The Importance of Integrating the Arts: Fostering a Love for Choral Music

In my own experiences at performing arts middle and high school, creative art integrated thinking was embedded into the curriculum. Throughout high school, choir served as a unique period in my day in which I felt intrinsically motivated to work hard, contributing to a choral group that demanded excellence. My own experiences fueled my motivation to create a learning environment for a high school choir, based on Alfie Kohn's ideas set forth in chapter eleven of his book Punished By Rewards (http://la.utexas.edu/users/hcleaver/330T/350kPEEKohnCh11table.pdf)

A video of my High School choir performing Eric Whitaker's "Sleep": https://youtu.be/0iORi6pTzpg  

When a student walks into class, regardless of how interested in choir they are, educators have the opportunity to motivate them. As Khon writes, this means changing our questioning from “How do I motivate students” to, “how do I get these kids motivated?”. Every student has the potential to be intrinsically motivated about choral music, and when teachers remove grades, pressure, and expectations for performance and instead fill students with love for music and motivation to perform well, students are empowered work hard because they are intrinsically motivated to do so. 

    

How can educators remove rewards in a High School choir class? If choir teachers are required to grade students, they may limit the options for grades to two. In this sense, students are given the opportunity to receive either an A (they showed up to rehearsal or performance) or incomplete (they did not show up). Discouraging competition between classes and a sense of inferiority is essential. An educator may label different choirs in a way that does not place one above the other, but rather categorizes them in a way that makes each one integral to the next. For example, one may have a men's chorus, women's chorus and symphonic chorus in which the men and women's chorus may not necessarily be as advanced as the symphonic chorus. 

One of the main takeaways from chapter 11 of Kohn’s Punished By Rewards is his emphasis on self-determination. “When you deprive a student of self-determination, you deprive them of motivation,” writes Kohn. Allowing students to lead choral warm-ups, break into sectionals, practice on their own, choose the pieces they want to learn and have a say in how they are being graded, is essential for students to develop intrinsic motivation.

Art has long been recognized as an essential part of holistic education, but when it comes down to budgeting, the arts are often disregarded. The visual, performing and musical arts programs in several public schools have been cut entirely during the last recession, despite the many studies proving that exposure to the arts can benefit from academics. There are a small number of schools that are taking the research to heart, weaving the skills into everything they do and finding that the approach not only boosts academic achievement but also promotes creativity, self-confidence, and school pride. 
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/38576/how-integrating-arts-into-other-subjects-makes-learning-come-alive

I can genuinely say that choir at my High School had a lasting impact on my appreciation for the arts. Through an all-encompassing approach, my director allowed students of all walks of life an outlet from daily struggles in and outside of school. It was, and still is inspiring to view the successes and upward mobility of so many of my good friends, due to their experiences and professionalism that they learned in the choral classroom. I can only hope that Public Education Systems will begin to recognize and prioritize the integration of the arts throughout education.