Mr. Armstead is clearly a master at keeping his class moving, in more ways than one. I admire how seamlessly he used chanting between activities and vocalizing to not only keep the attention of the choir, but also to keep them listening and thinking in a musical way. He kept them moving physically as well, such as when he had them moving their arms when they were singing, which helped with the choir's phrasing and vocal production. Also, when he asked the girls to sing with bent knees, I thought it was really cool that he also conducted with bent knees. I feel like that must give the girls permission to move without feeling self-conscious, and to establish more of a problem-posing model of education rather than a banking model, with an emphasis on learning together. By exaggerating his own movement, he makes it okay for them to move.
I also liked the way he integrated a school requirement that might at first seem like a burden. The daily reading is not only a great way to integrate a skill not always found in a music class, but also a great way to address important topics in life and talk about them in a meaningful, safe way.
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