Let’s face it: you only do this job if you love it.
Here are seven things I love about teaching choir (for Valentine’s Day).
- Transcendent musical experiences. Helping students make beautiful music that they’ll never forget.
- Teaching theory. I admit it: I love it when I see a student finally get a music concept. Modes, scales, chords, part-writing, composing, arranging.
- Exposing students to great music. I adore watching my students hear Chanticleer, The Real Group, even Mozart for the first time and seeing emotions wash over them.
- Teaching life. It’s true: for all the focus on intonation, vowels, tone, and phrasing, we’re really teaching our students about life and how to live.
- Seeing Former Students Succeed. Whether it’s as a choir teacher, musician, political operative, homemaker, business owner or anything else, it’s a blessing beyond compare to watch students achieve success and knowing you had a small part in ushering them into adulthood.
- My Colleagues. Music teachers are the best colleagues; even though I only see most of them a few times a year (or less…), I am constantly inspired and blessed to work alongside them in this profession.
- My kids. They are my kids after all…my students who inspire me, exasperate me, are always on my mind. They are what make this entire journey worth it.