The Successful Transition and Retention of Boys from Middle School to High School Choral Music

Patrick K. Freer is associate professor of choral music education at Georgia State University where he conducts the GSU Men's Chorus . 9 " It's halftime. Both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half. " This was the opening line from the now-famous " Halftime in America " 2012 Super Bowl advertisement with narrator Clint Eastwood. It's time to consider halftime in secondary choral music education, at least the transition from the fi rst half (middle school) to the second half (high school) for young men in choral music. The decisions made and the way the transition is handled will determine if boys return to sing in choral music during the high school years or beyond. This article explores the problem and offers potential strategies based upon new research and theory that has emerged during the past few years. Some of this con-fi rms what we know, and other information provides new insights. For instance, a common practice is for high school teachers to visit middle schools as a way of establishing a rapport between young men and their potential future teacher. This establishes a perception that the high school conductor is trying to recruit boys for his program. Research indicates, however, that the reverse is far more effective: having middle school boys travel to the high school and sing with older males in the high school chorus room and auditorium. This concret-izes an image of what it means to have a home, belong to a peer group, and envision a role as a future male choral singer, a future that we would like to encourage. The transition to high school nearly always involves larger schools, older peers, and new same-age classmates. At it leads toward music or transitions. After all, we can only infl uence the future. Two dangers emerge from a sympathetic view: ego (there's nothing about this situation that cannot be understood) and seduction (we can be misled or coerced by the problem and its presentation). Instead, we need to engage in an empathetic understanding of the issues. From an empathetic viewpoint, we seek to keep an emotional distance, avoid the presumption of total understanding, and retain a position of analytical curiosity. To that end, this article will present a review of research based in the United States that proposes a way forward toward the …