Caleb Zustiak – Be Our Guest – Missouri
Choosing Music that Inspires Growth
The administrator continues writing in her notebook as the choir performs one of its upcoming festival songs. The students are engaged in the music; they have obviously worked hard to learn to sing together and in parts, and the class has met all of the standards expected by the state. The director has devoted the time necessary to teach the students to sing well, and a proper student/teacher relationship has been demonstrated. The bell rings, the students chatter happily to one another as they leave the classroom, and it seems that they truly enjoy the choral experience they are having.
As one of the students walks past, the administrator stops her and says, “I really enjoyed that last song you sang, it had a very interesting text. What do you think it means?” The student pauses for a moment, and then says, “I don’t know, I just really like to sing it.” She asks another student passing and he replies, “I don’t know, something about freedom?” When she talks to the director about their lack of understanding, the teacher replies that they just don’t have enough time to learn the music well and discuss the text and meaning, but that they did receive a top rating at their last adjudicated event. The administrator smiles and nods her head, looking at the many trophies and plaques adorning the walls of the classroom. However, she wonders if the students could be getting more from their time in the choral classroom.
I have been a choir director for the past 25 years and have truly enjoyed the experience of creating an ensemble that sings well, cooperates with one another, and performs high quality music. In truth, much of what we bring to the choral classroom is found innately within the music itself. Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of singing and expressing oneself, along with the positive emotional support gained from being part of a choir. I am fully invested in achieving all of the positive characteristics in the class described in the hypothetical story above, and in many ways that is an important objective we attempt to achieve in our classes. If students can learn to be vulnerable with one another, sing with expression, and understand the foundational standards of the choral art, then we have done an admirable job.
However, I would also argue that we are in a unique position to be able to more deeply affect our students’ lives. While we have specific standards and expectations given by our state and districts, we also have incredible freedom in terms of the music we select, the text within that music, and the cultures and genres we teach. How can we use our music to not only make our students better musicians, but also give them a better understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them?
I would suggest that we choose music with text that is deeply meaningful in some way. I’m not saying that there is no place for an easily learnable “fun” piece, or that we don’t perform pieces that are humorous. I begin my fall concert with the “Please Turn Off Your Phone” song by the Podd Brothers. It is very tongue-in-cheek and encourages the audience to turn off their mobile devices in an engaging and funny way. However, if all of our pieces are cutesy or just for entertainment, it is difficult to claim that we have a serious place in quality education. A literacy class wouldn’t select only comic books; similarly, we should make certain that our literature reflects important ideas and concepts.
I also think we need to ensure that our songs meet the students where they are. I am a middle school educator. Some people consider 7th and 8th graders to be children and thus select childish music for them. I would argue that these students can do more, and that we can help transition them to adulthood rather than coddle their immaturity. In fact, many middle schoolers quit singing if the literature is low level; they are ready for a more rigorous challenge. I personally, dropped out of choir in middle school because I was disappointed in the level of music. I didn’t join choir again until my senior year of high school when I had extra space in my schedule. Had my director selected a better quality of music, I think I would have enjoyed a much richer and more fulfilling choral experience throughout middle and high school.
I live near St. Louis, and we have a large Bosnian population after welcoming refugees from the Bosnian Civil War. In class, the current conflict in Israel/Palestine was being discussed, and one of my students mentioned her family had some stories about their experiences in the Bosnian Civil War. We were learning a 3-part arrangement of “Song for Sarajevo,” and I contacted her family to see if they could discuss their experiences so that the students could have more context. My student’s father was a child when their family escaped, and he came to talk to the choir during class. He told the story of how his family caught the last train out of Sarajevo, of the people that had been left behind, and how he became a policeman to protect people. These stories created an amazing discussion about that conflict as well as the current conflict, and it helped the students understand the world around them and connect more deeply to the song. That family also sent me a personal letter of thanks because their daughter had become closer to her grandmother through their discussions.
As another example, a local composer wrote a piece we performed based on the poem, “Did You Never Know” by Sara Teasdale. We had some important classroom discussions about what we felt it meant, and how love and lost love can affect us. Students journaled about their feelings, and one student’s short journal entry read, “I’m glad we sang ‘Did You Never Know’ because it helped me understand my parent’s divorce wasn’t my fault.” I have to admit that my heart broke from what I read, but I was also so happy that he was able to find closure about something that affected him deeply. When we choose to select quality text and literature, it creates the possibility for reflection, deep thinking, and the growth we desire for our students.
Lastly, I believe that our music selections can take our students beyond what they currently know. Young people are innately egocentric because of their stage of emotional and mental development. They aren’t truly selfish, but they see the world through the lens of their own experiences and understanding. By giving them a rich and eclectic set of songs to sing, we have the opportunity to expand their worldview. Many students only understand the music that is reflected in their own experience. When we offer students European chant, American gospel, Indian raga, African traditional music, Jazz, and a variety of languages and genres, we open up their thinking and gain the opportunity to discuss why that music developed the way that it did, and how we can perform it authentically. To perform it authentically, however, it is essential that the music we select is quality, culturally-authentic music. Just because a song uses a foreign language or particular sound doesn’t mean it is a great example of that style of music. When we select literature that is authentic, we give our students a more genuine experience.
We also have the opportunity to bring experts from the community to further develop our student’s understanding of style and genre. I can introduce gospel music to my students, but when I bring in an accompanist who grew up in a gospel church and can direct from a truly personal standpoint, the students understand it more. When we sing Russian music and a local Russian immigrant comes to help with pronunciation and understanding, the student’s knowledge (as well as our own) becomes deeper. When we sing Catholic polyphony in our local, historical Catholic church, it helps students understand how the polyphony echoed through the vast spaces in the cathedrals.
Does this take more work and time in class to take this multidisciplinary approach to music? Yes, it does, and we have to weigh the importance of connecting with the music along with measuring the time it takes to perform the music well. However, if we want to enhance our student’s experiences and help them to grow and understand it more deeply, we must go beyond the performance aspect of choir to make a significant impact on our students who need that emotional and mental growth.
If you’d like to reach out to Caleb, he can be reached at [email protected]
