Hi Jen -

You've probably heard a lot of these, but this is what works for me -

Middle school is fun - enjoy it!

 

Jean

Jean has said everything I would say.  I will add another idea:  Call parents.  I had a group like this, and I called every single parent, told them what was going on in class, and asked for their support and help.  That, in combination with the things Jean mentioned, turned that class around almost immediately.  I called home a lot the first few weeks, but lo! and behold, we finally got to the point where I rarely called at all.

 

I will add one more thing:  You might consider creating a choir covenant.  Have the kids break into groups of 5-6, have them choose someone who will write down ideas and another one who will present to the clas (be sure to split up your altos--don't do it by sections).  The task:  Create a list of student behaviors that would make a choir rehearsal productive and successful (and hopefully more fun) for everyone.  Have a student write down the ideas as the presenters tell what their group came up with, and  put check marks next to ideas that you've heard already.  Have the group narrow the list down to 4 behaviors that they will all agree to, have everyone sign it, and then post it up front where they can see it.  Any time you  have to deal with an issue with a student, you should be able to reference the covenant and what they agreed to do.  Once they own their own class rules, they will be more likely to follow them.

 

Good luck!

 

Sue

Everyone is right on.

 

I had to explain to my class that there were three different things that would happen in choir: Singing, Feedback, and Transition.  Singing time: no talking.  Talkers will have consequences.  Feedback: no talking.  "How can I tell you what you did well, if you start to talk the minute we stop singing?  Give me a chance to help you make things stronger. Finish singing and then be ready to listen to me." Transition times: you can talk. Transition time: hand out or collect music, put away folders, sharpen pencils, etc.  Transition times are the only times to ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, too.  It takes a few days for them to get the idea, but the 6th graders are finally getting it. 

 

I've also in years past run "Silent Rehearsals." They get a warning the class period before, there are notes all over the doors and room when they come in: "Today is silent rehearsal day. There will be no talking unless you have raised your hand to answer a question from the teacher.  Anyone who talks out or whispers to a neighbor will get a writing assignment. There will be no warnings."  My writing assignment says something like: "I understand that my mouth is a part of my body and therefore under my control. I also understand that in choir it is important to use my voice for singing, and my ears for listening.  I recognize that talking prevents me and other students from learning. I will make a better effort at keeping my mouth under my control." After they write it once, they return to their seat and resume rehearsal.

 

Good luck!

 

Elizabeth

 

Hang in there!

Elizabeth

 

 

Interesting that the comments thus far have been from women; here's a guy's perspective.  How is it:  young women at this age can see each other seven hours a day, and still have SOOOOOOO much to chat about?  Okay, I can see the thunder clouds rising quickly over the horizon!  Hang on, give me a moment.  First of all, let's acknowledge a fact:  90% of the sounds little girls make are words, little boys make words only 67% of the time.  That hasn't changed significantly by middle school.  Let us also acknowledge:  at this age, young women are going through tremendous physical, emotional, and psychological changes.  The part of the brain which provides words is also almost immediately next to that part which deals with emotions.  Therefore, a lot of the "emotion" that young women experience at this age is translated into.....words!  It's easy for them, and is one of the major psycho-physical differences with boys at this age.  Ask a guy what he "feels" - and he has to go searching in his brain for what he's feeling - which science has showed us is in a completely different part of his brain than it is in her brain, figures it out, and then comes back to find the word - which is why, ladies, when you ask a guy that type of question, it seems to take FOREVER to get an answer, and even then, it isn't really satisfactory, is it?  Remember also that girls control a far more extensive vocabulary than boys do, and it gets exercised on a frequent basis.  Politically incorrect on my part?  Perhaps; but the science does support a good deal of this, if indeed it doesn't support it all; and this is in part what you're dealing with.  I suspect that were you to stand back, ignore the altos for a minute, you MIGHT be surprised at how much chatting is going on in the sopranos as well.  Please note:  women talk, men act out.  Do you notice that guys are "restless", that they need to seem to have to move more?  While it is less true of music classrooms, let's also be honest enough to admit that most classrooms are designed for women, and the way women think and deal with words:  "sit down; take out a piece of paper and pencil; start writing on the subject...." - frankly, you lost the guys after "sit down"!  Listen to how men talk to boys - short, simple, single declarative (imperative!) ideas - please, no multi-tasking here - it just don't work (for the most part).  This is not to discourage, nor to so simplify the reality of each individual that there cannot be variations on the theme (!) - but to LOOK more clearly at what is happening.  All of the activities and actions suggested are very good - but we have to start with the creature in front of us, not with categories - to include those which I have posited in this posting.  But, by the same token, we CANNOT ignore the realities of what our teaching circumstances are, and how they are treated and viewed in different ways by the boys and girls sitting in front of us.  There is another posting in this same edition of ChoralNet on learning styles and how we structure our classrooms and our teaching styles to take in the range of ways our students learn - aurally, visually, kinesthetically - and adjust accordingly.  This is another aspect of the same reality - only it's posited here in terms of "wordiness" and "chattiness" on the part of a specific group.  The idea of "silent rehearsals" is an excellent one on two counts:  it directly addresses that element of young women's actions at this age, and requires a self-disciplining that, in my opinion, is sadly lacking in general in the society.  We do more than teach notes; we teach life.

 

Ron

Dear Jen: 

A few things --

(1) No doubt you've already tried these... Have a little heart-to-heart chat with the main talker/s, and check with their other teachers -- you'll likely find that these behavior choices are not limited to your class. 

(2) Try contacting the parents. Tell them one or two nice things about the child, then discuss the problem: They seem to have with 'bouts of talking during class', and give details. Trust me, your call is NOT the first time this parent has heard this!! If the child is acting this way for you in middle school chorus, this has been going on in many classes over many years. 

(3) One little trick that seems to help keep the chatter down -- especially between pieces -- is to play the piano accompaniment, or the choral parts of the piece, until everyone is ready to productively continue the rehearsal. This minimizes the chatter while allowing the slower folks to stow away the old piece and get out the new piece. It "fills" the "dead air" space (the vacuum that needs to be filled?) while getting the singers to start musically thinking about the next piece. (One way I know it works is because one year, a student came up to me and said, "You play between pieces to keep me from talking, right?") 

 

Ron Isaacson 

Germantown MD 

Jen,

 

The comments you've already received are certain to help you right now.  Thanks for reaching out.  ChoralNet is a wonderful resource for all of us teachers!    

 

Knowing that you have an opportunity to start all over again with classroom management next fall, I urge you to read Jason Sickel's article, "First Things First in Early Choir Rehearsals--Classroom Procedures that Get Results," in ChorTeach  Vol 3 #2, Winter 2011.   Jason suggests that very little can be accomplished musically until students understand exactly how "things" work in a rehearsal, e.g., procedures for entering, leaving, getting music, no talking/whispering, reading the smartboard screen or chalk board for order of activities, asking questions, etc.    You must teach students starting on day 1 of the fall, from the first minute, how life works in your world--your rehearsal room.    Check out that article at   acda.org/page.asp?page=chorteach     

 

Terry   

P.S. I failed miserably my first year of teaching because no one ever told me (in any classes back in the dark ages) that I had to run a tight ship, have clear rules, and teach procedures rather than music as a first priority.  But I recovered from the shock.  You will too!