Music Educator Spotlight
This month we spoke to Sam Potts, Choir Director at Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County. He holds the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Georgia State University and the Bachelor of Music Education (Voice) from the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University. Students under his direction have regularly been selected for the Governor's Honors Program, GMEA All-State Chorus, GMEA All-State Reading Chorus, GMEA District Honor Chorus, Metro-Atlanta Sight-Reading Chorus, the Mercer University High School Voice Intensive, and regularly won first place at the Regional and State 5A GHSA Literary events.
What are the challenges of teaching chorus currently and what are some solutions you have developed? "I began my teaching career at the height of the pandemic in fall of 2020. We live in a very different world today than prior to March of 2020. Our students have endured so much hardship and change in their brief lives. Many students struggle with their mental health. Often times, students simply need an adult who will listen, understand, and empathize what they are experiencing and enduring. It’s important to remember that most of our students want to be in chorus because it’s a fun class that’s different from their other academic work and that they love singing."
What advice do you have for young choir directors? Building relationships with your students is the most important thing you will do starting day one. When your students know you care about them inside and outside the classroom, it makes a world of difference. Take some time each day to ask about how their days are going. When students share personal information with you, remember! Take a genuine interest in their lives outside of your classroom. If they tell you they’re nervous for a test, ask them the next day how they did! If they play a sport, go to their games! If they know you genuinely care for them, the music will come.
What is your favorite choral piece to program and why? I currently do not have any favorites that I always program. However, I’m a big fan of the pieces my choirs are currently singing. My beginning trebles love pieces like “Lunar Lullaby” by Jacob Narverud due to its near immediate accessibility and the fact it is simply gorgeous; yet, it has several challenging moments that stretch a freshman choir’s ability. My upper-level treble group has taken a liking to “Sigue” by Ivette Herryman Rodriguez and “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emma Lou Diemer, both female composers. My top mixed group is currently singing “Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord” arr. Undine Smith Moore and “Goodnight, Dear Heart” by Dan Forrest.
What advice do you have for college students who are still in a choral music education program? Get in front of a choir as soon as possible to start refining your rehearsal skills. Gesture is incredibly important in our field, but your rehearsal skills are what sets you apart in the choral rehearsal. Go observe master elementary, middle, and high school teachers at work. Take notes on everything they do: how they approach tone, sight-reading, technique, voice building, aural skills, etc. Have an opinion on everything they do. Do you like how they approach tone? Why? How might you approach it differently? Start developing your own sense of artistry and musicality.
Lastly, listen to good choirs. The state of Georgia has so many great public and private school choirs, community choirs, religiously-affiliated choirs, collegiate choirs, and professional choirs. Attend their concerts! Find good choirs on YouTube or streaming services and listen to every album they’ve ever released. Compare recordings of the same piece. Why is this recording of Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo” better than that recording? Why do you like/dislike their tone? What do you like/dislike about their phrasing? Start having an opinion on everything you hear.
Thank you so much Sam, and we can't wait to see where your career continues to take you!
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