My Life as a Middle School Choir Director

It's exhausting...
I love it...

I could end this post with that dichotomy and it would be 100% accurate.  Anyone who has hosted a slumber party or piled five or six middle schoolers into the minivan for a trip to the mall knows exactly what I'm referring to.  Now, multiply that by fourteen.  As in 5 (or 6) X 14 = 70/84.  My choirs at school range in size from forty to eighty students, typically.

Most veteran teachers think twice before agreeing to cover a class for me if I have to miss for a special performance or rehearsal.  That's because the veterans know that class size has a huge impact on classroom management.  Ah, classroom management.  The thing they try to teach you about in college.  And, they warn you about it in college by telling you if you don't have great skills in that area, you will likely not last in the teaching profession.  Classroom management skills are often viewed as the initial barometer for evaluating young teachers.  Yet, most young teachers don't graduate college with great classroom management skills (I sure didn't).  After all, a skill is something one needs to rehearse in order to become an expert in.  Most teachers develop these skills on the job, during their first few years of teaching.  I'm still working on improving my skills in this area.

In addition to class size, here are a few things that make my job difficult as they pertain to classroom management..
1. My room is a 180 degree semicircle with me in the middle.  I have great peripheral vision, but contrary to folklore, I do not have eyes on the back of my head.
2. Because of #1, kids feel as though they can get away with stuff:  Chat with their neighbor.  Say something funny to get a laugh, etc. much more than in a standard classroom setup. If I'm looking at the right half of the room. I cannot see the left half at all. What's worse is that the students in the right half of the room can actually see the students in the left half of the room better than I can.  So I have a situation where students see other students behaving badly even when I cannot see the bad behavior.  This can lead to a long term, negative climate issue because middle schoolers don't have the wherewithal and wisdom to realize what is actually going on.  Instead, they often think that I am letting the students across from them misbehave.  This causes the adolescent brain to think the teacher is playing favorites which is simply not the case.
3. My students' chairs are only a few inches apart from each other.  Unlike a traditional classroom with rows of desks, my kids are so close to each other that they can reach out and poke someone two seats away from them.

I try to let my students know on the first day of school every year that because our class is two to three times the size of a normal class, they need to socialize 1/2 to 2/3 as often, just to have the talking/noise level be that of a normal classroom.  This generally helps for a few weeks.

Middle school aged kids don't know what they want.  They want to have fun and they want to be successful at our performances, but, they hate being stifled.  They hate being made to work diligently on the material.  They want to talk to their friends all the time.  But they hate not sounding as good as we should when listening to the audio from last night's concert.  They want to be funny all the time and get laughs.  But they get mad when the other choir warming up next to them sounds better than their choir.  I had a student ask me a few years ago, "Mr. C why do they sound better than us?"  My answer was direct and simple.  "Because they work harder and talk in class less than our group."

Middle school aged kids rarely see their parents at work.  They rarely get to witness adults focusing, concentrating and putting in lots of effort.  For many, the only place they see this is at school.  It's no wonder they often describe the more demanding teachers as "mean."  The majority of their time outside of school spent with adults is leisure time.  Because of this their teachers and coaches are the ones that need to demonstrate focus, effort and work ethic.

Often, on Mondays, I feel like the tough, demanding parent who just got their kids back from the fun loving "I wanna be your friend" parent who had them for visitation over the weekend.  Today was no different.  A difficult Monday of explaining to my choirs that because the concert is only a few short weeks away, I will continue to ramp up the expectations in regard to behavior, effort and concentration . I really use music as the medium to teach those things.  It's exceedingly more challenging to keep adolescents focused in today's digital age of constant media bombardment.

They are addicted to technology!  Seriously, they cannot put it down.  They feel anxiety when restrictions are placed on them like insisting their phones stay in their lockers.  "But what if my mom texts me?"  I suppose that's a legitimate concern but today it spurs anxiety to the point of MANY students breaking school rules by keeping their phones on them in class.
A few weeks ago I received the Apple Classroom app which allows me to monitor their every move on the iPad, limit what apps and sites can be accessed, etc.  It was met with great resistance!  The app utilizes Bluetooth as the method of connection and multiple students complained.  "Mr. C, I can't turn Bluetooth on because it drains my battery so I won't be able to join your Apple Classroom group."
Me:  "oh, yes you will."

Parents aren't parenting like they used to.  What I mean by that is, sorry folks but it's true, there is barely any parenting happening anymore.  Because actual parenting involves doing things that might upset our children.  The vast majority of kids feel entitled.  They feel as though they have rights and deserve to be respected and also deserve to be able to speak when they want to.  WHAT???  A few years ago I coined a term:  Ignorantly disrespectful.  This is common among middle school aged students.  They are disrespectful without intentionally being disrespectful.  They feel it's ok (because they deem it important) to say something to a neighbor at any time even in a final dress rehearsal before a concert.  They think being disrespectful is only limited to things like back talk or, swearing at a teacher.  Sadly, they also think (mostly because of what they see adults doing) it's OK to yell at the ref and dispute the call.  Guess what... it's NOT.  That's disrespectful behavior.

Kids don't know what to be proud of.  Well, they know it's good to be proud of an athletic achievement, but other than that, they struggle.  We've all complimented a kid only to see them blush or behave in an embarrassed way.  Middle School is an uncomfortable age for many, and as adults we need to be encouraging.  This morning I saw a student carrying a large project into school and that student appeared to look uncomfortable.  That was sad to witness.  I've seen kids who earn solos in choir concerts claim they are "bad singers."  Ugh.  That's just sad.

Sadly, the majority of kids today just aren't fans of music.  Unlike when I was a child, they don't spend hours listening to music as a passtime.  They also don't watch hours upon hours of Bugs Bunny cartoons that all had FANTASTIC original soundtracks.  They also don't listen to music riding in the car.  This may be the most significant difference with kids today.  On every car trip (short or long) I took as a kid, the radio was usually on so I was getting almost constant exposure to music of a great variety.  Kids today have ear buds in while riding in the car.  And most of them, sadly, are not listening to music.  I started to notice this a few years ago when fewer and fewer 6th graders wanted to sing karaoke on Fridays.  Often, they would rather play Name that Tune instead (If my choirs earn it, we spend the last twenty minutes of Friday's class on one of these two fun activities).  And, their favorite Name That Tune category is almost always TV Theme Songs.

The Journey (the process)

The Journey... The older I get the more I understand and appreciate the fact that life is about the journey. The process.  The everyday doing of the things that we all need to do. The good decisions, the hard decisions and the mistakes.  It's what life is all about. It is my life's journey and mission to help adolescents learn to make good decisions in their daily lives and I am so incredibly blessed to be able to use the beautiful medium of music to help them learn these things in my classroom. Please continue to dialogue with your son or daughter about life in the Creekside Choir room. We are a microcosm of real life.  Choir class is the class that comes closest to what a real life job/career will look and feel like in adulthood (a bold statement, I know). We have groups/teams (sections within each choir) that need to coordinate with each other.  We have departments (different choirs throughout the day) who all need to be on the same page to create our finished product that has a very specific deadline. We cannot postpone or delay this deadline.  In Math class, if one member of the team fails to live up to expectations, it only affects that team member's grade (pay/promotion/demotion, ect). In a music class, if a team member makes a bad decision, the entire product is potentially reduced in overall quality. WE ARE A TEAM! While making this point in class the other day, I referenced a friend of mine who is an engineer at a plant that manufactures transmissions for vehicles. A little while later I noticed a couple students goofing around while we were running one of the songs. I quietly mentioned to them, "you have caused our transmission to have a defect and it now needs to return to the factory for warranty work which will cost our company more money." I love making real world analogies like these for the kids. I'm a big picture guy.

Motivation

What motivates you?

Stop and think for a moment...

What REALLY motivates you?

Money?  Your children?  Your career?  Your hobbies?  Your maker/creator?  Food?

What do you think motivates kids?  Is it toys?  Electronics?  Food?

What motivates adolescents?  Their friends?  Social Media?  Video games?  Sports?  Food?

With all the Education Reform that has taken place in recent decades, I am amazed by the fact that I have yet to see the issue of Student Motivation be addressed.  How is it that a teachers' evaluation can be tied to student test scores if the students aren't necessarily even trying to do well on the test?

Try to Be a Rainbow in Someone's Cloud (and, stay in performing arts classes!)

 As someone who has performed and taught music my entire adult life, I've always loved touting the fact that I was, and my classes were, the bright spot in the day for my students. The one class where there very likely would not be homework. The one class where students are encouraged to emote. The class that was a release of energy and a remedy for stress and anxiety rather than be a source. And, as Maya Angelou put it, "the rainbow in someone's cloud." 

But... doing music can also put students outside their comfort zone. Ironically, this is where the magic/learning happens. Many students realize this and stick with it. Others are made too uncomfortable by it and elect to take a different course. Then, there are those who do love it (including the process which is often messy) but also choose to walk away. There are many reasons why an adolescent would elect out of music education. From my experience, most of those reasons often have little to do with music. Most often the student who opts out of music/arts education in school feels pressured to take something else. Those pressures are VERY real to the typical twelve year old. As adults we, of course, realize that generally these things, in the grand scheme, are often "no big deal." But to the twelve year old, these are really big decisions. 

The advent of Advanced Placement courses in most US public high schools ultimately meant one thing for music/arts education:  There will be fewer students in those programs.  Period.  It's a numbers game. Any AP course can be added as an elective course to any high school student's schedule. There are only so many slots in the school day for electives so the students who take multiple AP courses often, unfortunately, opt out of music/arts classes (including two of my own children!). Academically, I have nothing but respect for upper level coursework. My youngest child was almost a college sophomore upon graduating HS thanks to Dual Enrollment AP courses earning him credits from a local college (of course, we had to pay tuition for those credits).  What does it say that a professional musician and music educator has two children opting out of music education? It says there is something wrong with the system. We have systematically made it more challenging for high school students to keep music education in their lives. In turn, we've made it easier for them to walk away. It's very academically easy to prioritize and AP course over staying marching band or choir. It's also easy to academically assume that the student should get more out of an AP course, or, learn more, than they could possibly learn in a band, choir or orchestra class. Except that every single music educator in the world would be jumping up and down shouting, "NO!" The amazing thing about arts education is that in addition to learning how to do art, students learn so many other valuable things and skills. Teamwork and cooperation are two huge elements of participating in a performing group. Ultimately, being in a band, choir or orchestra makes you a better, kinder more well rounded human who is able to feel and understand emotions more deeply. 

Will any of that emotional learning earn me more money someday when I'm an adult? The staunch capitalists of the world would probably say, no. But the artists of the world wouldn't care. And, many who have taken years of music/arts education in school are now considered great resources in the business world because they often possess creativity at a level that exceeds others who opted out of arts at a younger age.

More importantly, that emotional learning and shaping we get from participating in the arts on a daily basis, helps us become better citizens of the planet!  It helps us become better parents, and members of the community. It even helps us become leaders with better communication skills. Arts education is worth advocating for. 

My Retirement Letter

I'll lead with the headline and perhaps go into more detail sharing stories farther down. 

I have decided to retire from my position as the only* Choir Director in the history of Creekside Middle School ! ! !

*My position was created when Zeeland Middle School split into two middle schools. The current choir director at the time chose to go to Cityside.

Retiring from teaching school puts me in a position to donate 100% of my energies to Zeeland Academy of Music (downtown at 16 S. Elm St.) and my family is in a position financially to make this change a reality for us. I am so tremendously grateful for all the love and support I've received over the years from all my wonderful colleagues, friends and family members. 

Sherry and I decided at the beginning of last school year that I would announce my retirement this past April and finish the year with a big MEGA 80s concert - Purple Rain as the combined closing number, tears streaming down my face while playing the guitar solo in the end as the choir, AND the audience, sang the really high "ooh" parts.  For most of the Spring and Summer, I have been planning to return for one, maybe even two more years in hopes of eventually having that big, last hoorah concert.  I'm sad that will not happen, but the timing for me still feels right.

When Covid knocked us out for the remainder of the year, my thoughts shifted and I began planning my return to teaching in the fall hoping to get that chance of doing one more big rock show. Physically speaking, this past school year was not nearly as demanding as the previous few years had been. I had a GREAT student teacher and I had GREAT students who made life in the choir room fun and productive. But, as the fall looms closer, I realize the timing to step away now was the right decision for me.  I do feel badly about not getting the opportunity to say good bye to all the students and staff in person, but I believe that time will eventually come. 

I came into the position of Creekside Choir Director as a local kid who had just left the world of touring professionally in rock bands for the previous four years. For those of you that are still reading, if you hadn't heard this, Paris Blue played about 300 shows per year in fourteen different states (living in hotels, eating Taco Bell at least four times per week - it was HEAVEN!) from 1991 till the end of 1994. We generally played six nights per week. It was truly a full time job.  Before that I played in several other bands that played clubs all over the state of Michigan. Paris Blue career highlights include, setting an attendance record at Club Eastbrook (later became the Orbit Room) in 1993 when we had nearly 1000 paid through the door. We also had the opportunity of opening for several national acts there (and other venues) including, Extreme, Joan Jett, .38 Special, Blue Oyster Cult, Blackfoot and many others. It was a great run that was ended by Grunge music taking over the airwaves. We were mostly an 80s Hair Band with great three part harmony vocals. That music (sadly) went out of style and soon after, most of the live rock venues went belly up. It was really the loss of an entire industry in the Midwest. 

That's when I returned to college, this time GVSU, to obtain the teaching certificate I did not get with my BAA music degree from CMU in 1991. I graduated with a BME from GVSU in the Spring of 1996 and the Creekside Choir position (.6 FTE) was posted shortly after. I'll never forget the call from Jae Shobbrook (Principal at the time) letting me know that I was the sole remaining candidate for the position. I said, "excuse me a second" covered the phone (a land line at my house, of course) with my hand and screamed!  

I was SO GREEN when I started! It didn't take me long to realize that college doesn't necessarily teach you a ton about how to teach. You actually learn ON THE JOB!  As of about my third year, I was starting to get a grasp of reality but by then, the choir program (along with the CRK student body) had grown to the point where I typically had about 50 6th graders, 60 7th graders and 70 8th graders. In that order. the last three hours of the day. Without air conditioning.  Ever been in a classroom with 70 8th graders the last hour of the day when it's 90 degrees and humid??  If not, you should try it sometime. This job was DIFFICULT!!!  And the majority of the difficulty had NOTHING to do with the curriculum being presented. That was such a foreign concept to me. I realized that I NEEDED to get better at classroom management! I actually wrote my Master's Thesis on that very topic and a summary was published in the Michigan Music Educator's Journal in 2007. 

From 1996 - 2008 I made my best attempt at "wearing the suit." I was a member of Michigan School Vocal Music Association and dutifully took my choirs to Choral Festival every year.  At Choral Festival, choirs must perform selections from a required list comprised of, for the most part, Classical choral repertoire, including many selections that originated from liturgical texts coming out of Europe hundreds of years ago and not necessarily in English. I was a pop/rock guy (as most of you know) at heart so this was the challenging part of the year for me. Oh, and guess where this part of the year falls in the school calendar?  Yup!  January - mid March.  This made the most difficult stretch of the school year, even more difficult in the choir room.  My groups didn't always get the top scores in performance, but we always did great in Sight Reading, which pleased my Administrators. My Master's Theses actually scientifically proved a correlation between high Festival scores and classroom management skills. 

In 2008 I met my vocal and career mentor, Jeanie LoVetri when I attended a seminar she was leading promoting her voice teaching method called Somatic Voicework™, a body based, science informed method of teaching singing. Hearing her tell the attendees that ALL music styles/genres deserve EQUAL respect and that there should not be one or two genres that are considered superior was like (pardon the pun) music to my ears! I felt as though I was finally "home." I immediately felt validated to begin taking the Creekside Choir program in a direction that would better suit my skill set and also be much more progressive compared to other area programs.  I have learned so much from Jeanie over the years.  Much more than just how to teach singing.  Jeanie's "Pianoside Manner" is one of grace and kindness always.  Always expect the student is giving you their best. If the student cannot perform what you are asking, make what you're asking more simple. It's not the student's fault. I've also learned that I no longer needed to be the expert in the room on everything, including music!  That was so freeing for my teaching.  It improved my rapport with students overall.  We became more of a team who all worked together, rather than a dictatorship. At the same time I also began demanding more respect from my students and upped my game in the classroom management area. To my surprise, this also improved my rapport with students.  I had been mistakenly assuming that they liked me because I was nice, cool, fun, etc. Nope, I was being liked for the wrong reasons. I was liked because they were getting away with more than they should.  I have Greg Eding to thank for this aspect of my teaching.  I was grateful to have had the opportunity to personally thank him for this recently.  He was the one who inspired me to up my game to the next level.  There was also a very long conversation with a disgruntled parent letting me know that I basically run a "loose ship," but I'll not get into that. 😏

The very next year I stopped taking groups to Choral Festival and began programming much more contemporary music into my concerts. The parents began responding favorably with comments like, "we like that we recognize some of the songs at choir concerts now!" As an entertainer with twenty years of performing experience, those words resonated with me. 

Fast forward eight more years of progression in this direction and I actually attempted something that was terrifying to me. I decided to hire my own rock band to provide the accompaniment for our Spring Choir Concert - WITH ME ON DRUMS!  This would mean, obviously, that there would be no one in front of the kids conducting. They would need to have everything memorized including all concert logistics (a HUGE factor in how smoothly, or not, a school concert flows). 

Rock of Ages Concert:  https://youtu.be/GacXvkE7Nbs

Not only did we pull it off, but the following weekend a local TV news channel contacted me to come do an interview:  https://www.fox17online.com/2016/06/13/zeeland-middle-schoolers-rocks-audience-with-rock-of-ages-show

I was in vacation in Traverse City and school was actually already out when FOX 17 contacted me. I reached out to a handful of parents and students and about twenty kids came to school the following Monday to be interviewed.  We celebrated with a pizza lunch!

The next three years would have us continuing the tradition of a full rock band accompaniment.  This time I reached out to the Breakaway Band from Community Reformed Church, just down the street.  Many of our families attend church there so it was nice for them to see some familiar faces on stage with us.  Curt Dykema served as band leader and played keyboards.  Curt's son Mitch played guitar and keyboards.  Curt's cousin Chad Dykema played drums, which was fun for me because Chad and I are the same age and we've known each other since high school.  Chad was also a music educator (until he retired) AND played drums in a touring rock band in the early 90s!  We have eerily similar life stories.  Rounding out our band was Randy Perkins, owner of RIT Music Holland, on lead guitar and Bob Nyhuis on bass.

Beatles Tribute show:  ://youtu.be/rOBuFTIoIcs

Local TV news coverage of Beatles show:  https://www.fox17online.com/2017/05/30/a-beatles-tribute-local-choir-rocking-out-with-live-band-for-finale-concert

For the Beatles Tribute event, I also enlisted the help of professional sound engineer, Travis Ball. Travis is a ZHS graduate who works professionally both live and in recording studios in the Nashville area. He has gone on tour as Front of House sound engineer for Hosier, Mae and many others.  I was thrilled when he agreed to make the eight hour drive home to work with us on making the show sound great!  And I continued to be thrilled that he's been able to make it work every year since!

We followed the Beatles concert with one titled I Love the 70s: https://youtu.be/w0PEtbVEIeQ

I was honored and flattered when then High School Band Director, Keith Walker asked if I'd like him to put together a horn section for our 70s show. The concert fell during a portion of the school year where the seniors were already finished for the year, and the underclassmen, in performance based classes, tend to have more free time on their hands and are often looking for things to do. As you'll see in the video, the horn section was a great addition.

And, last year's show without a theme (because we had such a diversified set list we wanted to perform:   https://youtu.be/5NQC_pd3t-I

Yes, WE!  As in, my students and me. I enjoyed letting my students have input on the repertoire we performed at concerts. It's both challenging and rewarding. It gives the students ownership in the process of rehearsing and preparing, yet it can also be very frustrating because getting 70 12 year olds to agree on ANYTHING is next to impossible. This is part of the reason why most music teachers don't even open that conversation with students. It must be handled delicately and many ground rules must be established before allowing the first student to raise their hand and make a song selection. Rule number one is, NO negativity!  I was again honored this year by the fact that our two new High School Band Directors, Pujan Bhattarai and Lucas Keur hopped onboard to lead another horn section, including doing a great deal of the scoring for the horn parts!  Thank you!!

The last few years of my career I began to reach out to other school choir directors in an attempt to encourage them to do more of what I was doing (even if only on a small scale) and less of the older model that today's kids and audiences can tend to not care for. That's right. I actually mentioned the audience. For decades, Marching Bands have been putting on halftime shows to ENTERTAIN those in attendance of a football game. Why are other areas of our public school music programs not doing the same? Why is the word ENTERTAINMENT not found anywhere in the state or national standards/benchmarks for Music Education?  I genuinely feel it should be!  I feel that running a concert with high entertainment value not only benefits the performers, as it teaches them how to be good performers, but also greatly pleases the audience. Let's move Music Ed into the 21st Century!

The next chapter in my life will be to focus more of my energies on growing Zeeland Academy of Music, LLC which I started in Downtown Zeeland (16 S. Elm St. - right across from the Splash Pad) in January. We've been steadily adding students ever since and look forward to adding Audition Masterclasses, Choir Camps, and Rock Camps once the Pandemic is behind us. We currently offer lessons in Voice, Guitar, Drums, Piano, Strings, Songwriting, Ukulele and Sound System/DAW operation via three different teachers. We hope to add Brass and Woodwind lessons too along with, eventually, Dance!  Visit us and sign up at zeelandacademyofmusic.com

Additionally, I continue to enjoy serving on the faculty of the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™ every summer at Baldwin Wallace University in the Cleveland area. This summer's conference was all online but it had record attendance and was very well received! I presented my annual lecture on Audio Equipment for Music Teachers, this year focusing predominantly on equipment used to teach lessons remotely.  I was also asked to present on how to work with teens using Somatic Voicework™.  Both presentations were favorably reviewed as knowledge generally not found anywhere else other than by trial and error.  I also lead breakout groups where teachers experiment in teaching singing in a way that's new to some but that Jeanie has developed over her forty-nine year teaching career.  When the Institute is in person, I am also the Sound Engineer for all nine days of lectures, presentations and performances.  In the future, I plan to also begin to market myself as a presenter on How to Stage a Pop/Rock Choir Concert. I presented on this topic in 2018 at the Association for Popular Music Education Conference in the Nashville area and I have also recently contributed this as a chapter to a book titled Action-Based Pedagogies in Popular Music Education to be published hopefully sometime in 2021. My mentor, Jeanie LoVetri, continues to encourage me to put myself out there as a presenter in this area.

In closing (TLDR - longest closing in history), let me give one more round of thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way.  Going way back to my first piano teacher Tim Oonk (RIP) who later became my mentor as I entered the world of choir directing.  When I was in fifth grade, we learned that ZPS was starting a thing where in order to be able to play percussion in band (what I desperately wanted), one needed piano lessons.  Thankfully, The Oonks were family friends and Tim took me on as a student.  Dan Ritsema!  The incomparable, Ritz!  He meant the world to me from when I first had him as a Band Director in 8th Grade, to High School Marching Band, to him encouraging me to audition (FIRST, no less) for the vocal solo in the Jazz Band arrangement of Flashdance, What a Feeling which became my singing debut!  Insert cool memory here:  The first ever ZHS Jazz Band performance of that song was in the cafeteria of Zeeland Middle School, my Junior year of high school!  It was tradition that Jazz Band  performed once per year, during the lunches at the middle school.  I'll never forget the screams after I sang!  I became instantly addicted to singing and performing!  A few months, and a few songs with vocal in Jazz Band later, in a rehearsal Ritz says, "hang on a minute."  He leaves and returns with James De Boer, then Choir Director at ZHS and says, "Cos, sing that one again with the high notes in the end."  It was the Sergio Mendez hit, Never Gonna Let You Go where in the end it goes way up in falsetto.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, including Mr. De Boer who called me over to chat as the rehearsal was ending.  He walked me into the choir room, sat down at the piano, had me sing a few scales, then asked me to sing My Country tis of Thee.  When I finished he said, "audition results for Madrigals go up on my door tomorrow morning.  You might like to come take a look."  I left the room dumbfounded.  I think I just auditioned for Madrigals!  p.s.  I got in!

My mentors at CMU were amazing.  I entered life as a Music major a little behind in knowledge of music theory, but thanks to being blessed with good ears, I quickly caught up.  Dr. Jeffrey Foote was great to have as my private voice teacher.  He was a quirky, funny guy with a HUGE voice.  Nina Nash-Robinson (RIP) was fantastic to have as Choir Director.  She was such a sweetheart and everyone loved her.  So many other great professors to like Dr. David Gillingham and Moonyeen Albrecht.

My mentors at GVSU were also pivotal.  Ellen Pool was like everyone's mom (or grandma). Such a caring woman.  Dr. Charles Norris was one who really helped take my research and thesis project to the next level and because of him, I was the first ever GVSU student to receive a Master's Degree in Education with a Music Emphasis.

My mentor in rock and roll was Doug Timmer (aka Douglas Dee Zaster).  He taught me how to play guitar, how to run sound, how to record, and he was the first guitarist I ever jammed in a garage with.  We eventually formed ToVah with his cousin Bob on bass and enjoyed a couple years playing together throughout Central and Western Michigan.  I remember Doug explaining sound equipment to me while thinking, I'm never going to remember how to do this.  Well, most of it eventually stuck, and running sound is one of my favorite things to do today.

It would be impossible for me to thank every band member I've ever played with, but I feel it appropriate to give shout outs to the touring lineup of Paris Blue during the time when we had our biggest success.  Dave Caldwell, Pete Hoffmeyer and Bandleader, Dale Randall .  I may have been the one orchestrating who sang which harmony parts, but I always said that wasn't because I was the best musician in the band, it was merely because I had the education and knowledge of how to do it.  Dale let me handle that job but it was he who was always the best musician in Paris Blue.  Dale, it's been an absolute pleasure sharing the stage (off and on) with you since 1991!  You are a great friend and an even greater musician.  Thank you also to the crew of Paris Blue:  Scott Minkley-Sound.  I learned SO MUCH about running sound from you! Scott went on to become the monitor engineer for Metallica and has been Travis Tritt's Road Manager and Sound Engineer for over twenty years.  Also, Jeff "Bubba" Jaques-Lights and Billy Golden-Follow Spot and comedian.

Thank you to all my students, past and present!  In more ways than you could possibly understand, you have all helped me learn and grow as an educator in some way, shape or form.  It is a pure joy watching you mature into young adults.  Many of them now have families of their own (the 8th graders from my first year turn 38 this year).  Hey, send them to zeelandacademyofmusic.com for lessons, OK 😘?

I'd like to thank my wonderfully supportive wife, Sherry whose vision and knowledge of accounting and HR is at the heart of why I am able to retire from teaching public school right now.  Thank you, honey, for planning ahead way back in the late 90s.  I remember her saying, "you'll be able to retire when you're 52" and thinking to myself, yeah right.  I turned 53 this past May and could have technically retired at the semester this past January.  Thank you also for understanding that my passion for music and performing meant that I would be away from home multiple weekend nights per year until the wee hours of the morning.  Thank you for raising our amazing children without me during those nights when I was away (although, they were mostly asleep 😁).  Thank you for always being there.  I love you.

And, thank you to my children, Shauna, KaCee and Zachary.  You are all wise enough to understand that having a teacher/musician for a father meant that you wouldn't have me around as much as the other fathers in the neighborhood.  I thank you for that and I'm immensely proud that you have turned out the way you have.
I love you!

Michael Costello...
My musical partner in crime for the last 26 years in Cos & Cos!  My little brother!  Thank you so much for always being there for me.  For mentoring many of my former students through high school.  For taking up the vocal slack when I began having trouble with my own singing voice.  For always pulling the equipment trailer.  For being willing to take on the job of lighting engineer for both Paris Blue and Cos & Cos.  For being a very important and highly respected member of our extended family.  I love you and respect you way more than you will ever know.

Lastly, just like I have been doing in my concert programs for years, I'd like to thank my wonderful parents.  Looking back I realize it was YOUR love of music that originally inspired me to love music. I believe I was six when I received my first transistor radio (it's like receiving an iPod, kids!). WLS became my jam!  Top 40 Mainstream music has always been my thing. That lead to a string of K-Tel albums for birthday and Christmas presents. Then, eventually one of the most diverse orders, stylistically, from Columbia Record and Tape club.  Thanx Mom and Dad, for inspiring me to love music and for always being there for me!  I love you guys!

Thank you all,
Jeff

Entertainment: Why is it not part of the school music curriculum?

Hello,
I teach middle school choir in a Midwestern suburban school district in a very conservative area of the country.

If there is one thing my choirs do better than most, it's that they ENTERTAIN!  Why?  Because we ROCK!  And, we MOVE!

Parents, have you ever been to a school choir concert where you were not entertained?  Have you ever thought, "shouldn't this be fun and uplifting?  Shouldn't this be entertaining?"  If you've ever wondered why a school concert wasn't entertaining, I'll tell you why.

It's because there is absolutely no mention of the word Entertainment in any of the state music benchmarks or curricula.  If there are parts of the country that have entertainment as an included element, I am not aware of them.  I've been to choir concerts where the audience was forced to watch the director rearrange chairs on stage during the concert.  In the Entertainment Industry, this is called "Dead Air," and is one of the most embarrassing things for any entertainer.  In the TV or Radio industries, if you are the cause of Dead Air, it can cost you your job!

At the time of this writing (August of 2019) the Detroit Youth Chorus is in the semifinals of the TV show, America's Got Talent.  The DYC is a choir that is inspirational to the kids in my choir program becasue they perform similar music while utilizing similar choreography.  The music is mostly Pop, Rock and R&B (Contemporary Commercial Music).

I can pretty confidently state that the majority of school choir directors are, sadly, not fans of this awesomely energetic performing group.  Why, you ask?  Because they are not singing in the great Western European canon of choral music tradition.  They're signing modern music in the way it is supposed to be sung; with bright vowels.  Something that is generally discouraged in Classical Music and all traditional Choral Music. This choir, who is one vote away from the FINALS on a hugely successful American TV show, would likely not receive a First Division rating at an adjudicated Choral Festival event in Michigan (the state in which I also teach)!

Statistics show that within the next few years, the population of white students in the K-12 education system in the US will fall below 50% for the first time in the history of this country.  To think that it's still acceptable to only utilize the Western European choral tradition as the standard by which choral music is taught and evaluated is patently wrong and horribly outdated.  It's doing a cultural disservice to the (soon to be) majority of our students!

Additionally, studies now show that greater than 80% of all paying gigs (jobs) for singers are those singing CCM (pop/rock/R&B) styles. Yet, 90% (or more) of the Universities in the US only offer Classical/Opera or Jazz as options for voice majors.

It's time the US moved into the 21st Century in the area of Choral and Vocal Music Education!  The number of voice majors at the university level has dropped significantly in the last ten years.  We need to modernize our practices or our field risks going the way of the Dodo bird!

EDITING TO ADD...
In an added attempt to not be misleading, I feel I need to state the following:  I am NOT a proponent of only having school music groups perform Pop/Rock or modern, contemporary sounding music.  If the above comments have anyone thinking that is my stance, it is not. 

What Exactly Do You Do in the Summer?

Whew!

Big sigh of relief because school year number Twenty-Three is in the books for me!

As my Spring Choir Concerts have become larger and larger events with bigger and better production values, the last month (or two) of the school year has become an immensely busy time for me!  I'm generally working until 11:00 pm pretty much every night.

I do take breaks though.  How else would I be able to post my ramblings on Facebook?!?!?  😜

This June I've been asked this question more times than in past years, it seems.  Which is odd because I assume people who know me would  already know these answers, but I guess not everyone does and I suppose it's silly for me to think they would.

What do you do in the summer???

Answer #1:  I SLEEP!

In May I average about 5-6 hours of sleep per night, which for me is not enough.  In June, I average at least nine hours per night!  It's needed for recovery.  The past two years our Holiday Break has been shorter than two weeks and I'll tell you... it makes a difference in the way I feel in January.  I'm looking forward to a full two week break this year as it's important to recharge.  Your children deserve to have teachers at their best!

Answer #2:  I CLEAN!

This time around it has mostly been (so far) focused on the garage due to Zachary's HS graduation open house.  Lots of cleaning and painting.  I found it relaxing actually and even said to my brother, "I think when I retire from teaching, I'm going to become a tinkerer and a cleaner."  Now, to tackle that master bathroom sometime soon!  Oh, and I also need to attempt to get on top of the mole situation we have going on.  ugh...

Answer #3:  APPOINTMENTS!

We try to schedule all my Doctor, Dentist and Eye Doctor appointments in the summer.  And when the kids were younger, theirs too.  That way nobody has to take time off work.  Trust me, it's much easier to NOT get a substitute teacher than it is to get a substitute teacher (even though lately I've been utilizing the same one and she's great - and she knows I appreciate her).

Answer #4:  I TEACH!

In addition to my teaching job at school, I also teach private lessons.  I typically have about 6-8 students that come in either after school or on the weekends during the school year for 30 minute lessons.  In the summer, I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and my client load usually goes up to around 12-16.  Currently I have mostly voice students but also two guitar students and two young ladies working on songwriting in addition to voice.  I enjoy every minute of that type of teaching because I never have to monitor, manage or correct bad behavior which cannot be said about what it takes to teach a choir class of 65 thirteen year olds.  I also teach and present at the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™ at Baldwin Wallace University in the Cleveland area every July.  It's a nine day conference/workshop for Voice Teachers, Choir Directors, Singers and Speech Language Pathologists.  This July marks my eleventh year attending and my sixth year as being part of the faculty.  I'm also the sound engineer for the entire conference, which is a joy and an honor for me.

Answer #5:  I WRITE!

Although not nearly enough.  I need to write more blog entries (I have sticky notes with about three more solid ideas, currently).  I also need to write more music/songs!  As our children are now older, my summer duties no longer include things like changing diapers and preparing breakfast and lunch every day.  I need to replace that time with more writing time! 

Peace,

Cos

Life is Difficult in Middle School Choir Class

Hello!
It's been far too long since I have posted a blog entry.  Life can get so busy, as we all know. 

This evening, in my October Newsletter to the parents of my TWO HUNDRED and SEVENTY middle school choir students, I decided to up the level of transparency.  I decided I needed to really let them know.  To honestly let them know how difficult my job is when it comes to managing student behavior.  Here's what I sent...

Middle School Choir Class Environment...
I referenced this in the September Newsletter, and it's also the reason for the paragraph above this one.  
This is really important:  I need you to know that I have the single most difficult classroom management assignment in the district.  In an attempt to up my level of teaching transparency, let me explain...
All parents need to realize how CHALLENGING the middle school choir classroom environment is.  There are so many factors that make it more challenging than a standard classroom environment and the number ONE factor is simply, numbers.  My smallest class is FORTY students and my largest class is SEVENTY students.  A class with twice the students of a typical (25-32) sized class is not twice as hard to manage (behaviorally), it's EXPONENTIALLY harder.  Behavior management (also called classroom management) is the single most difficult aspect of being a MS choir director and is also the one thing I devote the most time to in class (come visit, you'll see) (it's also constantly discussed in the Choir Director Facebook groups).  Even good kids tend to misbehave occasionally when they are in groups this large (again, come visit, you'll see).  Another factor impacting behavior is that choir directors typically DO more than other teachers.  We play the piano constantly.  We read music constantly.  These things force us to have our eyes somewhere other than on the students in front of us.  This makes things very challenging when it comes to behavior management because we actually do NOT have eyes in the back (or, top) of our heads.  Another factor potentially impacting behavior is that in my room kids are approximately six inches from the kid sitting next to them (not three feet across an aisle like it is in their other classes).  This can make it much more tempting to talk, touch, poke, etc. a neighbor.  Another factor is the distraction that the iPad presents.  We read our choir music on the iPad (Green choir room!).  I tell the kids this is practice for when they are driving one day and they hear a notification on their phone.  They can choose to wait until an appropriate time, or they can look at their phone while driving.  We all know that distracted driving is a SERIOUS issue.  Please help me teach them to stay focused and not be distracted by games/images/websites when we are supposed to be looking at music on the iPads. 
In a perfect world, due to the size of my classes, we'd have three or four adults in the choir room at all times, including a full time accompanist.  Unfortunately, financially this is simply not an option.  
So... 
If your child receives an SRC referral from me, please don't be upset.  This is an opportunity to learn from a mistake in a challenging environment. Please do not try to get them out of the consequence as that is an important part of the learning process.  We actually WANT them to make mistakes so they can learn from them during these formative years so that they, hopefully, DON'T make mistakes when they are older.  If the adults in their lives attempt to swoop in and bail them out, not only will they not learn from their mistakes, but it will undermine my authority as Head Coach of the Creekside Choir program!  As mentioned above, behaviorally speaking, this is the most challenging hour of their day (and it's my ALL DAY).  Please discuss this with them.  We've been experiencing some pushing of the limits lately.  Ms. Merrill and I are working on helping them learn that chatting with a neighbor is actually disrespectful if it happens while the teacher is attempting to teach, or while we are working on music.  And let's remember a couple important facts as we help our adolescents learn how to function in large groups and in society in general...
1.  Just because you're the only one that got caught doesn't mean you're not guilty
2.  Attempting to use the phrase, "everyone was doing it" as an excuse is actually an admission of guilt

People who know me know that I absolutely LOVE my job and I absolutely ADORE my students.  It literally breaks my heart to have to occasionally use the SRC system to administer discipline, but sometimes it's absolutely necessary.  Again, please try to understand and be as helpful as you can as I attempt to help our youngsters learn how to navigate life in a challenging work (we WORK on our curriculum just like Math class, or a job) environment.  And again, please come visit.  It will shed tremendous light on everything I said in this lengthy paragraph. 

An Open Letter to My Young Voice Students

Dear teenage voice student,

Here is a blog you can refer to whenever you are unsure about what someone is doing, or what you are doing with your own voice on a particular song, and whether or not that's something that you should be, or should not be doing.  This is LONG, but important.  And this blog certainly is not intended to include ALL the answers when it comes to vocal technique, but is merely a step one listening guide.

First, please understand this...

Recent research in voice science is showing that it is risky for young singers (under 18-21) to belt regularly.  The definition of belt is, taking pure chest register up higher than the FIRST fence/passagio (E, just above middle C).  So, when I work with younger students (females, in particular) we work to lighten the middle/mix a bit.  Not permanently (you won't lose the ability to belt), but to give you more artistic, aesthetic, healthy choices for middle and high notes.  

For this critical, analytical listening, please use your best quality sound system, headphones or ear buds.  If you don't have a high quality set of headphones, you should ask for one for your birthday or Christmas, if your family celebrates those occasions with gifts.  It's important to have high quality listening equipment because of the level of clarity required to hear the subtle differences I'm talking about here.

Example One, Whitney Houston's debut album:  https://youtu.be/OtssG0CYv48?list=PL9Nuk30zTsfv3bJIq0tKXm-7nVi3KC0Zv

Some belty stuff in the first track, but not much.  The second song is very light and mixy and not shouty/belty at all.  Always ask yourself, "how loudly does it sound like she is singing?"  Adele = LOUD.  Tori Kelly = not as loud.  Tori and Ariana Grande sing in the same range and are both higher than Adele by quite a bit.  Adele is pretty heavy/chesty most or all of the time, except when she flips to head register.  Notice how Arianna's and Tori's voices are thinner and lighter up high, but still sound chesty.  That smaller sound is easier to take up high than the heavy belt that Adele uses.  

Example Two, Adele, Rolling in the Deep:  https://youtu.be/rYEDA3JcQqw

I know you've heard it a hundred times (or more) but really listen to her voice.  Remember the second biggest influence on which register we sing in is volume, and the third biggest is the vowel.  Notice almost every ee and ooh she sings flips to head register.  Especially on "rolling in the deeeeeeeep."  If her mix was lighter, she would be able to stay out of head register there.  Whitney became THIS in the end of her career.  See below...

Example Three, Whitney, I Will Always Love You:  https://youtu.be/3JWTaaS7LdU

Still a fantastic performance, but by this point in her career her mix became heavier (reasons why will be discussed later) and as a result, she became a "flipper."  She flips to head a LOT in this song.  But, it is often on the ooh vowel, which loves head register.  

You would hear the same types of things in Christina Aguilerra's and Mariah Carey's voices if you compared their debut albums (age 19) to their later albums.  

Example Four, Tori Kelly, Paper Hearts:  https://youtu.be/NO8zDm437Ls

Lots of light, mixy stuff here and no belting.  Her head register is a bit breathy but that may be an artistic choice.  She also utilizes a few of the "squeaky" sounds that voice teachers cringe when they hear, but like most extreme techniques (like distortion/rasp) if used sparingly, the voice should be able to handle it.

Example Five, Ariana Grande, Emotions (Mariah Carey cover):  https://youtu.be/UjzENV7rhhI

Much light mixy singing here.  In fact, her mix is a bit headier than most, and the lack of clarity in her words is the result of that.  Chest register is bright, head register is not.  She doesn't have nearly as bright a tone as Tori Kelly, so we can conclude that her mix is headier.  Also some breathiness, but I believe that is a choice.

So, lightening things in the middle is KEY to being able to sing powerfully for many years!  Please don't spend more then a few minutes per day in your super high, loud belty voice.  Your future voice is depending on you to make good decisions NOW!

Other factors...

All of these ladies had super heavy touring schedules.  Along with that comes meet and greets before and after the show, speaking to fans in loud environments (the worst!), morning radio and TV interviews, etc.  In short, they are constantly booked to do (speak or sing) something with their voices and that can become very stressful.  Add to that, the much publicized lifestyle choices that these three ladies made in their 20s and 30s (drugs and alcohol) and it's a recipe for vocal trouble.  

Conclusion...

As I stated in the introduction, this blog is only meant to be a conversation starter and by no means contains all the answers to what teenage girls should or should not sing.  I am available for consultations at parisblue3@gmail.com Feel free to contact me if you are interested in either Skype or in person voice lessons.

Know Thy Self, Kids!

It's that time of the year again...

The time of the school year when students decide whether or not to audition for spots in advanced performing arts classes in Band, Choir, Dance and Orchestra.  It's also the time of year when students decide whether to continue with classes in the performing (or, visual) arts, or to opt out for something else.

I've lived this many times over.  I've seen many great singers leave vocal music programs.
Why is this?

Why would a choir student who has been awarded solos in choir performances decide to walk away from an activity in which they excelled to the highest level?  I compare this to the quarterback of the football team just walking away from the sport.  Do we ever see that happen?  Have these talented singers just grown tired of singing?  In an unscientific estimation, I would say that if a student earned a solo on a concert, that student is at least in the top 20% of singers in their choir.  Why would anyone in the top 20% of anything walk away from it?  Would an all conference Shortstop walk away from baseball?

WHY?
This is the tough question.  The one even parents don't want to answer or tackle.  I get it.  It's a difficult thing.  My school district has experienced some amazing success in sports during the last decade.  We have also seen a strong push for academic rigor and many students are taking more and more AP courses.  When you have both of those things, enrollment in the Arts will suffer.  The athletes become our local heroes.  Everyone wants to be a part of that.  I get it.  I was a part of that as I was Shortstop on the baseball team and Quarterback of the football team when I was in High School.  This takes me back to the title of this blog entry.

Know Thyself...
As parents, we need to be more honest with our children.  And frankly, also with ourselves.  If your child is second string on the sports team and has also earned a solo on a concert in their music class, you need to consider the fact that there is a very real possibility that your child is more talented in music than sports!  If that is the case, or if there is even a remote possibility that might be the case, it's time to step up and make the RIGHT decision for your child and keep them in their Performing Arts class! As mentioned earlier, I was a starter in sports, but I eventually realized I was better at music.  When I was 12, I wanted to play Shortstop for the Detroit Tigers!  When I was 17, I wanted to play drums or sing in the band, Journey! Despite this change of attitude, I led the team in home runs my senior year! Sports + music = great!

We're too busy...
Middle School Performing Arts classes only require students to commit to about four evenings per year.  That is NOT a big commitment.  When you consider the brain development and the creativity involved in participating in a Performing Arts class, it should be a logical decision that it might be OK for your child to miss a few innings of a baseball/softball game in order to participate in a concert they've been working on for seven weeks.  After all, we are all here to make our children better people, and it's scientifically proven that music classes can help accomplish that.

The Future of Music?

I am concerned.

Greatly concerned...

I'm concerned for the future of music in this country.

I'm not talking about the fact that Classical music and Opera have been seeing reduced numbers in recent years.  I'm talking about mainstream, Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM).

When I look at advertisements for concerts and live music at bars, the performers are basically all my age, or older!  They are all in their 40s or older!  What does this say for the future of music (particularly, LIVE music) in America?

It seems to me that the younger generation is only interested in Hip Hop, or harder edged Rock.  In other words, there isn't the "in between" music that my generation grew up with.  There isn't a group of twenty-somethings on the radio playing music that sounds like Journey, Boston, Kansas or Styx.  And, that is very sad.

My hope is that there ARE indeed bands out there composing and recording this type of material, but they just aren't receiving the national attention that they should be receiving.  Perhaps enough of them will become YouTube savvy enough to get their material out there so that we can all enjoy it.

It's no great surprise that the CCM music of the 70s and 80s still lives on today and is recognized by ALL generations.

Elective Choices In Middle and High School

Kids today are forced to make very important choices at younger and younger ages in our society.

In my school district, 6th and 7th graders have two exploratory (as they are called in the Middle School concept) classes each day.  One of those two periods, is a rotation of Art, Computers, Physical Education and Spanish, each for one nine week marking period (which already sounds limiting).  Their other exploratory period gives them a choice of Band, Choir, Orchestra or a non music offering that is usually another PE, Computers or Art class, depending upon who is available to teach it.  Approximately 90% of 6th and 7th graders in my school district elect to take a music class.

About halfway through the school year, I begin the discussion with my 7th grade students on what the choices are that they will face as they select their two elective classes for 8th grade, as the options are MANY!  Predominantly due to increased High School graduation requirements, my district (and basically all neighboring districts) offers High School credit for Spanish I as a full year 8th grade elective and also High School PE/Health as a one semester 8th grade elective.  Band, Choir and Orchestra are all full year options, as is Dance, which is very popular in our district, especially with our girls.  Other options are to take another nine week rotation of courses including the ones from 6th and 7th grade like Art, Computers and PE.  But also a course called Choices which was originally part of the Home Economics curriculum (something that was completely cut from my school, due to budget restraints).  It's amazing how many 8th graders willingly quit a music program that they've spent two years building skills in to take the 9 week Choices class because... wait for it... they get to job shadow for ONE DAY.

But, the Choices class is far from the biggest issue at hand.  The biggest part of this conundrum is the fact that classes are being offered for High School credit at the Middle School level.  That's what's killing the arts.  I have had SEVERAL parents (and kids) tell me, "we are so sorry.  She LOVES your class and we LOVE the concerts, but she just cannot fit choir into her schedule for next year."  For many of these 13 year olds (YES, THIRTEEN), taking a HS class in 8th grade is the carrot.  It's a symbol of prestige and honor.  Especially for the high achieving academic kids.  The ones who also do VERY WELL in Music and the Arts.  And, the sad reality is that 90% of the time, once a kid opts out of an Arts program, rarely do they return.  Also at issue is the two year Foreign Language requirement for HS graduation in Michigan (although there is an easy way to opt out of the second year).  So, for the kids who take Spanish I in 8th grade, guess what the counselors will INSIST they take as one of their electives in 9th grade?  Why, Spanish II of course!  No student would want to wait a year, or two, between foreign language classes.  They'd forget half of it!  But wait... don't most colleges also require a foreign language credit or two?  If so, wouldn't it be most prudent to take your two years of foreign language in the Junior and Senior years, right before needing to take it at the college level?  And... this is assuming that ALL kids will go to college, which is silly!  There should be a one year foreign language track for non-college bound students. And, don't the Junior and Senior years have more elective choices and less required classes??  Why are kids cramming more classes with homework (and stress, and anxiety) into 8th and 9th grades (when they are less mature and ill-equipped to handle additional stress and anxiety) when they can take them in 11th and 12th grade when they only have three required courses!

When I have that discussion with 7th graders that I mentioned earlier, I do my best to explain to them that what they elect to take in 8th grade can, and often does, have a significant impact on what they can, or cannot, take as electives in 9th grade.  Invariably, a hand will go up into the air and the question always asked is, "But Mr. C. you're talking about 9th grade and we're picking classes for 8th grade.  I don't get it."  That's because they're 13 years old.  It's complex.  I typically have the same discussion in class, with many questions and answers, about four or five times during the second semester with both my 7th and my 8th graders.  Some get it.  Many do not, unfortunately.  Last school year I had NINETY students in 7th Grade Choir.  This school year I have FIFTY-TWO students in 8th Grade Choir (see the italicized comment above).  Understand my concern?  We have NINETY kids taking Spanish for HS credit in 8th grade at my school.  That's the equivalent of having another HUGE 8th Grade Band, or Choir.  Or, BOTH!!

What's most important is that kids get SOMETHING from their experience in school, other than a report cart.  Kids need to be a part of SOMETHING!  Sports accomplishes that for MANY kids and those that know me know that I played multiple sports all through school.  I was always a part of a team.  But, especially if your child doesn't participate in sports, encourage them to stay in music and the arts.  Encourage them to participate in after school Drama and Musical activities where they can be a part of SOMETHING, rather than just being a kid, floating down the stream of Middle School and then High School.  In the late 1980s (granted, graduation requirements were not as demanding) at my High School, there were 200 kids in Band and 150 kids in Choir with a total student population of 850.  Today we have over 1500 students in High School and we have about 215 in HS Band and about 100 in HS Choir (but that number is up by 30 for next year!!).

Friends and parents of current MS and HS students, please make the right decision for your children. Please STRONGLY consider, and reconsider any decision that replaces an Arts class with an academic class in a schedule where they already have at least four academic classes. Arts classes are about RELEASE!  Kids need a little of that during their school day.  It promotes good mental health.

Peace

Disclaimer:  I am clearly biased toward Music Education (especially if it's FREE and offered in a Public School!).  I am NOT an opponent of ANY other elective choices.  I feel they are all great and should be given MORE time in every student's daily schedule!  As an Art teacher just posted on my FB page about this, "More Arts, less Math!"  heh heh

Travel Sports

Travel Sports...

When I was a kid, parents that could afford it, spent a few bucks a week on music lessons.  Today, basically no kids take music lessons.  Instead, parents spend thousands on travel sports.

It's got to eventually come full circle, right?

Eventually, grandparents (or, someone with the wisdom to know better) will say to their adult children, "HEY, why are you spending $5,000 a year on travel sports for your kids when the odds of them getting a college scholarship (that's the goal, right?) are about the same as winning the lottery. 

The arts are losing!  And losing badly.  And it's really sad.  The fact that graduation requirements have increased in the past decade has also had a negative impact.  RIGOR!

I do believe it will eventually come back around.  Things always do, it seems. 

But in the meantime, many kids who take (and LOVE)  music in 6th and 7th grade, opt out of music in 8th grade to get a head start on HS by taking Spanish and PE/Health for High School credit.  History has shown that once kids opt out of music classes, rarely do they return, and that is sad.  Music classes provide a release from the stress of daily life.  Choir classes often also involve NO homework!  A high school counselor said to me recently that she wished kids would strongly consider taking AT LEAST one class, if not two, that involve minimal homework.  Music is also like therapy.  It's soothing.  It relieves stress.  

Other counselors wish kids would stay in music to relieve stress.  And help with depression. 

If there was a chance that suicide rates would drop as a result of ALL KIDS taking music classes, would it be worthwhile then?  

Every kid needs to be a part of something.  A community.  A family (especially if home life isn't the greatest).  Taking all STEM and AP classes while not being a part of a group after school is dangerous!  Too stressful.  Constant travel and weekend sports is also very stressful.  Parents, please consider keeping your kids in arts and music classes at school.  You never know.  It might just be enough of a stress reliever to really help your child get through high school without mental health issues.  

Babies/Kids/Big Kids

My middle child heads off to college in the morning.  It was touching that she decided to hang out with mom and dad this evening rather than hiding away in the basement like she typically does in the evening.

Sunday night I decided it would be a good idea to watch a family movie.  We have been doing family movie night on Fridays (when possible) for the past few years.  I realized Sunday, after returning from a weekend away with friends and family, that this might be our last opportunity for that tradition so we all sat down together and watched a movie about a drummer married to a redhead who quit his rock band to get a real job and raise kids!  We shared several laughs during the first fifteen minutes of the movie, as the characters were introduced and developed.

At the conclusion of the movie, I decided I needed to say something.  Now, mind you... I have these "lists" (see earlier blog post on "lists").  They are metaphorical, but basically state that there are lists of things you simply cannot tell a 12 year old, because they just won't understand.  There are also things you cannot tell a 20 year old.  A 30 year old.  Until one has lived long enough and gained enough life experience, there are simply things that just aren't thoroughly understood.  Then, when we reach a certain age, we say, "oh.... THAT'S what they meant by that."

What I said to my family (really, to my kids) was this...
When (married) people are in their upper 20s or 30s, they often decide to have babies.  BABIES. They decide to start a family and have kids.  KIDS.  They don't decide to have BIG KIDS (my youngest is 14).  The typical 26 year old doesn't have the life experience to even fathom what it might be like to have an 18 year old child.  They certainly don't DECIDE to have ADULT CHILDREN!  There is not a 30 year old pregnant couple (my age when KaCee was born) who has ever even considered what it might be like to send their child off to college.

But, I'm 48 and my reality is that I'm sending my second child to college tomorrow morning where she will study Art and Graphic Design while being a collegiate athlete (I'm two for two in that dept.  No pressure, Zac) as a bowler for Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan.

Chalk this up to something that would go on many of my "lists."  These are days we simply don't think will ever come.  I will do my best to celebrate tomorrow, while knowing it will be difficult.

My Musical History, Part One.

Hello folks,
First of all, I apologize for not writing in a few months.  I remember when I was student teaching, my supervising teacher had a handheld recording device, and occasionally, he would whip it out and utter something into it.  Something he needed to remember later.  I share that little story because I'll bet there have been about twenty times in the past few months where I had random thoughts of blog topics, only to either forget them, or just never get to them.  Middle age must be setting in!

I've decided to document the events of my musical life.  Perhaps so that, if in another decade, or two, I have trouble remembering which things happened when, I can revert to this document.  Hopefully, some of you find it at least moderately interesting.  One thing is for sure.  There are a few key events/occurrences in this story.  Things that if they had not happened, I would NOT be where I am today.  I suppose that's true with everyone, but I hope you enjoy mine.  Here we go!



As far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated by music.  Drawn to it, really.  I remember receiving my first transistor radio in 1973, at the age of six.  I enjoyed listening to WLS out of Chicago, and their Top 40 format.  Shortly after this, I began asking for records for Christmas and birthdays.  I was a big fan of the K-Tel compilations and I probably own twenty or more (still have them, too).  This was also the time I started listening to Barry Manilow with more interest.  I acquired about four or five of his albums during my elementary years.  I also remember really enjoying Disco music in the mid 70s.  I have to attribute that to the fact that it's incessantly simple beat (bass drum on all four beats) was easy for my young brain to latch onto.

It must have been in about fourth grade when I learned that in order to play drums in middle school band (and that's what EVERYONE wanted to play) you needed to take piano lessons.  So, I started lessons with Tim Oonk when I was in the fifth grade.  I believe he was a Freshman in college at the time.  I was a terrible piano student.  Basically, I started lessons much too late.  By this time I had already written my first song and was learning how to figure out songs by ear.  Being forced to slow down and read the notes, was incredibly frustrating and far from musically rewarding for me.  Today, I cringe at the thought that I quit lessons after only one year.

Sixth grade came and during the first week, anyone interested in band was to sit down and chat with Mr. Brouwer for a bit and be "fitted" with an instrument.  When he asked what I WANTED to play, I, of course, replied with, "DRUMS!"  I remember him asking about piano, but he must not have heard my reply clearly, because I believe he was under the impression that I had no (or, not enough) piano to play drums.  So, he said, "we'll put you down for trumpet, and we'll write 'drums' really small over here in the corner."  I left feeling confused (I was eleven).  When the schedule was posted, I was determined to attend percussion class and not brass class!  After the first brass class met, some of my friends told me that my name was called and that Mr. Brouwer wondered why I wasn't there.  I went to see him later and was given a Cornet to take home.  When I got home I spoke with my mother and she knew I was extremely disappointed. Here's when one of those key moments happened.  I inherit my non-combativeness from my mother.  Yet, she went to school the next day and spoke with Mr. Brouwer to make sure he understood that I had taken piano lessons, and, as a result of her conversation with him, I was allowed to be in percussion class!!  I played percussion in band until graduating from high school.

Middle school is also when one of my best friends introduced me to the band Journey (those close to me know this to be my all time favorite band).  He had an older brother who was into music and knew what was good as well as what was cool.  My first memory of Journey was hearing Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' on the radio which was actually Steve Perry's second album with the band.  I remember saying to my buddy, "I thought their singer was a girl."  My friend pointed out to me some TV shows (Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special) where Journey was playing.  I tuned in and immediately fell in love with the band and have been a fan ever since.  I remember trying to sing along with their material, and because it was so high, I needed to use falsetto (a high, breathy sound often used for effect by men, but rarely used for regular performance. Exceptions are Frankie Valli and the Bee Gees).  Because of singing in falsetto a lot, that part of my voice really strengthened and I ended up using it a great deal singing the high harmony parts in the bands I played in later in life.

 In high school, I continued to play drums in band, particularly enjoying marching band, where the drummers were often showcased.  I enjoyed both field and street marching, but felt that marching in parades was the most fun because of all the people.  It made you feel like a mini rock star for an hour!  In the tenth grade, a class called Jazz Band appeared on my radar.  The cool thing about Jazz Band was that the drummers played a DRUM SET!  Problem:  I did not own a drum set on which to practice.  I saved up and purchased my first set.  A used Sonar kit from Jim Ritenour, a guy who sold drums out of the screened in porch in his home in Allegan (Jim would later go on to found RIT Music with several stores in the West MI area.  There is still one in Holland).  I went on to play drum set in Jazz Band in both the eleventh and twelfth grades.  Jazz Band was easily my favorite class as a Junior in high school, but it would ultimately become tied for that rank my senior year.  In the fall of my eleventh grade year, our band director, Mr. Ritsema, picked out a song for Jazz Band that had a vocal (here comes another one of those pivotal moments in my life).  The song was Flashdance/What a Feeling from the movie Flashdance.  After giving us the music, he looked right at me and asked, "Cos, do you want to try the vocal solo?"  He had my mother as a student and knew she was a great singer who sang Climb Ev'ry Mountain (from The Sound of Music) at her high school graduation.  In hindsight, I can't believe I didn't respond with, "well, I don't want to go FIRST!"  But, I didn't.  I got up, grabbed the microphone and sang.  Scared to death!  The class was made up of mostly seniors, which made it even more scary, given that I was a junior.  Surprisingly, more than half the class ended up auditioning that morning, but I was ultimately awarded the solo.  I will never forget the first public performance of that piece.  It was in the cafeteria of the middle school where I currently teach.  The middle school that I attended a couple years prior.  The engagement was during lunch and was a Jazz Band tradition.  I remember most of the instrumental songs going well.  Some of the middle school audience seemed attentive but, as is typical with middle schoolers, there was not a great deal of focus on the performance.  That is, until we did the song with a vocal.  Apparently, I sang pretty well because I will never forget the applause afterwards.  Specifically, the screams from the girls.  That was a turning point for me, and a huge confidence boost (and another one of those pivotal moments).  Later that school year, I pointed out to Mr. Ritsema that the Sergio Mendez song, Never Gonna Let You Go, that we were already performing as an instrumental, would also work well with a vocal.  He allowed me to give it a try and I ended up performing it as a vocal duet with a female member of the band.  If you remember that song, the final chorus goes way up.  This gave me a chance to use that falsetto that Steve Perry helped me start building about four years prior.  We were rehearsing on stage for a concert later that evening, when Mr. Ritsema said, "wait a minute you guys," and left the room.  He returned with Mr. DeBoer, the choir director, sat him down and said, "listen to this!"  We performed the song again and at the conclusion of class, Mr. DeBoer called me over.  We chatted a bit and he walked me into the choir room, sat down at the piano, played, and had me sing some scales followed by My Country Tis of Thee.  He then said, "Well, the audition results for Madrigals (the top vocal group in the school) will be on my door in the morning.  You might want to come take a look."  I walked out completely bewildered and said to myself, "I think I just auditioned for Madrigals." (That was another REALLY pivotal moment)

As fate would have it, I was on the list for the 1984-85 roster for the Zeeland High Madrigal Singers (another one of those life changing moments)!  I had NO idea what to expect, having never sang in a choir and I have to admit, it was challenging at first.  I hadn't really played a pitched instrument since piano lessons (the girls always played the mallet parts in percussion), so learning to read vocal music was tricky at first, but I eventually got better.  I had a great time in "Mads" my senior year and earned several solos throughout the year.  Looking back, I wonder if I offended some of the long-time choir students.  I wonder if they thought, "Who is this new guy coming in and getting all the solos?"  Today, I am very thankful that they accepted me as one of their own and extremely thankful to Mr. James DeBoer for taking the initiative in my audition process.

Near the end of the first semester of my senior year, I was really not getting much from the computer class in which I was enrolled.  The bulk of the class was BASIC programming.  Very tedious and not for me.  I must have whined about my situation to Mr. Ritsema because he suggested I become a practicum (teacher's assistant) for Freshman Band, second semester, which I did by dropping Computers.  That raised my schedule to FOUR music classes!  I had to promise my guidance counselor that I was planning to major in music in college, in order for him to allow the addition of a fourth music class.

The musical highlight of my senior year occurred at the Tulip Time Salute.  The Salute was an event held at the Holland Civic Center (a 2500 seat venue) during Tulip Time.  A professional sound and lighting company was brought in to make it look, and feel, very professional.  The performers were all the local high schools' top groups.  That year, I had a drum solo with Jazz Band, a vocal solo with Madrigals on the song God Bless the U.S.A. (the first time it was a hit), a solo with the mass/combined choir, and my barbershop quartet brought the house down with Goodbye My Coney Island Baby (I had the high, falsetto note in the end!).  At the conclusion of my senior year, I was voted Most Talented, in the senior elections.

As a middle school music teacher today, I feel compelled to add the following as I have had several students, over the years, who struggle with the issue of "sports vs. music."
During ALL OF THE ABOVE (until very late in my high school career) my dream was to be a professional athlete.  Such a common dream for youngsters (boys especially, it seems).  It wasn't until near the end of my high school years that I realized music could, and would, take me MUCH further than sports could.

Peace

Pride

Pride

Why is it that some people seem to have too much of it, while others don't seem to have enough?

I'm sure we've all had run-ins with someone that ended badly, simply because of pride and principle.  That's not always a bad thing, but sometimes it can be.

I also see people who don't seem to really have any pride.  They don't seem to take pride in anything they do or create.  Why is that? 

Well, for an adolescent (remember, I've been teaching middle school for seventeen years), it can be difficult.  It is much easier for a middle school kid to take no stance, than to take a stand.  For, or against, anything.  just ride the fence.

I see it with their artwork.  We have students who create beautiful artwork, yet seem to be embarrassed to take it home on the bus.  Why on earth is that??  They should be proud of their work.  Especially, if that work has won some sort of an award. 

I remember once, after an awards assembly, finding one student's award for poetry crinkled up in the trash can.  What's up with that? 

It's because of what they think is cool, or not cool. 

What I don't see are sports trophies in the trash.  It's cool to be good at sports.  Most of the athletes are quite popular and beam with pride and self-confidence.  Shouldn't the kid with the starring role in the school play behave in a similar manner?  I sure think so.  But they don't.  Singing and acting, although loved by everyone as a SPECTATOR, simply doesn't receive as much respect, it seems.  At least in my small community, they don't.  Especially for the boys.  I constantly have to remind our male musicians to take pride in what they do.  Because they are GOOD!  They SHOULD be prideful.

Like with many things in life, there is a balance.  A delicate balance between not enough, and too much pride. 

Lists

The older I get, the more lists I have.  No, these are not the normal type of lists that remind one of things needed to be purchased or accomplished.  Rather, these are lists of things you "cannot tell people."

Not things that are inappropriate to say, but rather things that people won't fully understand at the time.

For example...

I have a list of things you cannot tell a 12 year old.  Cannot, that is,  because a 12 year old does not possess the wisdom and experience to understand the point you might be trying to get across.  I also have a piece of advice.  Do NOT tell them that they do not understand and will not until they are older and more wise.  Trust  me, this won't help the situation.

I also have a list of things you cannot tell an 18 year old.

A 25 year old.

A 30 year old.

Wisdom is something that combines knowledge, experience and maturity.   Until one gains a certain about of it, one just simply will not understand.

Mike Izzo said something similar today, at the conclusion of the MSU/VCU basketball game.  He said that until his team believes that they possess the talent and skill to go all the way, they will not.  He also said that he cannot be the one to tell them, because they won't believe him.  He then made the analogy of a 12 year old looking at you like you're crazy after telling them something.  He said, "you know, they look at you like you're the dumbest person in the world."

Have faith.  Someday, they will get it.

Time Flies

The understatement of a LIFETIME!!

Folks,
Time flies.  

I remember my father's mother (may she rest in peace) telling me, 20 years ago, "Jeff, every year seems to go by a little bit faster than the one before it."  Grandma Cos was a very wise lady, for sure.  She is still dearly missed today!

Recently, I heard a few advertisements on TV that made me sit up and question, "Oh my God, where has the time gone?"  These advertisements were for shows that started near, or shortly after, the beginning of the "Reality TV" era.

One was an ad for the talk show The View.  Now, to me, The View is a "new talk show."  It's obviously something that started long after Oprah started, as well as all the ones we remember from childhood (Mike Douglas, Phil Donahue, Merv Griffin, and later, Jerry Springer, Montel Williams, etc. etc.).  What boggled my mind was that the advertisement for The View stated it was their SIXTEENTH YEAR!  WHAAAT?  How can that be?  Like I said, I consider this to be a "new daytime talk show."  Now, I suppose Ellen would be a bit newer, but come on!  Holy cow, I just checked.  Ellen has had a talk show for TEN years.  Where has the time gone?

Another one was Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?  In learning that they have recently announced a new host in Cedric the Entertainer, I also learned that show first aired in 1999.  Fourteen years???  Really??

Then, the kicker.  The straw that broke the proverbial "you've got to be kidding me" back.
Dancing With the Stars is starting its TWELFTH SEASON!  Come on now, NO WAY, I thought.  Then a colleague pointed out that they basically do two seasons per year, so it's not exactly twelve years old.  That made me feel better.

But, I'll tell ya what, kids...
If you lead a busy lifestyle...  If you have kids that you have to transport to many and varied activities... PLUS, If you have hobbies yourself like bowling, golf, softball, fishing, hunting or crafting... the "middle years" of your life will simply FLY BY!

One day, you will be thirty (or younger), with two (or more) kids in daycare (which involves a ton of work and money, even though they are in daycare!).  And suddenly you will wake up and be in your mid to late forties and your youngest will be a teenager!  It's then when you'll ask, "where did the time go?"

It's crazy, this thing we call life on Earth.  Enjoy it while you can, kids, because it's wonderful, awesome and sacred.

I am secretly hoping my grandmother was wrong in her statement that each year goes a little faster.  I'm hoping things will slow down a bit as I get older, especially in retirement.  In reality, I'm betting Grandma was right.

So, as the kids say, "live while we're young!"