Choir Baton Episode 53. Addressing the fear of failure in choir with Troy Meeker
Sep 08, 2020
Long time friend and colleague, Troy Meeker, shares his experience with addressing the fear of failure in the choir classroom. How can we show students that it is okay to make mistakes? How can we show ourselves that it is okay to make mistakes? Taking the time to grapple with this makes us better musicians and better humans.
We also discuss some of the ways Troy Meeker has created a choral community in schools from chocolate chip cookies on the first day of class to creating self-sufficient choral officers to help lead his program. Listen to Meeker's stories and experiences to learn and to grow.
Troy Meeker, Phoenix Children’s Chorus Artistic Director and Conductor of Encore, has taught with the organization since 2011. Mr. Meeker is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Music Education, and Master’s degrees in Educational Technology and Choral Conducting while studying under Dr. Edith Copley and Dr. Ryan Holder.
Mr. Meeker enjoys the opportunity to serve. Having served the Arizona choral community in a variety of positions he is currently the AzACDA Men’s Choir Repertoire and Resources Chair. He also enjoys mentoring young educators, guest lecturing for state universities, and providing professional development workshops for districts throughout the state.
Mr. Meeker was recently recognized for his outstanding teaching winning the O.M. Hartsell Excellence in Teaching Music Award from the Arizona Music Educators Association and the Arts Educator of the Year Award from the Arizona Department of Education. In addition, his choir Encore performed for the AMEA Convention in 2020 marking the 3rd performance appearance of ensembles under his direction.
In his free time, Mr. Meeker enjoys watching movies, cooking, cycling, and studying karate with his son. His home is in Glendale, Arizona, with his wife, Adrienne, and their children Grant and Annika.