for a con-
cert, I was nervous. I did not know what to expect. As I grew as a teacher, I was able to become proactive in some of my prepara- tion details. However, I am a constant learn- er and every year, I learn another new way to approach a concert so that my students feel success.
This list consists of items that I, or oth-
ers, have experienced when preparing for an elementary general music concert. No mat- ter how well prepared you are, even when you have plan A with the backup plans of B and C all ready to go, there will always be those times when you will utilize all of the
TEMPO
round November, music educa- tion professional learning net- works (PLN) begin to center
letters in the alphabet because plans A, B, and C are no longer working. Here are some top items to think about when preparing for a general music concert and some possible solutions to assist you if you ever encounter some of the concerns listed below. Goals: Setting a goal for your con-
certs helps you to focus on the purpose of the concert. My goals are to make my stu- dents feel successful when they perform for the audience and to reinforce musical con- cepts that are found in the songs. I also plan accordingly so that the time allotted for preparation and the musical selections can achieve these goals. Readiness: Determining your stu-
dents’ readiness skills are essential when preparing for a concert. My third graders are ready to perform songs with numerous verses, to perform partner songs with the second graders, to perform rounds, and to accompany themselves on Orff instruments in front of a large audience. My kindergart- ners are ready to sing simple songs without feeling scared in front of a large audience. Determining each grade’s readiness level is important so that you can give them a chal- lenge without overwhelming them. Where you will perform: Are you per- forming in an auditorium, a cafetorium, a gymatorium, or having an informance in your classroom? The place where you will perform will play a roll in determining your musical selections. If the place has ter- rible acoustics, then you might think about grouping two or more grades together to sing a song. You might also have to ask for some adults to run a sound system so you can mic the students or so your accompani- ment audio files can be heard. Is the loca- tion small and therefore, you will have the grades continuously transitioning?
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will eat into your performance time and you will need to account for that. Do you
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have access to risers or flip forms so that all of your students can be seen and heard? Adjustments will be needed for this. Would you like to add Orff instruments or dances to your concert? Space will determine these aspects of your concert. I have learned that what I think will happen (in my head) is nothing like what I have to adjust to make happen in our auditorium. Therefore, flex- ibility and thoughtfulness are a must when it comes to where you will perform. Illnesses during the performance:
When you have young elementary students on risers for concerts, there is bound to be that experience of when a student baptizes the riser through either vomiting or “show- ering” on it. Solutions: Politely remind the classroom teachers to take the students to the bathroom before the concert. Also check with the school nurse to see if stu- dents have gone home that week with flu- like symptoms. If you have a student who was sent home with a fever the day before your concert and shows up to perform, you might not have the authority to send the child home. However, you can place the child at the end of the riser on the first step to try to combat any situation that might arise. Finally, if this is a reoccurring item, then look into a smaller classroom infor- mance for the younger children to perform for their parents and caregivers. Losing shoes (and or kazoos or fake candles or foam sticks) in risers/getting heals caught in risers: Last year, we per- formed “One Candle, One Flame” by Linda Sobo, with the fake candles from SafeFlame. It was beautiful. However, I knew that at least one fake candle would fall into the riser. Solutions: My students knew what to do if that were to happen: they continue performing the routine without the fake candle. They also know that if their shoes fall through the risers, then they have to
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