1. Encouraging Adolescents to Sing in General Music Strategies that Work! Kevin W. Gerrity Assistant Professor of Music Education Ball State University

2. Why Adolescents Don’t Sing They are uncomfortable with their own voice. They feel self-conscious around their peers. They feel disconnected from “classroom” music. They are programmed to believe that you only sing in choir or other vocal performance classes. Low expectations of music educators. They don’t know the words (aka the most often invoked excuse among adolescents for not engaging in a singing experience).

3. Singing on Day 1 Especially important for 6 th grade (or the first grade level within your building). Choose a familiar, well-liked song, perhaps in consultation with the elementary music teacher. Establishes the expectation that students will sing. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to engage adolescents in singing experiences.

4. Singing as a Means to an End Avoid the Whoopi Goldberg strategy. Focus on Comprehensive Musicianship. Always plan to address specific musical content through a singing experience. Students should never respond to the question “What did you learn in music class today?” with the title of a song. Literature as content. Remember to always hold your students to high musical and vocal standards.

5. The Magnificent Seven 1. Model 2. Lyrics 3. Rhythmic Integrity 4. Tonal Support 5. Practical Purpose 6. The “right” Song 7. Options The more you provide for your students, the more likely they are to participate in a singing experience.

6. The Magnificent Seven: Model You remain the best resource for helping your students to engage in, learn from, and enjoy singing experiences. Remember to check your ego at the door. Modeling facilitates the creation of a safe psychological environment in which students are more likely to take risks. Use recordings and allow students to provide a model for their peers. Never ask your students to do something that you will not do yourself.

7. The Magnificent Seven: Lyrics Choose songs the students already know. Consider using the lyric dictation tool. Choose songs with especially simple lyrics. Eliminate the lyrics and sing on neutral syllabus. Even at the middle-level, the rote method of learning songs is still quite effective. Have students create their own lyrics.

8. The Magnificent Seven: Rhythmic Integrity Always provide some sort of rhythmic integrity when students are singing. Body percussion may be a good and easy way to start, but adolescents will quickly become bored with this strategy. Consider using classroom instruments. Even at the middle-level, students still enjoy this often-relegated-to-the-elementary-school experience. Singing with recordings can also provide needed rhythmic integrity. Consider using new technologies like GarageBand or SmartMusic to provide rhythmic integrity for your students. This may also be a great way to get your students to engage in creation activities.

9. The Magnificent Seven: Tonal Support Always provide tonal support for your students when they sing. At a minimum, be sure they have an appropriate model to lead the experience. Recordings may be used to provide tonal support for your students. You must be capable of providing appropriately interesting accompaniments on one or more social instruments (e.g. guitar or piano).

10. The Magnificent Seven: Practical Purpose COMPREHENSIVE MUSICIANSHIP Never plan to sing just for the sake of singing, but enjoy the experience when adolescents allow it to happen.

11. The Magnificent Seven: The Song Short is better than long. Upbeat is better than slow. “Familiar” is better than unfamiliar. Don’t feel like you have to sing the entire song. Portions of songs may be more effective (e.g. just the chorus). Be sure the song can be related to students’ lives and experiences. Pair songs together for greater acceptance.

12. The Magnificent Seven: Options Always provide multiple vocal lines so students may choose their level of participation. Consider melody, harmony, bass lines, ostinati, descants, or spoken lines. Be aware of changing voices in your class. Consider composing appropriate vocal lines for individual students. Remember that achieving 100% participation in every singing experience is very unlikely. Be flexible.

13. Thank You For more information: Dr. Kevin W. Gerrity Assistant Professor of Music Education 411 C Hargreaves Music Building School of Music Ball State University Muncie, Indiana 47306 O: 765-285-5425 F: 765-285-5401 H: 765-216-7276 kwgerrity@bsu.edu or kgerrity2@aol.com http://kwgerrity.iweb.bsu.edu/HOME.htm