How to Build Community Through Music Education ProgramsIt is often plain to see how music educators effect their students in positive ways. Learning music can build confidence, help with social skills, be a healthy creative outlet, and have many more unspoken benefits. We see the countless benefits as music teachers every day. A music program can also benefit the surrounding community. This article will discuss the many ways music teachers can build community through their music program.
Community Performances We think about little Joe going to a concert out in the community and are proud of his accomplishments, but the community may be helped by these annual performances as well. 1. Perform at a Senior Residence - Many seniors are not visited by their family very often. Book a performance at a local senior center and put a smile on someone's face who may not have seen their grandchildren in months. 2. Perform at a Festival - Many festivals have a stage set aside for local acts. Book a small festival and give your students a chance to perform in front of a public audience. You can raise awareness about the school and if the festival has a theme, you can bring awareness about the theme to your class by singing songs within the festival's theme. 3. Hold a Public School Performance - If the school is having an event on campus and inviting the public, find a time to perform some songs and highlight the music department. Helping Others There are many ways to help others through our music program. Spread a little kindness with the following ideas. 1. Raise Money for a Charity - I know, the music department has no money, right? The next time you hold a fundraiser for your music classes, set aside some money for a charity. You'll feel good in your heart, build a connection with the local charities (who may invite you to perform), and raise awareness about your music program. 2. Have a concert with an outreach theme - If you've run out of ideas for your concert, try an environment theme or building communities themed concert. Your students will get a chance to learn about the theme through music, and so will their family and friends during the concert. 3. Incorporate Chances for Cultural Exploration - Give students opportunities to learn music about their own heritage and get their parents and grandparents involved as well. Families will feel proud to share their heritage and students will learn to be proud of where they come from. Do they know a different language? Spotlight them in a solo singing in their native tongue. Music has the power to influence our community in many positive ways. Music classes can sometimes feel restricted by the annual holiday performances and other annual responsibilities. But if you really want to influence your community in a positive way, you can definitely create moments within the year to do it. With some careful thought and a little preparation, you can build the community around you.
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The first time I went "on stage" was when I was seven-years-old. It wasn't even a performance, but a piano concert rehearsal. I was told to go on stage and play my song "Fur Elise" in front of all my teacher's other students and their parents. I was so nervous that I forgot the whole song except for the catch two-measure phrase. The teacher looked shocked. Realizing I couldn't finish the song, she asked me to take a bow. I proceeded to walk to the front of the stage and almost faint. She had to run up to me incase I fell off the five foot edge of the stage. It was embarrassing and traumatic. Of course I had great parents who told me I had the "big C" (courage) and bought me a little Native American beaded doll to carry with me to the concert for good luck. I forgot about the doll when I went up to stage to perform the concert, but I told my parents that I still had the big "C." I've struggled with stage fright my entire life, so it became a sort of challenge for me to become the best performer I could possibly become. I made it my personal goal in life to rise up against the little evil thoughts in my brain and be the best performer I knew. It took a lot of work. Private lessons, singing and dancing in front of mirrors, going to open mic nights, karaoke, and jam sessions, and of course performing my own concerts. I also spent a ton of time studying my favorite performers. Here are the tips I learned along the way to become a better vocal performer. Fake it Till You Make It I learned a lot from watching videos of ladies like Tina Turner and Shana Twain perform. They had very memorable stances when they sang. I practiced their songs, mimicking how they stood and realized that even if I was nervous, if I changed my body language to take up more space, people thought I wasn't nervous. There are certain ways we stand and use our arms when we are nervous and certain ways a confident person will use their arms and stand. Think of your performing space as a huge circle around you. Sometimes just by putting a little space between your body and your arms and spreading your legs slightly apart will make a big difference. Your Mic is a Prop Watching performers like Steven Tyler, Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown use their mic and mic stand as a prop is really eye opening for the things you can do with your mic and mic stand to convey emotion and entertain. This part of entertaining should be practiced. I plan ahead of time when the mic will be in the stand and at what exact point I take the mic off the stand. Everything is intentional and everything is part of the show. Know Your Material
If you want to cut down on the nerves, know your music. When you walk on stage, the better you know the song and the craft of singing the more you can lose yourself in the emotion of the performance and also connect with the crowd. If something goes wrong, and it will always go wrong, you are less likely to get completely thrown off, because you know your song backwards and forwards. You can do it with the band or without the band. Never Apologize for a Bad Performance You don't know if there is someone in the audience who knows every note of the song you are singing and has perfect pitch or if they are tone deaf. Or maybe they talked all the way through your song or were thinking about their breakup and weren't even listening to the words. I learned this lesson when I was singing with a house band at a casino in Arizona. They saw some talent in me and let me come and sing about 4-6 songs every weekend with them. The lead singer took me under his wing and taught me how to perform. It was an amazing experience. But the most memorable lesson I learned is when I brought them a lead sheet of a song they didn't know one evening. It was "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, one of my favorite songs. I walked up to the stage, handed them the song, and we started performing on the spot. I sang the song with them behind me and it was as if they were playing a completely different song! It sounded terrible. My favorite song was ruined. I didn't let it show in my face that it was awful. The song finished, people applauded, I smiled, and walked off the stage. The next weekend, someone walked up to me and complimented me on that song! I learned a very important lesson. Don't say "sorry," don't tell the audience your mistakes, don't even show it in your face. You don't know if they know or not. They may be enjoying the music and you could take that experience away from them if you start apologizing. Because it really isn't about you when you are performing anyways. It's about the audience. You are giving them a gift. Plan Your Transitions Don't forget to plan out how you will go from song to song. Will you speak and what will you say? Will you connect several songs together? You can get really creative with this depending on what kind of performer you are. I saw a great solo performer who told stories in between each song. I listened to his CD later, and he said the same thing on the CD, so it was memorized. The more you practice your transitions, the less open space will be in the show. Keep people entertained even when the music isn't playing. Be Yourself The best advice I can give you is after you've finished learning from all your favorite singers, reading all the articles about performing, and really practicing your set. Just go out there and be yourself. There is only one of you. You are unique and people want to see and connect with you as an individual. You have a unique message to share with the world. Be genuine on stage and it will go a long way. After a big school performance, it's important to celebrate by having a music fun day, watching a music related movie, or doing their favorite activity, like boomwhackers. But this is also a great opportunity to reflect on what they did personally and as a class and tie it into the musical topics you've been learning. A post-concert evaluation will help give your students the words to express themselves. If the concert went bad, what exactly happened? How can we learn from it and do better next time? If the concert went well, what did they do that made it so great? How can the class improve for next time? Kindergarten Concert Assessments An evaluation for kindergarteners could be as simple as asking two questions: 1. Raise your hand and tell me what did you like about the concert? 2. What do you think could have been better? Most of the time, little hands will shoot up into the air to eagerly tell you what they loved. They may have loved everything. This is a good opportunity to focus them in on some basic music vocabulary words they can use to express themselves. Did they love the dancing, the blended voices, the forte sound? 1st through 5th Grade Concert Evaluations Singing Singers can evaluate if they were in-tune, if they shouted, or if they used correct singing technique. They can take a moment to reflect on their own singing and then also reflect on the group as a whole. Just make sure they don't point out someone particular and make that student feel bad. Memorization Memorization is an important part of a vocal musical performance. Younger students may feel like they knew all of the words when really some words were mumbled and some lines were missed. For K-1st grade, I recommend using a positive reinforcement activity to work on lyrics. Play a singing game where each student sings one line of the song. If they can sing the entire song without one line going missing as a class, you can reward the class with a sticker. By the time students get to second grade, they are familiar with written evaluations. You can download my free evaluation to use for your class located below or make one of your own. Did students have all the lyrics and movements memorized? Were they relying on other students or the teacher to help them through the song? Musical Expression A great concert is also a musically expressive one. This is a good opportunity to remember all the concepts you've been teaching and evaluate if they and the class as a whole did those things. Was there dynamic? Was the rhythm together? What could have been better? Ensemble It's a good idea to highlight what makes a group sound good. Blending is an important part of a vocal performance's sound. Were all the lyric vowels open and resonating? Were the consonants crisp and everyone could understand the words? Was the sound of the group blended or were a few people sticking out? Middle and High School Post-Concert Evaluations Upper school students may feel shy when it comes to evaluating themselves. This is a great time to let them write out their evaluation on a worksheet. (I have a link to a free one below.) Have students list three things they did well and three they could improve upon. Then, flip the page and list three things the group did well and three things the group could improve upon. After students have written their evaluations, ask students to raise their hands if they would like to share and have a discussion together. I hope these post-concert tips help for a great performance assessment. Remember to keep the class moving in a positive direction. As a music teacher, giving the joy of music to students is the most important thing and it should always come across in the way we speak. Help them feel proud of their accomplishments by giving them the words to express themselves and remember to celebrate. Download a FREE Performance Evaluation (1st-2nd Grade)![]()
Download a FREE Post Concert Class and Personal Assessment (3rd Grade +)![]()
Types of Vocal Microphones and Their Uses
Dynamic Microphones Dynamic microphones are a great choice for solo singers or speakers. These microphones use a diaphragm, voice coil, and magnet to turn a sound wave into an audio signal. They capture sound within a medium frequency range. This means that it will not pick up as much background noise or feedback. They are durable and will take being dropped on the ground, which makes them very user friendly. Dynamic microphones can handle high sound levels before they distort. Good uses for dynamic cardiod microphones are singers or speakers who are holding their own mic and drum sets. Dynamic microphones are: 1. Durable 2. Can take high volume of sound before distorting 3. Reduce ambient noise 4. User-friendly 5. Affordable Condenser microphones Condenser microphones are often used in recording studios to record very high quality, pure sound. The sensitivity of condenser mics make them good for picking up the details of a studio vocal. They have thinner diaphragms with an electrically charged backplate. If you rub your clothes in front of a condenser mic, the mic will pick up the sound of the fabric. I've seen people use studio condenser microphones to capture live performance groups, but I would not recommend it, because these microphones are less durable and may break when dropped. They are also more sensitive to extreme temperatures. Condenser microphones require something called phantom power to operate. You will need a mixing board or interface with 48v phantom power to use a condenser mic. They can be more expensive than the dynamic microphones, but if it suits your needs then it is well worth purchasing the correct microphone rather than trying to save money. Condenser microphones: 1. Offer greater detail 2. Have a wide dynamic range 3. Need phantom power (48v) 4. Can be expensive What Mic to Use for Indoor Choirs and How to Place Your Mics Use several overhead condenser mics to amplify the sound of a choir. Mics should be placed 2-3 feet above the head of the tallest singer and 2-3 feet from the front row of singers. If using three microphones the two microphones located at the outer edge of your group should be 6-9 feet from the center microphone. This is a good use for the condenser microphone in a vocal performance setting. It creates a smooth warm sound. These microphones normally stay up, so may not be broken from the stage tear down and handling of the mics. Don't overdo the amount of mics, or you will get feedback. Omnidirectional Microphones Omnidirectional microphones pick up sound equally from every direction. This type of microphone is good to use when recording a large group of instruments or people. It is not the best pick for live performance when we would want to block out the sounds of the audience. Bidirectional Microphones
Bidirectional microphones pick up sound from the front and back of the microphone. This type of mic is best used to pick up both the audience and speaker. This mic could be used for a duet. Ribbon microphones are naturally bidirectional. Try not to get overwhelmed by the choices of microphones available. Think about what is right for your group. Every performance has its own special needs. Click the link to learn some quick tips for smooth rehearsals before a concert. Concert season is here and it's time for the dress rehearsal. It's easy to obsess about the musicality of your upcoming performance. Yet, there are so many other things to remember which go into a good show and make everything run smoothly. Don't forget to check these concert to-dos.
1. Don't forget to tune Everything was ready, you were running around making sure not an issue occurred. The group looked good. They got up on stage and you gave them a great introduction. Then, they started playing and you realized they were out of tune! Now the song has already started. You are horrified. Don't let this happen to you. You will be busy, so pick a good student to oversee tuning. And then put it on your list to check their tuning! 2. How are you entering and exiting the stage? Practicing entering and exiting the stage is very important to do during a dress rehearsal. This will give your group a professional feel. Believe me, someone will try to run across the stage to get to their place. Show them how you want them to get up and down from risers. How should they hold their instrument in rest position. When should they exit. Will they take a bow? 3. Don't leave your chords in a mess If you have little ones on the stage or even a nervous adult, be careful to wrap your chords. Don't leave a bundle of cables anywhere on the stage. You can tape down long cables so no one will trip over them and keep everything nice and neat. You'd be surprised how easily feet can get tangled. 4. Do you have extra batteries for your wireless mics? You used the mic during rehearsal and it was working. Now, it's the concert night and the mic is flickering on and off. Make sure to have lots of fresh batteries. If you can, even keep an extra mic on the sidelines. In fact, having extra cables is a good practice as well. Don't let a good concert get canceled because of technical issues. Click the link to learn about what mics to use for your performance. 5. What are you going to say between songs? It's a good idea to plan what you will say between songs. Some people can just wing it, but most of us deal with nerves. You can write out the entire script or give yourself some flashcards with a few notes on them. Writing a script will also help you sort out those transitions and make sure the flow of the concert is just right. 6. Did you plan for transitions? Speaking of transitions, if there will be a costume change, or class change, plan, plan, plan. You should practice all transitions ahead of the concert. You should also plan on keeping the audience occupied with some additional jokes or catchy story while people are scrambling behind the stage. If you know exactly how long these transition will take, you can plan to fill up the time and not have an unusually awkward pause. 7. Will you serve food? The concert may be an hour or longer, but people will be smiling when refreshments are served afterwards or during an intermission. Serving food to the musicians as well gives a great opportunity to celebrate the performance and a job well done. 8. Do you have clips to hold down sheet music if you're outside? If your concert takes place outside, make sure to clamp down the music. If you don't have clamps, you may have to resort to tape, although that ruins the sheet music. Watch out for page turns as well. On a windy day, when all the music is clamped down, it will be very difficult to turn pages. It may be important to factor this in and make sure a few tunes are memorized. 9. Do you have lighting for the music? If your concert is inside in the evening and lights will be dimmed, be sure to get some lighting on the music stands. It would be very terrible to get to the concert and not be able to see the music. Yes, this has happened! Music stand lights are readily available, so plan ahead for it and test out the lighting when you do your dress rehearsal. 10. Did you remember the program? Don't get caught without a program. It looks professional and helps the audience know what the overall plan of the concert is. Programs are a good place to highlight your soloists. You can also give background information about the music or a special guest performer. Concert programs make a good keepsake for that proud parent as well. I hope all these tips help your concert turn out great. Just remember above all else, to have fun. When you enjoy the performance, that energy will rub off on the musicians and they will also enjoy the show. To download a free post-concert evaluation for your students click here. It seems like we are just coming back from summer break and already the anxiety over Winter/Christmas Concert is looming. After a few years, it gets more difficult to pick songs that your students haven’t performed yet, and so begins the internet search. Or you’ll get that kid who says, “Teacher, we performed that in 2nd grade,” while rolling their eyes! A few things to consider… It’s a good idea to be in communication early on with your principal. Find out the rules about performing or not performing religious music. Find out what the style of your principal is. You are not only pleasing kids and parents but your superiors as well. Some principals are really easy going while others will micro-manage every aspect and comb through every lyric. I like to have a meeting with my principal at the beginning of the school year and then email them the concert links and lyrics (with any changes) as soon as I can. Be sure to tell them that this is a work in progress so they can put their input into it as well. Here are a few ideas for Winter Concert Themes with some song examples. Santa Claus Concert A Santa themed concert can be really fun, and if you know someone with a Santa costume, you can bring them out at the end to spread the holiday cheer.
Winterland Every one likes snow in December. Try a concert with a Winterland theme.
Rock and Roll Theme Everyone likes an upbeat concert. Let’s rock and roll!
![]() Silent Night Christmas
Christian Music If you teach older students or at a Christian school, consider a Christian themed concert.
![]() Hollywood Christmas We all love our favorite Christmas movies during the holidays. Pick some songs from films and television.
Simple Gifts What is winter without the spirit of giving? Try a gift based winter concert theme.
Christmas Tree Theme Trees are mentioned in many Christmas songs and winter poems.
Christmas Around the World Christmas music has a rich history all around the world. A Christmas around the world concert can help kids with different cultural backgrounds feel included.
Shiny Bells How many songs mention bells? Try a shiny bell themed concert and even bring out the jingle bells for the little ones to play.
Multi-Cultural Holiday Traditions You can celebrate different winter and holiday cultures such as Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa as well.
Peace
After all the hustle and bustle is over, hopefully we are filled with peace. Here are a few songs for the occasion.
There are so many songs that it would be impossible to list all the themes and songs for each, and of course there is a lot of overlapping in the lyrics. Use this as a beginning and let us know in the comments if you have any more ideas! |
Angela BondMusic Teacher/ Musician/ Owner of Plum Rose Publishing Categories |