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MUED 376:Choral Music Materials & Techniques 

25S. FINAL EXAM: FA ‘19  

NAME ​Sophia Anzalone DATE: ​December 12, 2019

You may use any notes or textbooks you would like in the completion of this exam!
(90 minute exam)

QUESTION 1:Class Materials: ​(5 minutes)​:​ ​ (points =5) Please list below the link to
your google drive or Dropbox that has all the materials from this class downloaded to
your own computer or cloud storage.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1__dDnzzIczntWhhFHfRHM1is3yOxSHxe

​ horal Textbook​ ​Review ​(20 minutes)​:​ ​(points =20)

QUESTION 2: C

Please peruse any 2 chapters of specific interest to you from our textbook and answer the
following questions.

Chapter Name: ​The Search for Healthy and Appropriate Repertoire: Three
Perspectives

Author: ​Paul D. Head

Things that are important for me in this chapter: ​Often when choosing repertoire,

teachers are doing it without hearing the choir. That being said, they must go into

it with a specific vision in mind. When choosing said repertoire, it is important

to keep in mind the abilities of the singers and who the audience is. Overall,

there should be 1 or 2 pieces that will stretch the choir to their musical potential,

1 or 2 that are within their grasp, and 2 or 3 that are just enjoyable to sing.
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Chapter Name: ​The Lifelong Impact of the Choral Experience: Philosophy

and Teaching Styles

Author: ​Melissa Arasi

Things that are important for me in this chapter: ​Being a successful choral

teacher means being prepared for each class and understanding what the

students need. In their lessons, they should be consistent, organized, and

set clear goals. Additionally, providing feedback will help students

with what is to come in future rehearsals. Finally, choral teachers should be

enthusiastic towards the music learning process and understanding and

empathetic towards their students.

QUESTION 3: Special Needs/Talented and Gifted:​ ​(15 minutes) ​ ​(points =20)

Our visit with Dr. Alice Hammel was an important part of our class this semester, as well
as your methods training for your degree. Write a short essay (5-7 sentences) describing
your learnings in the areas of special needs and talented and gifted.

Dr. Hammel’s visit taught me specific strategies regarding the teaching of students with
enhanced cognitive abilities. For example, teachers should be prepared to wind forward a
lesson at any minute to better aid a student’s learning. Similarly, I learned strategies to
help teachers better meet the needs of students at various levels of cognitive ability in a
small or large ensemble setting. Specifically, teachers can differentiate instruction by
introducing the reading of new clefs or more challenging keys to the ensemble. Teachers
may also choose more difficult or easier songs depending on the overall ensembles
apparent skill level. Individually, however, the conductor may give the student with a
simpler or more challenging part depending on their needs.

QUESTION 4:​ Throughlines (25 minutes) (points =30)

Following are seven throughlines that have guided our academic inquiry this semester. Pick ​three ​of the
seven throughlines and write a short summary paragraph on each throughline, including how you will
continue to transfer this learning into the next stages of your academic career (student teaching and
teaching jobs).
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1. What is teaching for transfer, and how do I transfer my own learnings throughout my life into
a gestalt as a musician/choral music educator/conductor?

2. What is a reflective process, and how does it lead to teaching for transfer and critical
thinking and metacognitive thinking?
a. A reflective process is the act of reflecting on your work and or learning
as you go, discovering what your takeaways are. This is essential as an
educator, as it is detrimental to one's growth and the success of students.
Reflecting leads to teaching for transfer in that as one reflects, they
should be making transfers to other areas of their lives. It also leads to
critical thinking and metacognitive thinking in that reflecting shows you
what you need to work on, as well as what you do and do not know. As a
future educator, I will constantly be reflecting on my teachings to
discover what I can do to better help my students. I will also encourage
my students to reflect whenever the opportunity arises so they can look
back on their growth as musicians.

3. What is the “Artist-Teacher” Paradigm and how do I balance it as a musician and educator?
a. As a music educator, we are dually artists and teachers. We are
considered artists because as musicians, we are forever perfecting our
craft. Similarly, however, teaching is an art and we are also continually
perfecting that craft. We are also responsible, as educators, for our
students’ education, designing each and every lesson plan as an artist.
As a musician and educator, it is important to meet both of these roles
somewhere in the middle, demonstrating and equal balance of
musicianship and leadership in the classroom. I strive to do this when I
have my own classroom; I want to continually perfect my skills as a
musician, which I hope in turn will benefit my role as an educator,

4. What is my “Inner Template” and how does it impact my outer Artist-Teacher persona?

5. What are the basics of choral pedagogy that inform my classroom teaching and rehearsal
delivery?

6. What is the pedagogy of teacher effectiveness and how can I more consciously implement
elements of this pedagogy to shape both my success as a teacher and the success of my
students?

7. What are some of the elements of choral cultures and community building that impact both
the success of my program and the long-term growth of my students?
a. Forming bonds within the choir, feeling safe, enculturation and
developing a personal identity are elements of choral cultures that
impact the success of my program and the long-term growth of my
students. These are the key elements to a solid choir program and will
transfer down through choir programs to come. I will strive to
incorporate these into my choir program, keeping the growth of my
students in mind.
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QUESTION 5:​ Practicum (20 minutes) (points =10)

Please write a short essay (3-7 sentences) about your most important pedagogical and social
learnings from our practicum at VMRC.

Pedagogically, from VMRC, I learned about the importance of having a well-planned lesson plan.
As a young and budding educator, I am still learning the art of teaching. That being said, this
early on, it is crucial that I learn how to design and utilize an effective lesson plan. Every time I
stood in front of the VMRC choir, I felt confident in my ability to deliver a solid lesson due to the
work I put in to the lesson plan prior to. This confidence in turn led to my growth as an educator
and musician throughout the course of my time at VMRC. Socially, from this practicum
experience, I learned the importance of connecting with those in your choir ensemble, as a student
and a​ s a teacher. When those connections are made, it leads to more meaningful music-making
and an overall greater experience for all involved.

QUESTION 6​: ​Pedagogical Axioms ​(10 minutes)​ (15 points, + bonus points if you
desire)

Below are several very familiar pedagogical axioms that you have used as throughlines
and curricular focal points in many different classes within your choral music education
degree at JMU. Choose 5 of these and write a 3-sentence reflection on each axiom of
your choice. More than 5 axiom definitions may be used as bonus points.

JAHEES

Transfer
Everything you will learn or do in your lifetime has a connection to something else. For
example, something I learned from my choir ensemble can somehow be related to
another thing in my life. The process of making a transfer is essential to growth and
reflection.

Throughlines

Be the Music
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In an ensemble, it is not enough to play or sing the music. One must fully immerse
themselves into the music, digging into their artistry. When you become the music, you
can deliver the notes from the page more effectively to the audience.

Who claps for you?

In your life, it is important to develop a good support system. These are the people you
should lean on when in times of trouble. Similarly, whenever you’re having a bad day or
going through a rough time, you should remind yourself that there are people rooting for
your success at the end of the day, even though it may not feel like it.

It’s OK, and even when it’s not OK, it’s OK.

Intention-Function

Everything is related to everything.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

The intersection of the academic and the social.

In the classroom, there needs to be an appropriate balance of the academic and the social.
This essentially means that while the teacher needs to be meeting the needs of the
students academically, they also need to incorporate a social component in their teaching.
This could be something as simple as making a light-hearted joke to students or talking
about a favorite TV show.

Curricularize the social and deliver a highly effective music curriculum.

Creating the culture that in turn creates us.

Cultivate the FLOW and the Culture will GROW.

Choirs should strive for FLOW moments. These moments will strengthen the overall
choral culture and bond within. This in turn will lead to a stronger and larger choral
program.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?