What’s the Hardest Month of the Year in Teaching?

I was watching a video of recently where teachers were asked, “What is the hardest month of teaching?”  Here in the midwest, I get it when teachers respond January of February, as the beginning of January to spring break in March is the longest that we go without a significant break.  And winter in the midwest is AWFUL!

I can also say why teachers would respond with October, as the newness of the year is over, and Thanksgiving Break is still a long ways off.  And we don’t have a fall break, so that’s also a long time to go without a significant break.

But by far, the most common response from teachers in this video? The month of May!  Because everyone is ready for summer break–the weather is finally getting nicer, there are more outside activities going on, and we’re all just burnt out–teachers and students both.  There’s also a strong case of “senioritis” with our seniors, and some of our 9th-11th graders pick up on that as well.  Teachers are fighting student apathy and lack of focus like Gerard Butler defending Sparta in the movie 300 LOL

But I would make the case that the real beginning of the “downhill slide” in student focus and motivations starts when students come back from spring break at the end of March.  I definitely have noticed a difference in the month of April, and I know that it will only get more challenging in the month of May, as students get busy with activities and spend more time outside.

So, as choir directors, what what can we do to battle student apathy at the end of the year?  Here are a few suggestions that have worked well for me.

Strategies for Combating Singer Apathy

Here are some suggestions for combating singer apathy in your choirs:

Change Up the Physical Space and/or Arrangement

One easy way to change things up is changing up your rehearsal space.  This could be putting your chairs/risers in a different arrangement–sit in circles, sections in rows instead of “blocks”, etc.–or it could be moving to a different space entirely, when possible.  It’s also entirely possible that your singers have gotten too comfortable with who they are seated next to.  Changing the seating arrangement is a great change of pace, and also gives you the opportunity to move those two students that tend to talk a little too much in rehearsal 🙂

Take a Detour From Your Regular Rehearsal Plan

Sometimes, we can get into a bit of a rut with our rehearsals.  I totally get it, I’m right there with you!  But one of the ways to get our singers more engaged in rehearsal is to utilize a pattern interrupt and do something unexpected.  Maybe that’s doing sectionals one day in rehearsal.  Maybe it’s doing a Silent Rehearsal (you can read about Silent Rehearsals here).  Maybe it’s clearing the chairs out, and having the singers move while they sing!

Think about ways where to can change up your normal rehearsal process–bring variety into your rehearsal can rejuvenate your singers!

Give Your Singers Something to Work Towards

I talk to many choir directors who go several weeks during the year with no scheduled performance.  If you are unable to add a formal performance to your calendar, what if you scheduled an “informal” performance?  How about doing some outreach, and going out and singing for people out in your community?  Or even recording a performance in rehearsal to share with parents? 

Singers are often the most focused when they know they have something to work towards.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of creating opportunities for our choirs!

Hold Your Singers Accountable

When singers know that they are going to be held accountable for the material covered in rehearsals–whether it’s in a formal or informal way–they are going to tend to be more focused and motivated to give better effort in rehearsal.  That could mean something like formal singing assessments that go towards their grade, or that could be something informal, like having to sing your current repertoire as part of a small group in rehearsal.  Whatever method you choose, finding ways to hold your students accountable will insure that they are more attentive and motivated in rehearsal.

Find Ways to Gamify Your Teaching

Who doesn’t like games, right?  Adding a little gamification to your rehearsal can “up the ante” and give singer engagement in rehearsal a real boost.  That could look something like this: “If we can get through these three sections of music by the end of the rehearsal, then (insert easy, cheap student reward).”  This time of year, I have a ton of Easter candy left, so singers can choose a piece of chocolate at the end of a productive rehearsal.  

You could also divide the singers by their sections, or even into teams, and have a little friendly in-rehearsal competition!  Maybe that’s which section performs the day’s sightreading example the best; or, you can divide the choir into small groups and have them work on a portion of choral repertoire and then have each group sing for the rest of the group.  Best performance gets to come in and have donuts with you before school!  While extrinsic motivation (food, in this case) is not always the best form of motivation, a little now and again doesn’t hurt 🙂 The key here is finding a small reward that will truly motivate your singers, but that is easy and inexpensive for you.  

Keep Fighting the Good Fight!

I hope that you find these tips helpful as you strive to power through the last few weeks of your choir’s year!  If you are looking for more strategies and tips to help you transform your teaching and grow your choir program without burning out, then check out the Choir Director Corner Community Membership over at choirdirectorcorner.com/membership!  Inside the Membership I help choir directors just like you overcome the many challenges that they face in their teaching.  I would love to serve you as well! 

Thanks for reading, have a great day! 

Matt