But We Can’t Perform: Choral Literature in the Hybrid or Remote Classroom

Choir has looked different the past year, there’s no question about that. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been back and forth through all the stages of grief as my musical and professional life has been impacted by COVID-19: denial (“This is no big deal, we’ll be back to singing together soon”), anger (“Why why why why WHY??”), bargaining (“What if we sing outside? What if we all wear masks? What if we put each kid in a plexiglass box? What if, what if, what if?”), depression (“Oh, how I miss those kids!!,” or “This will never get better!!”), then back to anger and denial again ...

Well, the pep talk I am now giving myself is that it is time for acceptance . The ways we make music will change for a while, and we need to look for opportunities in those changes.

As music teachers, how can we continue building choral skills when we see only part of our class at a time? Or when we only see them remotely? And how do we keep students engaged and progressing musically through this time? These are challenging questions. But consider this—aren’t we often limited in what we teach by the pressures of an upcoming performance? Do we ever have enough time to really practice and solidify music reading skills? Haven’t you said or thought something like, “If only I had more time to devote to _______, my students would really benefit, but we have to prep for this concert?”

By removing a culminating performance from the equation, we have the opportunity to focus on reading and theory skills. But when students are working remotely or independently, there’s only so long that they can focus on exercise after exercise, worksheet after worksheet. By transferring some of that practice to choral literature, students are engaged and motivated by a more “real” musical experience.

Let’s explore a few ways to integrate octavo choral literature into remote teaching. These suggestions are specifically geared for middle school choral ensembles, but can certainly be adapted to groups at all levels.

Focus on Literacy

Especially with beginning level choirs or groups making the transition from “classroom singing” to “ensemble singing,” visually navigating choral music in an octavo format can be a challenge. In the elementary general music classroom, we start by presenting musical elements separately—rhythm alone, pitch alone, a few measures at a time. Your students who are also in band or orchestra are accustomed to seeing only their own part on the page. Then when we put an octavo in their hands, they see everything —all the vocal parts, all the text, the piano accompaniment, sometimes additional accompanying instrument parts or even choreography notes. That’s A LOT of information to take in!

Start by breaking down the page to just one vocal line—remove all other material and visual “noise” on the page, so students see one staff with pitches only. With just one line to focus on, students can pat or clap rhythms with less visual distraction. Use small segments to add solfège syllables, have students write them in, practice Curwen hand signs, then chant together before adding pitches.

Then add the lyrics line—now we can chant text plus rhythm. Next, add pitches back in one section at a time. Continue practicing with hand signs to keep physical engagement.

Now you’re ready to put two choral staves together, joined by a bracket. Students work on honing in on their own part without being distracted by the additional visual material. I call this their “road map”—we’re all going to the same destination, but there is more than one way to get there! Everybody has to “stay in their lane.”

Next include the piano accompaniment to complete the grand staff. Each addition adds a new visual challenge, but because you started simply with one single line at the beginning, your students build confidence and music reading skills.