As last week's Wednesday's weather was cold and snowy, this Wednesday decided to be balmy in the 60's! Such is the weather in Virginia.......Referencing last Wednesday's blog of 12/5, you will see the theme for this month of Wednesday's is SINGING and CAROLING! (as there seems, in my mind, no other month when choral music is given such prominence on the airways and in the schools...but I could be wrong!)
Below are the results from three questions that were asked in the MENC on-line Question of the Month. (and beneath all the survey results are a few interesting articles/resources.....)
In the November Question of the Month, we asked folks if they participated in choirs in their schooling. Here are some of the results out of 468 responses:
Did you participate in school choir at any stage during your k - 12 schooling? 89% yes; 8% no
If so, why? 83% loved to sing; 43% for camaraderie; 3% needed to take a music class, it was the best choice; 4% had to.
If you did not participate in choir, why? 2% too busy, other electives/courses took precedence; 7% was mostly an instrumentalist and my course choices reflected that; 1% didn't think I had a good enough voice; 1% shy/not certain about trying out/joining; 2% never had an interest in choral singing; 0% couldn't get into the choir, although I did try
If you participated in a school choir, do you still sing in any sort of group now? 26% yes, adult community ; 54% yes, church or other religious group; 13% yes, show/theater group; 12% yes, other: 20% no
If you did NOT participate in school singing groups, do you now, or did you ever, after graduating high school, participate in a singing group? 22% yes 1% no
If yes, what kind? 19% : a. church or other religious group 12% : b. community 18% : c. collegiate 2% : d. other: 
We also asked in the November survey about working with boys in choir in grades 6 - 9:
Have you worked with boys in grades 6 - 9? 87% yes; 12% no
If so, have you noticed a drop in boys' participation in chorus during these grades? 69% yes ; 17% no
To what do you attribute any drop off in participation? 50% stigma of singing in a group; 50% embarrassment about voice and changing voice; 61% competing activities; 14% other
If you teach/conduct a choir at the middle school grade levels (grades 6 - 9), what percentage of your choir(s)/groups are boys? 18% of respondents said 0 - 10% of their choir was boys; 13% said 11 - 15% were boys; 8% said 16 - 20% were boys; 9% said 21 - 30% of the choir was boys ; 8% said 30-40% of the choir was boys; 5% said 40 - 50%; 1% said more than 50%; 2% have a boy's dedicated choir/singing group
If you teach/conduct a choir at the high school level (grades 9 -12), what percentage of your choir(s)/groups are boys? 9% 0 - 10%; 7% 11 - 15%; 8% 16 - 20%; 8% 21 - 30%; 4% 30-40%; 3% 40 - 50%; 0% more than 50%; 2% have a boy's dedicated choir/singing group
Stay tuned for next week's Meanderings when we highlight some amazing boy singers!
Continuing with some new comments from this Month's Question of the Month, here are some more thoughts sent in by members regarding Sacred music in the schools and holiday concerts:
Although I would like to have the option of including a sacred number on my program to give the children a more balanced experience; I fear that if I push this issue that I won't even be able to do a holiday concert. All the holiday and winter programs at the elementary level in my city seem to get a great deal of scrutiny. There were even letters to the editor of our local newspaper concerning the inclusion of sacred music in an elementary program two years ago! It is amazing however that when children move from the mandatory elementary chorus to an elective audition chorus in my city at middle and high school, this problem goes away! When I taught Middle School, I could include a sacred choral piece on my programs with no complaint from any parents or administrators. This is still true today for the current secondary level chorus teachers. My theory on this is that most of the parents of students who continue with a performance organization at the secondary level either participated themselves when they were young and thus know what to expect on a secondary level program and/or that they are better informed musically and want to hear their children perform a higher quality of repertoire on concert programs.
I have had no problem with using Christmas music, both sacred and secular as long as it is used for teaching purposes and I include other holiday music for Hanukkah and other December holidays. When a parent asked why can you tell the story of Hanukkah but not that of Christmas, I realized I was erring on the side of caution. Now I include both parties and have received quiet praise from Christian parents who are so glad to hear the story being told along with other faith's stories.
The curriculum states that we teach and perform both sacred and secular music, because all music in the schools can be utilized for useful instruction!
I feel that my district has pushed us so far into being politically correct (our "rule of thumb" is to avoid any mention of Jesus, Mary, or the manger) that the music has become quite watered down. This is especially noticeable at the high school level, where if there is any focus on Christmas, it is on the commercial aspect (Santa, etc) instead of Christ. Many excellent choices become void due to the rules imposed on us.
We are painfully careful to discuss whether the music is sacred, secular, or seasonal, and to focus on the history of each piece. Children are told that if they are not allowed to sing a certain piece, they do not have to do so, but are still expected to listen to the lesson. We try to speak about customs for many different holidays around the world, not just Christmas/Chanukah.
I think it depends on the area. In this rural community, it is not a problem to incorporate sacred songs at any time- and most students that are non-Christian have parental permission to learn the songs. Sacred music is such a wonderful resource, especially with rich harmonies. It is so sad that many schools/teachers do not have the ability to utilize it. 
We have a very diverse student and staff population. From Muslim to Catholic to Jews, everyone unites to perform our winter concet. We sing all types of songs from year to year including some more religious pieces at times. Luckily, we look at these pieces as works of art rather than a religious evperience in our school.
I have several students whose religious preference prevents them from singing anything that is seasonal or mentions various names of God. I worked out with the parents and students that they could self monitor and when it was not appropriate for them to sing in class or in a concert, the student could step to the hall with a book or put on a pair of earphones and listen to music that was appropriate for that student. This has encouraged all the students to try chorus.
I talked with one of my principals about this issue. He contacted the state and they said that if I was teaching the music as music ie. notes; rhythm; pitch; history etc. then there would be no problem with the music selection.
I try to be sensitive and inclusive to all religious backgrounds-some conservative Christian parents want MORE religious repertoire included--some school staff told me they don't like Kwanzaa songs--my black principal wants more "multicultural" songs--so I just keep juggling each year
It is easy to find great music that is not religious in nature, that celebrates the seasons, world cultures, and the human longing for peace. I work for variety in my programming for my public school, and I believe we succeed in reaching out to every student and family.
Program needs to be carefully and sensitively selected so all audience members feel respected. I still perform Christmas music along with everything else. Particularly for high school students, choral repertoire of the Western world is Christian in nature and should be performed. What is the alternative, setting it aside forever?????
I'm actually getting a bit tired of programming an annual December "HannuKwanzaaMas" concert. (No, we don't call it that; I'm being facetious.) I'd rather just program quality literature, period. If works happen to have a holiday association, fine. If not, also fine. But that's in my "ideal world". In the real world, if I choose a "Christmas" piece, then I'd better also choose a "Hannukah" piece and a "Kwanzaa" piece. Balance the whole shpiel with some secular winter songs and *poof* a politically-correct concert is born. Ugh.
If you think about it and wish to do a Christmas program and don't want to "offend", because there wouldn't be a holiday at this time if it wasn't for Christmas, have it as a history of music for this time of year. History works for me.
About three or four years ago, my district convened a Sacred Music Committe comprised of administrators, music educators, and community leaders, and it was decided that no songs mentioning a specific deity would be performed at elementary concerts during the months of December and January. I felt that was stupid and arbitrary -- literally limiting it to two months. Either ban sacred music from performance, or don't. Being Jewish, and growing up as the only Jew in my entire school district, performing all kinds of sacred and secular Christian music, I feel that NO sacred music belongs in concerts -- at least not at elementary level. I can understand the need to study & perform the masterworks at an older age, for the sake of the music, but I firmly believe in the separation of church and state. If you want your choir to sing sacred Christmas songs, direct a church choir. That said, I jokingly refer to my December concert as the "non-denominational, all-inclusive holiday concert", because that's what I strive to make it. This year's chorus concert includes two Hanukkah songs, a winter song, two non-denominational holiday songs, a Kwanzaa song, two secular Christmas songs (one in Spanish), and a combination Christmas/Hanukkah song. If I could find a Feast of Eide song, I'd include that, too -- but the Muslim community feels about sacred songs the way I do: they belong in the house of worship, not in public places.
I choose repertoire that is balanced and inclusive of many cultures (including Christianity, although that seems to be out of vogue). If I choose music that is religious in nature, it is for the artistic and/or educational value.
ARTICLES/RESOURCES
Berklee School of Music Blog: The Berkleemusic blog network brings together music industry professionals, music educators and Berklee online school faculty members to discuss current events relating to the music business, music production, songwriting, music theory, performance and online education
British Campaign to RETUNE YOUR EARS, in the "HEAR HERE!" movement! 12 months to "refocus attention on the ear, in a society increasingly dominated by the eye". Daniel Barenboim: "We live in a culture where we are bombarded with imagery and information, and are neglecting our ears in favour of our eyes".
MEET the energetic, brilliant young musicians who make up a good portion of the LA Philharmonic..... The principal oboe player says "Playing with this orchestra is extraordinary - really singular in terms of the level of enthusiasm - and dare I say it, enjoyment...the audiences that come to our concerts tend to be a lot younger and appreciate intelligent music. I've been astounded by the mind-set here".
HAVE A GOOD WEEK, SEE YOU NEXT! SR
