Instagram in the Choral Classroom

This year I created a choir instagram for my program at Sanderson. Most kids use Instagram and Snapchat and I wanted a social media outlet for them to connect with.

Reasons Why I Created a Choir Instagram:
1. Communication. I believe we should be reaching students through the means with which they already communicate. 
2. Documentation. I genuinely love taking pictures and video and Instagram is a digital, shareable scrapbook.
3. Positivity. I believe students engage with so much negative through social media, this page would be an outlet for positivity.
4. Recruitment. What a way for incoming students and current students to see what the program offers.
5. Community Involvement. Both choral and in our area, an instagram allows for us to be seen perhaps a bit more in the public eye

Unforeseen Advantages in Creating a Choir Instagram
1. Inner-Choir Connection. Multiple students, and some students I would not expect either, have commented on how they love seeing inside the rehearsals of the other classes. This is part due to the usage of our Instagram stories usage. I often record snippets of what we're singing in rehearsals and other students can engage with the singers and the content.
2. Studying. Because students are watching stories back, depending on what I'm recording, they get a second opportunity to see the material. One day in 3rd period we were going over IPA vowels and I recorded students making funny motions with the symbols and sound. The following day a guy in 2nd period requested for us to get to play the "funny vowel game" in his class - and we hadn't even started studying IPA yet!
3. Take-Over Tuesdays. This stemmed from a collaboration with my wonderful TA and director of online and visual content. She devised an entire Take-Over Tuesday schedule where different choir leaders "take-over" the instagram account and share different things about themselves, insights into rehearsal, and they pick a "super singer" to recognize. I am always so impressed with their insight and stories. 

Foreseen Advantages in Creating a Choir Instagram
1. Communication. Students are definitely following it and finding out pertinent information!
2. Documentation. We're creating an awesome scrapbook of our experiences in each.
3. Positivity. Students are engaging with each other positively on the site, too.
4. Recruitment. We recently got a new student and they remarked how they'd already been following us on social media and had an idea of what was going on/ what it was like.
5. Community Involvement. One surprising facet has been the "follows" from kids outside of our school. I think it's great for kids to have insight into other programs!

I wish I'd done this sooner - but am so glad we've started!