Aim.

To determine the main challenges and problems in the operation of school choir and to characterize
the methods for evaluating them.
Empirical method survey of school choir conductors, pedagogical reflection, thematic survey of the
choir members for establishing priority values.

Olga Krasavina believes that the teachers of general education school after class activities have to face
such problems as the lack of education programmes, unavailability of special literature, low cultural
level of the participants of the choir, that can be raised by correctly choosing interesting and diverse
repertoire and knowingly organizing the study process (, 2016). Nadezda Averin is convinced
that the repertoire is the basis of choir operation and it influences the whole learning and education
process. The politics of repertoire reflect the conductors understanding of artistic process izpratne
(, 1996). Due to the voice mutatons of boy voices the school choir also deals with problms
apponting voices. Anna Hamre: Unequal balance of choral parts is probably the most common
challenge conductors face. How does a conductor handle a choir comprised of 30 girls and four boys?
(Hamre, 2012). Ilze Abolina: The main problem for a school choir conductor is gathering the students
together for a rehearsal, because they attend different classes with different study hours. It is difficult to
attend the first morning lesson (before other lessons). Working in he mornings is also not study hours. It is
difficult to attend the first morning lesson (before other lessons). Working in he mornings is also not easy,
because the children are awake, but their voices are yet not. (bolia, 2005).

The problems differ. School choir leaders of 35 general and specialized education institutions were
surveyed in order to enucleate the main challenges that music teachers, that are also usually choir
conductors and leaders in Latvia, face in everyday work. The educators were asked qustions concerning
their motivation, obstructions and the diversification of the choir activities. 35 general education ad
specialized musical education school choir leaders participated in this survey 29 women and 6 men 27
to 65 years of age. SPSS system was used for data processing and standart tests were carried out on this
system.

1. question. You like working with choir what motivates you?

(each answer is evaluated in scale where 5 means decisive, key motive, 4 key motive, 3 somewhat
important motive, 2 minor motive, 1 unimportant motive). The results are visualized in Figure 1.

The music educators recognize motives related to content, positive interaction with students and
satisfaction of work progress as decisive key motives. Less important motives are recognition form other
people, more important to the work content and pedagogical process.

2. question what are the obstacles in working with a school choir?

(each answer is evaluated in scale where 5 means paralyzes work, 4 very obstructive, 3 somewhat
obstructive, 2 minor obstruction, 1 no influence). The results are visualized in Figure 2.

The lack of suitable repertoire is recognized as the main problem. It is followed by the lack of interest in
students, that expresses as disengagement or passive engagement in the activities. This problem can be
considered as a challenge. There are schools, where keeping up the choir was impossible
The first problem is an external condition and it is not in the choir leaders competence to overcome it, but
it does not necessarily mean that they should not try to. However, the second one is in the educators
control and covers her or his competence. It is the responsibility of choir leader to diversify the choir
rehearsals and concert activity, in the meantime maintaining the musical and pedagogical aspects of choir
operation.

3. question. Do your singer enjoy performing songs with movements? (one answer)
4. question. Do you use movements in rehearsals, for example, in warm-up? (one answer) (see Figure 3
and Figure 4).
Figure3. The responsiveness of sudents to singing Figure 4. Usage of motions in school choir activity
with movements

There are no negative answers to questions 3 and 4. The answers of question 3 indicate that 65.2%
of students enjoy to perform songs that involve movements, while they are offered in the rehearsals
of school choirs only in 17.1%. This reveals a contradiction between the supply and demand. It is
hard to achieve interest of students by ignoring their demands in this way.

Following are possible methods for addressing the main problems in the school choir.

Skolni grmatas lasa maz, vai nelasa nemaz. Nielsen Book data shows that among 11-17 year-olds, non-
readers grew from 13% to 27% between 2012 and 2013, while occasional readers fell from 45% to 38%;
light dropped from 4% to 2%; medium readers fell from 23% to 17% (Guardian, 2013).

Ptjuma ietvaros tika analizta skolnu attieksme pret skadarbos paustajm vrtbm. Vairku Rgas
vidusskolu koru dalbniekiem (n= 215, 137 meitenes un 78 zni, visi vecuma posm no 16-19 gadiem)
tika dots uzdevums izvlties 10 sev emocionli tuvkos skadarbus no aktul obligt dziesmu
repertura (where the values incorporated in lyrics they see as their own). Sarakst obrd ir 51 dziesma:
32 - Dziesmu svtku dziesmas un 19 - Vidusskolu Salidojuma dziesmas. Katrai no tm, izmantojot
kontekstuli-kvalitatvo metodi, tika piemrotas atbilstos vrtbas no Milton Rokeach (1973)
visprcilvcisko vrtbu tabulas (see Table 1).

Neirologs Eric Jensen uzskata, ka mcans kopum ir sekmgka, ja t ir saistta ar izaicinjumiem,

jaunm zinanm un pieredzi. Papildu nodarbbas, kas veicina intelektulo attstbu, var bt saisttas ar
dadiem mkslas veidiem, kustbu vingrinjumiem, dramatisk pulcia nodarbbm un tamldzgi
(Jensen, 1998).

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) atzinis, ka radoums ir potencili visiem cilvkiem piemtoa personbas
vrtba, bet tas var zust, ja izgltba ir virzta uz iepriek paredzamu rezulttu ieganu (Maslow, 1970).

Maurice Galton uzsver sadarbbas ar profesionliem mziiem pozitvu rezulttu ne tikai attiecb uz
jaunieiem, bet ar uz viu pedagogiem, kuri atzinui, ka iespjams daudz mcties no mziiem attiecb
uz viu darbu ar skolniem. Novrots skolnu pacieas un paprliecintbas pieaugums (Galton, 2008).
Georg Geiger skonu kora darbbu saista tikai ar profesionli-muziklu paaktualizanos, kuras
galvenais mris ir viengi muziklie sasniegumi. Koris tiek dalts trijs grups, atkarb nevis no
vecuma, bet gan no skolnu muziklajm spjm. K atsevia grupa ir izveidots koncertkoris, kas k
augstk lmea koris piedals visaugstk lmea koncertos. Kora dalbnieku parealizcija notiek caur
persongiem muzikliem sasniegumiem. Geigers neslpj, ka nestrd ar skolniem viu prieka d.
(Geiger, 2013). dai pieejai ir grti piekrist, lai ar t ir oti racionla. Autors ir prliecints, ka skolas
kor izlases veidoana nav pieaujama. Ja skolns ir izvljies dziedt kor, tad da iespja viam ir
jnodroina. Par skolna muzikl lmea paaugstinanu atbildgs ir kora vadtjs, nevis skolna
iepriekj muzikl pieredze vai ts trkums. Iekj konkurence un noraidjums kor nav ieteicama.
K.Smita un L.Strika uzskata, ka socilais noraidjums negatvi ietekm pacieu. Ts pamat ir savas
vrtbas apzia. Socil paapzia iespaido ar mcbu sekmes. Skolniem, kuriem ir labas starppersonu
prasmes, veidojas labas attiecbas k ar skolotjiem, t ar klases biedriem. (Smita, Strika, 1998, 110).