Warm up. It is very easy to spend time thinking of helpful and fun warm-ups for our singers, but we don't always apply that same care to ourselves. Of course, you don't have to warm up your voice and will probably be able to get through that one assembly, but in the long term not looking after your voice will not do you any favours.
Have a plan. Never show up to an assembly unprepared and make sure you have an idea of how you want to teach the song. You might want to teach the chorus first or tackle the most difficult part of the song before learning the verses. There are no hard and fast rules, but you may only have 15 to 30 minutes with your singers, so make the most of that time by preparing in advance.
Consider everybody. Gone are the days of the overhead projector with hundreds of sheets of acetate. Most settings will have some sort of screen to project lyrics on, but is this ideal for everyone? Consider the needs of your singers. Using a pastel-coloured background for on-screen text can benefit dyslexic singers. Making sure the font is bigger will be helpful for singers at the back of the room. Small adjustments can make a world of difference.
Move around. Don't feel like you have to stay at the front of the room for the whole assembly. Moving around will let you know who needs more instruction or support. If singers know you will be passing by, they won't be able to get away with not singing.
Involve your adults. Teachers should not just be sitting in assembly for behaviour management. They should be modelling the same behaviours for singing that you would expect from your young people. Take this one step further by giving them their own part to sing.
Empower your singers. If you have singers that are confident and have a good ear, use that to your advantage. Choose ‘part captains’. These are the singers who will help their section maintain their part while you sing with another section. They can also be used for demonstrations so that the rest of the group hears how the song should sound.
Give context. There is a reason that we choose the songs we do. Explain what the song is about. This will encourage singers to think about how they are conveying their emotions vocally. If they know a song was written for a celebration, they should sing with joy. If they know it's an emotional song, they should sing with solemnity – but they won't know if you don't guide them.
Teach as well as sing. It's okay to use your assembly to drop in extra knowledge or consolidate what you have already taught. Ask one of your singers if they can tell you what crescendo means and then get everyone to demonstrate. Tell them what dynamics mean and, again, follow with a demonstration in the context of the song. This doesn't have to take long and it's a great way to plug gaps.
Switch it up. Music assemblies do not just have to be for singing. At its core, it is simply a time to appreciate music collectively and that can take many forms. Get the school ensemble or a class to perform a piece. Call some professional musicians from your personal network to play for the group. Hold the assembly outside so the community can hear some beautiful singing.
Have fun! Music is great for wellbeing. Enjoy the sound of many voices coming together and appreciate your part in that.
Have you got ‘quick tips’ on an area of teaching you’d like to share? If so, email the editor at music.teacher@markallengroup.com
