My 2019-2020 Professional Goals

Goal #1: Chorus

In my new position (Pre-K through 4th grade general music and 5/6 chorus in the four Valley Elementary Schools) an increased emphasis has been placed on my role as the chorus teacher. Teaching chorus is something I've done to varying degrees over the years as the schedule and student participation has allowed, but it has never been a primary focus for me. I've always put more of my efforts toward band/instrumental and general music instruction and schedules have not always prioritized chorus as being of great importance. For example, in Moretown during the four previous years we've never had chorus formally scheduled into the day but, rather, a small group of interested students would come during their recess time and I'd help them to sing, learn, and prepare for the district festival and spring concert. This year, all four of the valley elementary schools have chorus scheduled into the week, and it is my job to teach it. With this new, increased emphasis on chorus within my position, I have prioritized this in my planning. I am digging into my resources and addressing fundamental choral techniques that include breathing, projection, articulation, dynamics, solfege, singing in unison, 2-part, and three-part harmony, as well as relevant vocabulary, music theory, and literacy skills. We are taking on a wide variety of material that includes rounds, canonic singing, art songs, songs from the Gospel tradition, and popular ("pop") material. Students are given a degree of authority to choose some of the material for our Spring concert and I'm working to create and sustain a positive choral culture within the schools I teach. The only limitation in what we'll be able to address is the time that is scheduled for it. One rehearsal per week is, in my opinion, not nearly enough but a start. My goal is to thoroughly and consistently address all of the aforementioned elements, to take advantage of professional development opportunities like the VMEA clinics I attended this year, membership with the ACDA, and effective collaboration with our other district choral teachers, and to work to create and sustain a choral culture in our schools. I'm not sure how it relates to a "Framework for Teaching" because I don't have the framework to reference, nor how I will "measure the attainment" of my goal beyond looking back at the year's accomplishments and seeing if I did all of the aforementioned things with fidelity to the best of my ability. 


Goal #2: HUUSD Curriculum initiative

I plan to help create the HUUSD music curriculum by participating in the district effort that is currently underway as follows: Using the HUUSD Elementary Level Performance Indicators as well as the Music Standards approved by the VT State Board of Education, I will, collaboratively with Lizzy Carlson and Carolyn Adams, to the best outcome that the time allotted to us during shared staff meetings allows, complete the work started in June of 2019 on the Kindergarten Music at a Glance, 1st/2nd Music at a Glance, 3rd/4th Music at a Glance, and the 5/6 Music at a Glance documents. When this work is completed, I will then populate the Kindergarten Curriculum Framework, 1st/2nd Curriculum Framework, 3rd/4th Curriculum Framework, and the 5/6 Curriculum Framework (as it applies to my role of chorus teacher) with the activities I have done with students. I will then compare my use of the Performance Indicators and the VT State Board Standards and observe what PIs and Standards I have not addressed in order to try and bring these into my teaching so that my practice might become more aligned with the aforementioned performance indicators and standards. I'm not sure how it relates to a "Framework for Teaching" because I don't have the framework to reference, nor how I will "measure the attainment" of my goal beyond looking back at the year's accomplishments and seeing if I did all of the aforementioned things with fidelity to the best of my ability.