Miss It? Mark It!

MISS IT? MARK IT!


Yesterday, I told you the ONLY way I have found to get my singers to all have pencils regularly in TOOLS OF THE TRADE, found here: http://bit.ly/2AHxGsC

Today let’s talk about using those pencils. I find that singers rarely mark their music except when I say, “Get out your pencil and mark this...” What a shame! I can’t blame the students completely. After all - education is so often about “the test” or “the score” that teachers present a “I’ll let you know what’s important” vibe.

Of course there are times we specifically guide score marking:
-Put the “T” on beat 3
-Put a breath mark after *this word*
-Mark that as an OH vowel

However, there are a lot of times students could mark their scores that only THEY know - when they miss something! Hence the phrase - MISS IT? MARK IT! If you’ve indicated a cutoff on beat 3 and the singer misses it, they should mark it. If they miss it again, they should mark it again. How many times? All the times. I want the music to look like it was found near an exploded graphite mine.

Choir Bites Interactive Slides can enhance online/hybrid lesson plans or be used as supplemental assignments. Your singers’ awareness will rise as they engage with these simple, “sticky” concepts! Click here to learn more! 

The marking of the score isn’t about having more marks on the page. Honestly, that just gives the singer more things to read. It’s about the fact that the student is engraving thoughts into their long-term memory, just as they might write out a poem to help memorize it. 

The brand Field Notes (they make pocket notebooks) has a slogan: “I’m not writing it down to remember it later; I’m writing it down to remember it now.” That’s how I see marking one’s score. It is a constant process in order to keep the singer engaged, and to capture improvements in their memory.

Marking the score also makes rehearsal more interesting. I find myself more engaged in the Sunday sermon when I take notes. It gives singers options when they aren’t singing during rehearsal - review markings, proactively scan upcoming areas, etc. Ultimately, singers are more successful when they are self-motivated to enhance their singing through written involvement. 

The sheet music shown in this picture belonged to one of my best HS students (who is now a choir director), Anna King. As you can see, she marked ALL THE THINGS. Well done, Anna!