ADDITIONAL COMMENTS to MENC CHORAL POLL on MUSICAL TELEVISION SHOWS

Why is it that there are tv shows and movies that glorify school programs such as football, basketball, any sport under the sun, and EVEN band, BUT NONE (except maybe Sister Act 2) that send the message that Choir is something worth being a part of?! Since I have begun my job this year, there were several staff members that told me what a meaningful experience choir was for them in high school. One teacher (who went on to play minor league baseball) told me, "It [choir] was the only thing we were good at in high school." Why are situations like that never portrayed?
 
I recently watched The Audition, a PBS production following the finalists for the Metropolitan Opera auditions. The "contestants" in this real-life look at professional singing were never humiliated. They were treated with kindness and respect. I can't wait to rent the DVD and show it to my students. It is truly inspirational. To summarize, American Idol is not good for music education; in fact, I think American Idol is keeping potential students out of my classroom. The Audition is good for music education, with the potential to inspire a student to want to be a part of something big and beautiful, the world of art and music.

Shows like Glee are good, because they show students what is possible. But what they show as far as the hard work before the product is completely unrealistic. No one has a professional back up standing there, with every pop song ever recorded memorized, in just the right key. Another positive is that the performers on shows like Glee are true musicians, who've done the hard work and practice learning their craft.

Shows like American Idol are not an asset in my classroom, as they don't reinforce any type of effort, but rather encourage making a 'big break' and 'being discovered'. Also, the judges themselves have no musical background and do nothing to help anyone learn how be better musicians, just telling them they are lacking.

Glee gives the students a false understanding of parts, harmony and choreography. The show gives the impression that they just THROW the song together in little time and it is awesome. The work ethic is lost. My students think they can sing it and sound that good. What they do not realize is the students on Glee are actors, not real students. Most of them are older than their character and have had extensive training. I don't believe it paints a true picture of what our high school and middle school students really do in school.

Shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent are both good and bad. I don't like how negative the hosts can be. Simon tends to be negative to the point that I see him as a bully and ultimately a detriment to those performers that he "tears down". It does bring a level of interest to the music profession though. Some of my students catch themselves wanting to audition to see how far they can go - so it does generate interest.

My students see Glee and it makes them want to join choir. American Idol on the other hand, generally shows America how not to sing and perform. There is only a minute amount of music education on that show. It is a guilty pleasure but not very nutritious.

Glee is a good representation of kids in school, however, they learn songs in what seems to be mere days on the shows, not a reality in your typical high school setting. It creates unrealistic expectations for regular parents, administrators and students who watch and think that such performances can be accomplished with very few people in a very short amount of time.

I think Glee highlights the ways that music benefits us emotionally, and having that visible reminds people why music is important.

I enjoyed The Sing-Off because it featured a cappella artists, showed students who were in college choirs, showed team work, and displayed how people in college still pursue musical careers while still putting emphasis on the "everyday person."

Glee has both good and bad qualities. The show very rarely shows the students practicing, and it is very obvious that the singing has been touched up excessively (which is unnecessary because a majority of the students already have phenomenal voices). It does not show off the natural talent of its cast, but edits it and that, to me, leaves students with unreasonable expectations. No one is handed a song and given a dance number and gets it right away. It takes effort.

While some of the scenarios in Glee are realistic, I believe it may have hurt my program in the initial planning stages. They portrayed vocal music as the catch all for the misfits. Singers are rejected by their peers. It has been my experience that the choir students in most schools are embraced. They are not outcasts for participating in something that they are good at and enjoy.

The musical arrangements on Glee are actually very well done and the singing is quite good as well. The complaint I have, and I realize that this is only a 30 minute show, is that it never really show how much rehearsal time and really hard work it takes to put together a performance. They just hand out the music and look at it for a few minutes and then magically sing and dance, completely memorized and perfect.

Singing and Choral Music are art forms. Shows like Glee depict choir as being an extracurricular program, and the literature is strictly popular. Those of us in the trenches in the choral classroom know that there is much more to our art form than is seen in that particular TV show. On the bright side, it kind of makes choir cool to kids. As for American Idol, I object to the portion of the show in which the auditions take place, because I feel they are trying to make fun of lesser talented singers. On the positive side, it has put the spotlight onto singing, even if it's just on the popular genre.

Anything that kids excited about music is a good thing! However, sometimes these shows make it look very easy for anyone to be a musician. Students don't always understand or appreciate the level of training it takes to be a success.

I like that these shows encourage students to sing and perform. But they feel like they need to sound like American Idol singers (in contrast to choral singers), and the stereotypes portrayed on shows such as Glee make me a little sad.

To me Glee seems to be a little too much about ratings than caring about children. I like the interest the students have in the singing though. The subject matter on the show isn't appropriate for children. I can't really bring myself to watch American Idol, but my students and co-workers enjoy it.

There are obviously some things we might think could be done differently on any of these shows. However, whether they are all "ideal" or not, choral music is entering main stream, prime time television. I believe that makes our recruiting easier, and makes our jobs more appreciated. We can "educate" our students as to why a show is good, and what things are unrealistic, or distasteful. But I see 95% good in these shows. The other 5% we can live with, if it makes choral music more widely accepted.

I think it generates interest in our subject which is always a good thing. I know that the people on those shows are not always using the correct vocal technique, but at least the kids are watching and talking about music.

I teach 5th and 6th graders, and I personally am hooked on American Idol. I love that we can have a discussion following Idol night in my classroom - kids (and myself) sharing what they liked/disliked about particular singers, or judges. It helps them to form their own opinions about what sounds good, or what vocal qualities sound healthy (or otherwise).

Aside from those negatives, though, there are positives: they are taking the "least popular" students and making them the main characters of the show; it uses the typical stereotypes and gives them depth; it shows that arts and music are important parts of education and not something that should automatically get cut when funding is tight, which is so important in our current economy when so many schools are faced with shortages in funding and cut their arts and music programs for more "important" ones like sports.

These kinds of shows are NOT helpful when it comes to pedagogical issues like singing with a natural voice in a healthy manner. They also emphasize singing success from a single viewpoint that doesn't truly reflect reality. On the other hand, shows like American Idol do highlight the heavy work and pressures involved in singing popular music and also encourage mentorship from experienced artists.

While these shows are not an accurate representation of music education, they can be used as a "hook" to get students involved in their school's music program