Piano fears and teaching a choir

So anyone who knows me knows that piano is not exactly my instrument of choice. Sure, we've have our up's and down's in the past... but I feel the piano and I have come to better terms with our relationship. We're not in love, but we respect one another. I can bang out simple things on the spot, and with enough practice time I can play basic songs. So when I was asked to do a mock choir warm-up lesson, I decided to focus it on stretching the body, more so than the vocal chords. Good choice on my part? Not so much. If I did that in a real life classroom not only would my students trample me and start complete chaos, but I'd lose me job and fail my students for being a shotty teacher. I avoided the piano, since singing isn't exactly my forte either. I know what you may be thinking. Not fond of piano, or singing? But you want to be a music teacher? Now I didn't really mean that either. Singing and playing in front of your own students in your own classroom, well that's fairly different from playing and singing in front of a class of your fellow colleagues. While it's a warm, inviting environment, I freaked! I'm getting over that though the more I get used to it. Playing some scales, chords and notes on a piano? Well that's easy-cheesy stuff. Singing, not so bad either (so long as my throat isn't all tensed up!) How can I expect my students to belt out those lovely notes if I don't first make myself vulnerable and show them what is it we do in a choir! Lead by example, that's the key.
So if I didn't have my 'students' sing, or stretch/warm-up their vocal chords, then what did we do in our mock choir warm-up? I applied some basic things I learned body stretches for singing, playing an instrument, and utilized some of my dance background for what I felt was applicable to the situation. We did some shoulder rolls, head rolls, neck stretches, chest and back stretches, touch your toes, some basic 'get the blood circulating' stretches. We did some breathing exercises. Deep inhales through the nose, out through the mouth with a hissing sound, and each time we did so we increased the duration to help develop and control the breath.
What else did I learn? Well not only did I have the luxury of playing teacher, but of playing student! I have to say my first 'real' experience as a choir member was in this mock trial of one. I was in choir in elementary school, but we didn't read music, learn how to breath, or stretch, or anything really. We just squawked out words loudly, sometimes we read lyrics off of a typo-ridden page, and most of the time instead of singing the students would huddle in the middle or the back and just talk amongst one another. So needless to say, that was a very unproductive experience. It deterred me from choirs, until I was older and realized that real choirs actually do stuff that is musical! So being in this mock choir I learned a few things.
One thing I learned was, if you're going to count, then count. If you're going to conduct, then conduct. Don't do both. Maybe in the beginning you might need to, but eventually let the training wheels come off. Also, try not to sing (or mouth the words) to your students. Same applies, in the beginning you're probably going to have to sing quite a bit with them, but eventually momma-bird is going to have to let the chicks fly and let the song birds sing!
As music teachers we tend to stress the importance of sight-reading and sight-singing. Yet many of our warm-ups omit sight-reading. Why is this? Sheer malarkey I believe. While it should never be the entire basis of any music class, it still has it's place. Especially when it comes to warm-ups. At least try to incorporate one sight-singing warm-up for your choirs. It'll help get their eyes and brains better at deciphering that secret code we call music notation. Thinking back to my first guitar lessons, I always warmed up with sight-reading. I remember playing a series of E notes, then F. Then alternating. Changing the duration. Then learning more notes and adding those to the mix. I'd warm-up with sight-reading scales, until of course they were memorized. It helped not only my sight-reading skills, but helped my technique as my fingering got faster and more precise. No reason why we shouldn't train the vocal chords that way too.
I took a lot from this experience. It's a really great opportunity to get to study with and explore these various approaches to teaching music with others just starting out like myself, and with people who are veterans at it. Everyone has their own special flare that they bring to the experience and I feel we're all gaining so much from working collaboratively and trying things out. If it crashes and burns, we talk about why and how to turn that around. Now, I'm not so scared of teaching a choir or popping on a piano. I think I might wear a cape the first day I teach a real choir. Okay, so maybe it's going to be a mental cape. Either way, good things will happen.