choral
Everyone Can Sing (Part 1) Marcia Russell, WMEA State Chair, Choral
It happened again this summer.
I was entering the cafeteria at Concor- dia University, on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, where I struck up a conversation with
the woman keeping track of all the people entering the food line. Her name was Gretchen. “Do you have any raisins?” I asked. “Let me find some,” she said. She led me to a storage room, moved a few items, found a commercial sized bag of raisins, and sprinkled some on to my tray. This two-minute interaction showed me Gretchen was going to make cafeteria dining for the next weeks enjoyable. The
next day, as I filled my bowl of oatmeal, she handed me a small bowl of raisins, wrapped in cellophane, just for me. (And raisins were now on the counter for every- one!) Needless to say, Gretchen was one very sweet lady.
Later at lunch, she asked, “What are you here for this week?” I explained that I was attending the Comprehensive Mu- sicianship Through Performance (CMP) workshop, and that we were all music teachers. “What instruments do you play?” she asked. “I teach students in choir and general music, so my primary instrument is my voice,” I answered. Her eyes became big and she looked at me with a look I have learned to recognize in so many strang- ers... I am sure all choral music educators know it well. My thoughts immediately
RENT. INVEST. PLAY. CREATE.
“If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.” ~ Zimbabwean Proverb
took over. Listen and choose your words wisely.
“I can’t sing.”
She said it with a smile, but behind the eyes was that tinge of sadness that comes deep from within. Please, please don’t say it. “My teacher in third grade music class had us all sing one at a time.” No. No. Not you too, Gretchen. “And when she got to me, the teacher said maybe I could play the tambourine instead.”
Heartbroken.
For those of us who have taught children, adolescents, young adults or even adults how to sing, this is sadly very common. Whether it’s a random stranger, a fellow teacher, a parent of a student or my school administrator, I am heartbroken that they have had this experience. I respond with the same statement every time.
“Everyone can sing.”
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This is the first of three articles in Wis- consin School Musician that will center on this statement. 1. What do you do in the situation I described above? 2. How do you respond when a student in your choir can’t match pitch? 3. Why does it matter if some people come to the conclusion that they can’t sing based on the opinion of a qualified, certified music educator?
Appleton | Green Bay | Madison | Oshkosh | Wisconsin Rapids | 800.236.4343 28 September 2017
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