This book is one of the most comprehensive resources ever published for middle school choir directors—written, researched, and compiled by conductors and educators with a wealth of teaching experience...

Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Choir is ideal for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the best choral literature for middle school singers and who wishes to learn from some of the seminal voices in the profession.

In Part I, Sherri Porterfield discusses the role of assessment in middle school artistry; Judy Bowers outlines a hierarchy for independent part singing; Patrick Liebergen and Paul D. Head discuss selecting and preparing quality repertoire; James Jordan encourages the inner journey of a young singer; and Frank Abrahams introduces comprehensive musicianship through the lens of critical pedagogy and reciprocal teaching.

Part II includes Teacher Resource Guides for 80 of the best works in print for middle school choirs of all ability levels: unison and canons, SSA and SAA, TTB and TTBB, CBB and CCBB, SA, and SATB.

Each Teacher Resource Guide includes information about the composer or arranger, composition, historical perspectives, technical considerations, stylistic considerations, musical elements, form and structure analysis, and text guidelines. Each guide also contains valuable suggestions for rehearsing the music with middle school students. Resource Recordings of much of this music is available separately (CD-854 and CD-927).

Ultimately, this invaluable book will help middle school conductors move beyond the printed page to musical awareness and understanding.