Final Blog Post

In the final two weeks before the performance of "Fear Not Factor," the students of Hardin Baptist Church made their final preparations. In the last couple of rehearsals, I mostly worked with those children with speaking parts as they fixed the last few problem areas. During these rehearsals the students seemed eager for showtime, but they were also very distracted from the task at hand. Many times the other director and I put more effort toward classroom management than actually reviewing and rehearsing lines. However, instead of wishing I would never be teaching in an elementary school, the experience allowed me to come to the realization that I would love to direct a children's choir.
When the day of the show finally arrived, the young actors were both nervous and anxious to be on stage. We held one final dress rehearsal in the hours before the show and all of the children were working so hard to remember every line and every note. I watched and directed as each of the performers fidgeted with their costumes as they waited their turn to proudly say their lines on a "real" stage.
Showtime finally arrived, and the children were ushered backstage as an audience full of proud parents walked in. I looked around at the sanctuary full of people and the sets on stage and was reminded of the shows I was involved in when I was a young child. I remembered the feelings of anticipation and excitement right before show time and searching the audience for my parents while I was saying my lines or singing my song. For this show I took my place on the floor right in front of the stage where the soloists could clearly see me as I mouthed the words with them. As the show progressed, I found myself thinking of how proud I was of each and every child on that stage. The children gradually became more confident and more assertive with their individual characters and with their lines. I could see that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, and immediately after the show they ran to their parents to show off their costumes and take pictures. Each of the students had worked so hard for months, and their hard work definitely payed off. I was delighted to think that I had been a part of something so rewarding.
If I had to do this project over again, I would spend more time with the individual performers and soloists. I would work with the ensemble on the music itself, and I would teach a small ensemble the harmony parts. I also wish that I had more time to do all of these things, as I took on several projects this semester. I am glad for the time that I did spend directing the ensembles and teaching the soloists, but I also would have liked to excert more leadership with this show, especially with the music itself. Due to the fact that I didn't have as much time to spend at rehearsals, the other two directors were the main leaders for the students. However, I am satisfied with the show, and I am proud of each and every student. Below is a picture of the set directly after the performance of "Fear Not Factor."

Blog Post 5

In this post I will discuss the past two rehearsals with the students of Hardin Baptist Church. However, I will mainly focus on the most recent rehearsal, which occured on November 6, 2011.
For the rehearsal on October 30th, I aided another instructor in leading the music rehearsal for the 1st - 5th grade students for about 45 minutes. Together, the other instructor and I taught the students two new songs and reviewed the songs that they already know. I noticed that the students are becoming more and more excited with each rehearsal and are singing every song with increasing confidence. I really enjoy seeing the progress the students are making with this show.
During the second half of rehearsal, I took the students who have lines and led them in a rehearsal of scenes 1-3. Some of the students were having problems with the dialogue. They had most of their lines memorized, but they hadn't memorized their entrances, so I had to feed them the beginning of their lines. We stopped and started several times, but by the end of rehearsal each of the students had progressed significantly in their understanding of where their lines fit into the story.
In the most recent rehearsal on November 6th, I was the only music director present and I led the full music rehearsal for all age groups. We mainly focused on the memorization of all the songs the students have learned so far, so I only allowed them to look at their papers if they absolutely had to. We sang the songs with the CD (with voices) first, and after a run-through we sang the songs again with the CD that had the music only. The students were doing well with memorization, but for the first part of rehearsal I seemed to be the only one that was energized and excited about it. The students seemed timid and distracted, so instead of just asking them to sing louder (in which case the response has always been shouting) I challenged each of the students to sing louder than I was without shouting. Some of them told me that they would not be able to sing louder than me, but I reassured them that surely if they all sang together they could "beat" me. It became a fun little game. Each time the students would become unsure of themselves and sing so softly they could not be heard, I would challenge them again to best me, and each time the students began singing with more confidence, as they were more focused on the game than on their insecurities with the song. I thought the rehearsal overall was a success, and I may be using this idea in the future.
Below is a link to a study by Loyola University on children's memory and their varied abilities to remember information and events.
http://www.luc.edu/childrensmemory/skilled_remembering.shtml

Blog Post 4

The cast of the Hardin Baptist Church Christmas musical, "Fear Not Factor", did not meet last week, so I will talk about rehearsal on the 16th of October.
This week I led the rehearsal of the older students (1st-5th grade) along with another director. The students are participating more and more with each rehearsal, and they are starting to get really excited about the show. Some students have started asking questions about their costumes and whether or not they will get to sing a solo. I am very pleased to see how well these students are progressing.
However, for this blog I will primarily discuss Student A, as she has the role of Mary and I gave her a private lesson during the last rehearsal.
At first, Student A was slightly timid and I could barely hear what she was singing. However, she sang confidently along with the CD, and I knew immediately that it was not an issue of knowing the song, but an issue of projecting with confidence. I told her to make her best siren noise and to stand up straight and tall like she was royalty. She immediately fixed her posture and immitated my model of a siren noise, albeit after some coaxing on my part. I asked her to sing part of the song again, and I was so proud of the improvement she made in such a short time. She was so much more confident, and I could hear and understand every word she was singing. It made me think back to my first voice lesson and how reluctant I was at first to make all of those silly sounds, but it also made me think of how happy I was with myself once I realized I was improving. The smile on Student A's face showed that she was feeling exactly how I felt after a good lesson. I cannot wait to see how much farther she can go!
Below I have posted a clip of songs from the "Fear Not Factor" musical.

Blog Post 3

This week the students were expected to come to rehearsal and have learned (or at least listened to) the first song of the show and another song. They also learned movements to those two songs. I walked in as rehearsal was just beginning and immediately I was asked to run through the new song with the older students as the other director stepped out for a moment. As I was leading them in singing, I pictured myself conducting a children's choir at some point in the future, and I realized again that I really enjoy teaching children music outside of a classroom. When the other director came back into rehearsal, she and I co-directed the children in a run-through of both of the songs (with movements). I watched as each student mimiced our movements and sang along and I saw the joy in their faces as they sang. It reminded me of my reasons for choosing to be an education major over business or performance. We went through the songs a few more times, after which the students were allowed to take a break and play in the "Barnyard" (a playing area for all of the children) for a little while. After staying with them a few minutes, I left the older students in the care of one of the other directors and went back upstairs where the younger children were still rehearsing. As I walked in, the teacher was leading them in singing the first song a capella before allowing them to sing with the CD. I walked over to her and began helping her lto ead these children in singing. I noticed that many of the children would watch every move I made, as if they were trying to decide if I was really there or not. I had to chuckle to myself as I gave them each a big smile and put a little more enthusiasm into the movements we were teaching. I remember being that young and scrutinizing every new person that walked in the room. After rehearsal, the younger students got their chance to play in the "Barnyard", and this time they wanted me to play with them. I am really growing attached to these kids, and I believe they will eagerly learn this musical and be wonderful little performers!
Below I have posted the link to Hardin Baptist Church's website, specifically their children's ministry:
http://www.hardinbaptist.org/ministries/preschool-childrens-ministry

Blog Post #2

These two weeks have been about getting organized and the very beginning rehearsals. I typed the lyrics of all of the songs for the children (as most of them do not know how to read music) and we handed out the activity packets for those who showed up early to their first rehearsal. The children were extremely excited to find out who was going to play a role with a speaking part. This made me think of the excitement in beginning a new show, and I quickly realized that if I were the teacher or director of a show, I would have to get everything organized very quickly for the first rehearsal, as the excitement can (and usually does) lead to a slightly less productive rehearsal. As the children began putting away their activity packets to save for next time, the other directors of the show announced that to celebrate the beginning of the musical, we were going to have a "Christmas party" complete with homemade cupcakes and Capri Sun. I thought that this was a very effective way to establish a fun atmosphere for the children (it was also a good way of saying "Come join our show...we have cupcakes!"). Later in the rehearsal, the speaking parts were announced and the students with those speaking parts received their scripts and read through the first couple of scenes before the rehearsal ended.
The next week's rehearsal was the start of learning the music for the show. The oldest and youngest children were separated and went to different rooms to rehearse. I was asked to go with the younger children, and they were all smiles as I handed them their coloring packets. I noticed that in the beginning of each rehearsal, the CD with the soundtrack of the show is constantly playing in the background. I thought this was fabulous, especially for the little children who cannot read, for they were soon dancing and singing the songs without realizing that those were the songs they would have to learn for the show. I had not thought of this technique before (when directing a children's show). I knew that they would have to learn the songs by rote, but this technique took that one step farther. I also got the chance to teach the young children part of the first song they are learning. It was such a wonderful experience watching the light bulbs come on as each child slowly realized they mastered a portion of the song. It was all the other directors and myself could do to keep them standing still as we taught them the chorus, they were so excited. Next week the children are learning the rest of the first song plus another song. I can't wait work with the children again and see all of the excitement on their faces!

Above is a picture of a child singing in church. The look on his face is similar to many of the "singing faces" of the children I worked with this week.

Blog Post 1

I have spent the last couple of weeks getting organized and preparing for auditions and rehearsals. These preparations have included creating and making copies of activity booklets for the children to do when not rehearsing, typing the words of the music for the children to read in rehearsals, and managing auditions. We have had our first rehearsal, but it was mostly about getting the students excited about singing in the musical. We handed out scripts, and the children really seemed to enjoy learning the story line and finding out which part they received. While the director was reading through lines with the soloists, I was observing and typing the lyrics for them. I noticed that all of the students were eagerly waiting for their turn to read, and they were all focused and following along. This made me think of when my church performed a Christmas musical and I got the chance to be a part of it. All I could think about for a week before the performance was the show. "Do I know all my dances? Are all my lines memorized? I can't wait to sing in my costume!" Looking at the children that were just as excited as I was made me excited to be a part of it and give these children this opportunity.

Above I have pictured a group of students performing in a show and giving it their all. I cannot wait to see these students doing the same thing at the end of this project!

Social Media Post

I believe that as a responsible user of social media, I must maintain a professional image for myself. I must not discriminate against any other person and I must respect the privacy of others. When blogging or posting about an organization or group, I must first obtain their permission and never mention specific names of members.

When posting, blogging, or participating in social media, I must always be professional and I must never use profane language or use social media (blogs or Facebook) as a tool to hurt others. I must never post questionable pictures of myself or of other people. If I want to post a picture of another person, I must first acquire their permission.  When posting a status or creating a blog about my experiences and that status or post involves another person or group of people, I must not include specific names unless I have permission to do so, and I must never speak of them in a compromising manner. I must always respect the privacy of others and I must not post anything about a person if they request to remain off of the post. When I am posting about someone, even if I am not mentioning any names, I must not discriminate against that person and I must not speak negatively about my experiences with them.

In short, when using social media, I must always remain respectful to others and maintain a professional image for them and for myself. I must never discriminate against another person and take responsibility for any post or blog I create.