May and June
April was a whirlwind. I got to conduct University Singers, Middle School Students from the Vocal Youth Miami, formerly the Children’s Voice Chorus, and the Miami Dade Superintendent High School Honor Choir. And just like that, another month has gone by. I thought I would catch my breath, but I blinked, and May was done. Yesterday was Memorial Day- and now Summer is officially here.
Recently, I had a few thoughts about administrators:
In my 20+ years of teaching, every administrator appreciated my work. Regardless of whether they liked me, they knew that I worked hard, was consistent with my paperwork, and was knowledgeable. They knew that when I came to them with a problem, I probably had 2-3 solutions for them. And they knew that if I came to them with a problem, it was a real problem.
Administrators are people; just as you answer to them, they answer to someone above them. Often, they are most worried about the issues that their bosses put on them as priorities, such as testing, student retention, and student graduation rates. In a world of “School Choice” with its pros and cons, schools are fighting for every little head in the building.
Administrators not only have to answer to their bosses but also to parents and all the faculty and staff on campus. It makes sense that sometimes they are overwhelmed. So my philosophy with them was to be proactive, help solve problems, be a team player, and always defend my students and my program.
I didn’t always love my administration, but they knew I was there for the students, and thus, they left me alone. (I know there are some challenging humans thankfully I didn’t have too many)
Some details about my last school: It was a high-achieving school with a Cambridge program. That meant those classes got priority. If I wanted to provide an opportunity for students from ALL walks of life on campus to take my course, I needed to offer a beginning choir more than once a day. My advice is as follows for scheduling purposes:
Find out how you can maximize student enrollment in your classes. For me, it offered the same class numerous times during the day. I had 3-4 “beginning choirs” for students who wanted to sing but did not necessarily have the high performance levels of the top group.
Learn the course codes in your state and use them to create alternative classes. The big issue for graduation is repeatability.
Chorus Register Specific I-III was my beginning choir (all double-coded)
Chorus IV-VI Honors was my advanced mixed choir (also double-coded)
Vocal Ensemble I-IV Honors was my advanced Treble Choir (also double-coded)
Give a list of your expected advanced students to the counselors and the admin in charge of the curriculum. If you haven’t already sent it, send it now and resend it in June. Stop by the school before classes begin in August and see if you can catch errors sooner. Then, send the list to each counselor with corrections for only the students that belong to them, CC head counselor, and admin in charge of curriculum.
Be prepared that it will still have errors. Tell the students to relax and not to bombard the admin.
Bureaucratic entities are slow to change, but it is not impossible! While I began my career using that K-12 certificate to its fullest potential, in my last few years, I had only Choir and AP Theory to teach. It’s possible to make your program YOUR program. Envision it- build it- and then enjoy it!
Spring Concerts:
On another note, consider supporting Word or Deed if you're searching for a T-Shirt Company or unique products like natural soaps and original designs for shirts and bags. They're a local organization making a positive impact through their creative offerings.
As we anticipate summer, here is Summer Choral Camp opportunity for your students: with Vocal Youth Miami, formerly the Children’s Voice Chorus July 1-27th, 2024. Final Registration date: June 21, 2024.
