Your Teacher Identity
The Chorister • Fall 2021 | 6
W
hen it comes to being a choral educator, one of the most important features contributing to your success in the classroom is your teacher identity. In establishing your teacher identity, you should ask yourself three fundamental questions: 1. Who do you want to be as a teacher? 2. What is your desired choral sound? 3. What are the goals you have for your students?
Many new teachers just starting out may lack clarity when it comes to these questions. For some, this lack of clarity results in the imitation of their past teachers or colleagues copying their teaching style, preferred tone, and classroom demeanor. There’s nothing wrong with imitation. However, by copying others we present an inauthentic version of ourselves to our students. Several years ago, as a new teacher, my teacher identity lacked clarity. Having observed successful teachers throughout my musical development I believed my teacher identity should emulate their classroom persona. For those reading this, you may feel like you need to be exuberant, eccentric, authoritative, commanding, entertaining, etc. In my own experience I felt a disconnect between the false eccentric persona I was trying to portray, and who I was as a person. Over time I came to realize that my persona of calmness and patience was a perfectly acceptable and effective teaching persona. And my faux exuberance was only preventing me from achieving optimal success as a teacher. In terms of your desired choral sound, new teachers are more often guilty of imitating their past teachers and current colleagues. Again, it’s perfectly acceptable to imitate the tone of your teachers. But it’s also important to carefully consider the tone you want from your singers, and fully understand the methods used to achieve that desired sound. For some, the tone asked of you in your collegiate ensemble may not be appropriate for a middle or high school ensemble. Knowing how to achieve your desired choral tone is a challenge and takes time. As you begin your career in choral music continue to expand your knowledge of tone development through reading, listening to podcasts, and attending seminars. Finally, consider the goals you have for your students. This is significant as it will determine the focus of your class, as well as the activities you choose to imple-
