Why music, and what do we do in chorus… in this time of economic hardship, it is more important than every to support the arts….

In Chorus rehearsals we work on:

Teamwork, the feature is the group, the ensemble, all efforts are for it.  There is no second string or bench warmers on this team.

Problem solving, we learn how to solve problems as a group and as individuals, repeating always more in the correct way than the problematic way.

Physical/ whole body, we know the muscles that we should use in proper singing technique and the posture needed to support good singing technique.

Self Discipline and Personal Responsibility, we know what the right things to do are and we strive to do them; minds are focused on the music, watching and listening.

Balance, listening at all times for a well blended choral sound and making personal and sectional split second decisions and adjustments. Understanding the relationship of the notes of each part to each other, to the accompaniment and to the lyrics.

Foreign Language – possibly in a different language such as Latin, Hebrew, German, Japanese, French, Hungarian, Zulu, Latvian, Italian, Russian, etc.)

Musical Period and Performance Practice, learning about composers, countries, time periods, and styles of music (from Medieval to Modern).

Memory, when to do what, 20 or more minutes of memorized music (sounds, silences and words)

Decode and Perform Complex Musical Equations, in a phenomenal example of multi-tasking, we decode and decipher the following: balance, blend, intonation, harmony, phrasing, dynamics, articulation, nuance/emotion, rhythm, pitch, timbre, analysis of form, intervals, poetic intent and interpretation, and foreign language translation.

You might say that every day in chorus rehearsal we practice:  math, science, social studies, history, ELA, psychology, drama, foreign language, physical education, life skills, and of course music.

“Music, rightly taught is the best mind training above all.” - Plato