Choir Baton Episode 10: Kate Foiles of @whathappensinchoir on #teachersofinstagram and the realities of preparing your choir for a state music educator's conference performance

Summer of 2018 I stumbled upon @whathappensinchoir on Instagram through a hashtag search of #choirdirectors. Unbeknownst to me, Kate (@whathappensinchoir) had just started this account and was not only chronicalling her choir teaching experiences but was also preparing her middle school choir for their fall performance at the Virgina State Music Educator's Conference. We bonded through this shared experience of preparing students to perform for an audience of the most discerning concert goers- our music education peers. As the days approached her choir's performance, the weather took a grim turn and snow began to fall. The Instagram choral community watched in horror as Kate went through the ups and downs of not knowing if her choir would actually get to perform. To everyone's dismay, the school district cancelled school - haulting any plans for the students to perform their carefully selected, learned, and rehearsed repertoire. In this episode Kate shares with us what that experience was like and how she and her students are continuing to work through the disappointment. Her candor and willingness to share about this experience reveals a teacher deeply passionate about the work she does for her students and the rawness and reality of disappointment. 
If you are not following Kate on IG (Instagram), be sure to do so. She is building a community of music educators passionate about music learning and integrating technology into the middle school choral experience. We discuss how influential the social media community has been to our teaching and recap the story of how we finally met in person at this year's National ACDA Convention. 
Not sure if social media is your thing? This interview will inspire you to use the internet to find friends and fellowship through platforms such as Instagram.
@whathappensinchoir
Kate Foiles


Host: Beth Philemon @baphilemon
www.bethphilemon.com


Music: Scott Holmes