This is a broad question. Too broad to be answered comprehensively. However, I want to share a few things that I've seen work well in establishing excellence with choirs, inspiring students to love music, and for teaching music effectively.
Good preparation works. I'm not referring to spending hours on lesson plans, but rather holistic preparation that begins with keeping oneself learning and growing musically. It follows with a broad plan and goals for a musical season (school year), and then targets specifics. Lesson plans for music teachers just fall in line under the broad plan.
An audition process followed by periodic checkups with singers or players works. In other words, knowing where each participant is individually greatly increases the effectiveness of your teaching and the focus of one's rehearsal/lesson plans. I like to give my students surveys at end of terms to see how they are relating to what they have been taught.
Finding and using performing locations with quality acoustics for your ensemble works. Sometimes this isn't possible, and no group can always perform in an ideal acoustic environment, but making sure quality performance venues are made available to your groups can greatly enhance the experience of one's students. This can get them more excited about learning and progressing, which of course builds up the groups. Generating honest positive experiences of success is important in motivating your students.
Prayer works. Perhaps most music teachers are in an environment where public prayer is not legally possible. However, all can engage in personal prayer to God for wisdom, for our students, for challenges, etc.... I can personally see where so often issues with students are figured out by personal prayer, or hearts are softened to be willing to learn again, or in prayer, the solution to a difficult situation comes to mind.
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