Every day, as students trudge through the blue halls of Building 16, a lucky few head to the fabled choir room. In the mix of blue and yellow chairs, students talk amongst themselves as they wait for class to begin. As the teacher’s intern claps to gather everyone’s attention, students dash across the room to grab their binders of sheet music, and tenth-grader Cyrus Kuhn asks, “Did you get the raincoats?” This seemingly random question is a tradition that starts every Vocal Ensemble class. Amidst the flutter-lips and scales of the warm-up, students laugh and discuss their mutual dislike for sight reading. With a bright smile on her face, ready to begin a new day of singing, Allison Mishchuk cracks opens her binder.
Joining the choir family as a teaching intern, Mishchuk has been working alongside Director of Choirs Seth Gardner and making connections with students. Growing up in Sarasota County, Mishchuk has a musical family—her mother sings and her brother plays the cello, while Mishchuk herself plays piano and viola, in addition to singing. When she was a member of the Venice High School Chorus, she decided she wanted to pursue a career in music education. Mishchuk attends the University of Florida and will graduate with a degree in music education in December.
Mishchuk began teaching at Pine View Aug. 24, stepping in during Gardner’s two-week absence. She started preparing students for the 2021 Fall Concert on her first day, teaching everyone the unfamiliar music and adjusting to the different skill levels of each choir — all the while reminding everyone to round their vowels and dealing with the silly antics of the basses and tenors. Usually, interns are to gradually start teaching the class, but Mishchuk jumped right in.
“Because of Covid, I didn’t get a lot of in-person time with students when I was actually at the University of Florida, so this [has been] kind of like a trial by fire with just getting thrown in with students,” Mishchuk said. “I love it because that’s the best way to learn when teaching, so I’ve learned classroom management, pacing, and just more about the students, which I think is my favorite part—more about what they can do, what they want to do, their likes and dislikes.”
Mishchuk co-taught with Gardner, alternating roles for songs and warm-ups. For the 2021 Fall Concert, Mishchuk had the opportunity to conduct, leading many different songs for all the choirs and giving Gardner the freedom to play his drum solos. Throughout her time at Pine View, Gardner has noticed her progress and determination.
“She’s the first intern that I had who has watched me so closely that I’ve actually seen things that I do pop up in her teaching, which is flattering and encouraging and says a lot about her ability to adapt and to take in criticism and information and then make herself better,” Gardner said.
Through those observations, Mishchuk has been able to lead the class and teach students solfege, sight reading, and some music theory. From middle school to high school, she has been a crucial part of the learning process.
“It’s been a really great experience. I’m grateful to Mr. Gardner for all of the opportunities he’s let me have, leading his students and all the guidance he’s given me when he’s been able to observe me. I’m grateful to the students for letting me learn while they learn and for being so generous towards me, and I’m grateful that I get to see the whole process from beginning of the year up into a concert — that’s really cool. I’m just grateful to Pine View, to Mr. Gardner, to all the students—they’re helping me a lot more than they think they know,” Mishchuk said.
Students have also appreciated having Mishchuk in class and feel that she has become a great addition to the choir family. Tenth-grader Gianna Weerasooriya, a member of Vocal Ensemble, has seen Mishchuk grow as a teacher in the past couple of months.
“I liked her and Mr. Gardner’s dynamic. It was fun when they would banter back and forth. I’ll miss her. She’s definitely super sweet,” Weerasooriya said.
During teaching, Gardner and Mishchuk would often share knowing looks as students got up to their various shenanigans, like attempting to hang Christmas lights from the ceiling. They also worked together to introduce the students to the exciting story of Saint Cecilia, a crucial figure in one of the pieces Vocal Ensemble is learning.
In a survey thanking Mishchuk for her time and help throughout this past quarter, students recalled their favorite memories and anecdotes.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Mishchuk! Although I was a little hesitant about you teaching us at first, I really enjoyed having a different approach to learning in choir! Our experience with you was phenomenal!” twelfth-grader Ryan Hunek wrote.
“I am very thankful that we had the opportunity to be conducted by you and to help you learn more about it. You really are a wonderful person who brings something new to the class, and I hope that you have a wonderful year in college!” Kuhn wrote.
Mishchuk bid the Pine View Choirs farewell Oct. 14. She has transferred to Southside Elementary School and will teach their elementary school choir until the beginning of December. During her time at Pine View, she made a lasting impact on the students and showed her love for teaching and sharing music.
“To do music myself, it’s the joy it brings me; to teach music, it’s the joy it brings other people—the joy that music can bring and the peace it can bring from our crazy world,” Mishchuk said.