Popular Music in Choir: Helping Students “Find Their Voices”

Abstract

Despite renewed interest in a cappella singing in mainstream culture, there are relatively few opportunities for vocal students to participate in popular music in choir, especially while using the learning processes of real-world musicians. In this article, we describe possibilities for using popular music to support singing with good technique, developing music literacy, and exposing students to new repertoire. Additionally, we explore how choir teachers can incorporate popular music into their classes using student-led creative projects as well as how they can develop parameters and scaffolding to help facilitate students’ learning in these activities. Finally, we include practical strategies for choir teachers at any level and describe how these projects have helped our students “find their voices” by developing their musicianship and expressing their creativity.

Validitas E-Modul Berbasis Website Pada Mata Kuliah Paduan Suara: Studi Penelitian Pengembangan

“…Pembelajaran paduan suara menjadi hal yang penting dan wajib dikontrak oleh mahasiswa karena kegiatan paduan suara muncul diberbagai aspek kehidupan manusia saat ini. Paduan suara dapat dijumpai di sekolah, tempat kursus, atau komunitas tertentu, misalnya ibu-ibu PKK (Kastner & Menon, 2019;Nugroho et al, 2023). Pada aspek pendidikan formal, paduan suara dapat dijumpai pada pelaksanaan upacara bendera hari Senin (Mita, 2021, p. 42) menyatakan bahwa dalam aspek regili, paduan suara muncul dalam proses ibadah umat Kristiani di gereja.…”

Cultural Identity in Choral Performance Through Digital Media

“…The non-musical components actually enrich and increase the audience's appreciation of the choir performance. Kastner [3], explains that the presence of non-musical components can actually improve the quality of choral performances. Acker [8], were inspired by a statement by Campbell and Wiggind, editors of The Oxford Handbook of Children's Musical Cultures, which describes the existence of different musical experiences and diverse child populations around the world.…”

“…Not infrequently, many choirs today start collaborating with other parties to prepare for participation in international festivals, such as choreographers and costumers. The existence of this non-musical component is seen as being able to improve the quality of choral performances and the appreciation of the international community [3].…”

The right choice of choral repertoire - a weakness or good opportunity for encouraging students’ musical talent development

“…Although the repertoire should represent a variety of styles and periods (Núñez, 2012), a good opportunity for enriching the repertoire is also the selection of folk songs -traditional songs (Kastner & Menon, 2019), because RAST MUSICOLOGY JOURNAL | WINTER 2022, 10(4) 463-480 through them we can offer students a more complete knowledge of the choral heritage and a better and more comprehensive appreciation of choral art (Guy, 2001), and as Kodaly states "these songs are the musical 'mother tongue' of our students" this kind of music from the oral tradition provides a rich material for learning about the history of our country and the daily life of our ancestors (Wilson, 2003). However, folk songs should be carefully selected to reflect high quality.…”