Why Student Leaders Are Essential in Your Choir Program: A Guide for Middle School and High School Choir Teachers🎶👩🏫👨🏫
As choir teachers, we are always looking for ways to better our students’ learning experience and create a positive classroom environment. One great way to do this is by incorporating student leadership in your choir program.🎤👥
Why use student leaders in the choir classroom?
1- Teach Responsibility
When students take on leadership roles, they learn to be responsible for more than just their own performance. Whether it’s organizing sectional rehearsals, leading warm-ups or managing choir uniforms, student leaders develop a sense of accountability.🗂️📋
2- Communication Skills
Student leaders are often the bridge between the choir teacher and the rest of the students. By sharing information, addressing concerns, and offering support to their fellow peers, they develop strong communication skills that can be used for a lifetime.🗣️💬
3- Building Confidence and Encouraging Teamwork
Leadership positions provide students with opportunities to step out of their comfort zone and take on new challenges. Additionally, being a leader emphasizes the importance of working together. Whether it's delegating tasks, motivating their peers or encouraging others, student leaders are fostering a sense of unity and ownership.🌟🤝
4- Enhancing the Choir Director’s Role
Let’s not overlook the fact that when done correctly, student leaders can make your job much easier and allow you to dedicate more time towards teaching and less time on tasks like organizing uniforms, sorting music, etc.🎼🧑🏫
This is how I use Student Officers in my Choir Classroom.
At the start of the school year, I emphasize the importance of leadership in our choir and introduce the various Choir Officer Leadership Positions available. I distribute the Choir Officer Application and explain the application process, which includes writing a short paragraph on why they want the position.📝📑
We set a specific day for voting in the choir. On this day, each student receives a Choir Officer Voting Form. For each leadership position, I read the applicants' paragraphs to the class. After hearing the applicants, students write 1-2 sentences explaining their choice and vote by writing the name of the person they are voting for and their reason. For instance, if four students are running for the Choir President position, I read each of their paragraphs, and then students vote by noting both the candidate's name and their reason for choosing them.🗳️✍️
This process is repeated for all leadership positions. After collecting the voting forms, I tally the votes after school and announce the winners in the next class. 🎉🏆
I've found this method to be very effective, as requiring students to explain their votes encourages them to choose the best candidate rather than the most popular one.✅👑
Interested in incorporating Choir Leaders into your classroom?
Save time and effort with my Choir Officer Leadership resource, which includes all the documents and materials you'll need!📚💼
Happy Singing!🎤
