After completing one of the most challenging and uncertain academic years, many choral conductors may be asking, what now? How do we move forward and prepare for the upcoming academic year? Or, I don’t know what the next year will look like; where do I start planning? Well – you are not alone.

Since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many choral conductors have not had an in-person choral rehearsal or performance with their students since March 2020. While you may feel that your students have missed out on a meaningful part of their education, you as the educator are in the same spot.

In this article, Rieker and Apanovitch-Leites provide a glimpse of choral educators’ attitudes and perceptions during the pandemic, how their training can serve in a post-COVID teaching environment, and future training programs needed in preparing for choral rehearsals in the future.

While many of us may have a negative outlook on the pandemic and its impact on the choral rehearsal over the past year, as we return to the classroom in the Fall, we will have many excited and anxious students and colleagues. It is time that we take a look at the positives and incorporate that into our teachings. Be creative, think outside the box, and be ready to incorporate what you learned during this time away, reminding your students that why they love singing or being in your ensemble.