Margaret Brown becomes AK ACDA president

Margaret Brown is the Upper School Choral Director at Grace Christian School in Anchorage, where she has been on the Music Department faculty since 2008. 

In her tenure there, Margaret has taught band and choir for grades 6 through 12.  Since her arrival in Alaska Margaret has also served as a state Adjudicator for ASAA events and currently serves as the President of the Alaska Chapter of the American Choral Directors’ Association through January 2013.

Mrs. Brown began her career in music education at the High School and Middle School level in Atlanta, Georgia, after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

She served as a High School and church Choir Director while completing her Master’s degree at Georgia State University in Atlanta.  Margaret served on Georgia’s MENC State Board, and has been a Georgia Choral Adjudicator for over 23 years. 

She is a tireless advocate for the teaching of sight-reading skills, and is a contributing author to a classroom choral sight-reading series. 

She has been a guest director for many Elementary and Middle School Honor Choruses throughout Georgia and Alaska, and has served a total of nine years as a member of two different private school boards. 

Margaret has resided in Anchorage since 2004, relocating from Atlanta, GA with her husband, Chris, and son, Matthew.

October 6, 2011

Rediscovery for the teacher watching students discover!

by Margaret Brown, President, AK ACDA

There are days in a classroom when I’m completely surprised and delighted by the response of singers.

One of those days occurred recently while I was introducing a well-known patriotic song.  Although less than 10% of my Junior High class knew or were familiar with this standard repertoire song, all were eager to learn. 

As I had students identify intervals and phrases and encouraged the challenge of pitch accuracy, I observed students responding to a choral style of Socratic questioning.  Without giving answers (in this case pitches), I asked questions and allowed students to demonstrate (sing) the answer.  The pace was moving quickly with a healthy majority actively involved. 

Taking a risk, I asked a student to step forward to sing the piece as a solo.  Without hesitation, Garrett, a bright and high energy 8th grader, took on the challenge.  The class was visibly impressed as he finished well, overcoming a few “alternate” pitches.  This strong unexpected performance raised the bar for every student in the room and they listened as Garrett, voluntarily identified his own errors.  I also asked him to identify all that he had sung correctly.  Although more difficult than finding his errors, with more questions he succeeded.

Garrett had barely finished answering before three hands flew up.  Each wanted to be the next to sing the solo.  This continued with more hands flying up after each student finished.  I stopped the process after 3 solos, not wanting to spend too much time or risk losing student’s attention on one activity. 

On the way out of class, a particularly shy student requested to be able to sing the next day.  We were barely into class rehearsal the next day when the first student requested to be the soloist, quickly followed by hands shooting up wanting to be the soloist.  This encouraging unplanned result was the outcome of students discovering answers rather than being given the answers.  Students’ desire to build skills will increase as they are engaged to discover answers for themselves.  Can an entire choir section discover in a similar way leading to greater results?  

Send me your classroom stories, successes to share with all.  My school email is mbrown@gracechristianalaska.org
Although I am the teacher, I am still a student.

Margaret Brown
Choral Director, Grace Christian School