Given that the first of ACDA’s seven Divisional Conferences kicks off next week in Madison, Wisconsin, it seems a good time to share a few helpful hints for those journeying to one of these grand events. (You ARE planning to attend your ACDA Divisional Conference, aren’t you? You can still register.)
To help with some of the financial concerns, ACDA has provided a detailed discussion for seeking funding from your school or church. There is also a sample letter available to help you reach out to your superiors.
<> Arrive well-rested. We don't get much sleep at ACDA Conferences.
<> Don’t be shy about reading those name tags. You could be sharing the elevator with Eric Whitacre or Tim Sharp.
<> Arrive early for concerts. They're usually packed.
<> Attend EVERYTHING! An ACDA conference is not the time to nap or shop.
<> PLEASE visit with exhibitors. They are our industry partners in the choral arts (and save some room in your luggage for all the stuff you will buy in the exhibit area).
ACDA Conferences are exhilarating, overwhelming, and exhausting . . . they are absolutely the crown jewels of ACDA activities.
(Next week in Choral Caffeine, we’ll discuss ways to focus our listening to get the most out of those fabulous conference concerts.)
In Elliot Eisner’s book The Arts and the Creation of Mind (2002, Yale University Press), Eisner states, “The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.” In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows, Eisner outlines Ten Lessons the arts Teach:
The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships.Unlike curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solutionand that questions can have more than one answer.
The arts celebrate multiple perspectives.One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.
The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.
The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.
The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.
The arts teach students to think through and within a material.
All art forms employ some means through which images become real.
The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.
The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.
The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.
The National Art Education Association (NAEA) gives reprint permission for the above 10 lessons, with proper acknowledgment.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal calls Morten Lauridson the "best composer you've never heard of."
Choral musicians don't say that, do we?
It looks like a film will come out soon on this composer -- a deep look into the composer's thoughts, inspirations, and ideas.
From the article:
The film, directed by Michael Stillwater, is a heartening rarity, a thoroughly intelligent classical-music program that strikes an appropriate balance between words and music. Most of the talking is done by Mr. Lauridsen himself and all of it is to the point, but plenty of time is devoted to the music that is the true point of "Shining Night," and by film's end you'll know what it sounds like and whether you want to hear more of it—as I expect you will.
A great trailer here from YouTube gives you a feeling for the hymn:
A good friend from the Samford Music faulty pointed me to this article - Thanks, Ron!
Organizers of the Palestinian version of “American Idol” said Thursday the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers have banned residents from participating in the popular reality show.
The organizers said Hamas told them the program is “indecent,” in what appears to be a new attempt by the fundamentalist militant Muslim group to crack down on behavior it sees as contrary to its conservative interpretation of Islam.
Hamas permits male barbershop style singing groups that do not use musical instruments and sing of the glory of Islam and to fighting Israel. Young, prepubescent girls also perform in their own singing groups, but teenage girls and women are never seen singing in public. Many devout Muslims believe singing by women is provocative.
Could be fertile ground for SPEBSQSA, or whatever they call themselves these days.
As I mentioned the other day, I'm teaching Choral Literature this semester and I'm exploring new resources. The primary resource I am investigating is Dennis Shrock's new book, Choral Repertoire.
The class is primarily for undergraduate students. Like others have done, I'm trying to focus on the most important figures in each period.
I did a little investigation of Shrock's overview of the composers of the Renaissance and this is what I found.
Some observations:
Shrock listed many composers I had never heard of. That shouldn't be too surprising of course, but I was. I don't normally catalog my ignorance for others to see, but I bolded the composers that I hadn't heard of and kept a record of them.
If Dr. Shrock listed "favorites" of the composer at the end of the description, I counted the number of entries. According to the number of entries, the top four composers of the Renaissance are Orlando di Lasso (68 entries), Palestrina (39 entries), William Byrd (34 entries), and Josquin Desprez (32 entries).
Rounding out the Top Ten are: Victoria (27), Guerro (27), Tomkins (25), Weelkes (24), Tye (22), and Gesualdo (21).
I asked Dr. Shrock about my investigation and he said this:
The number of citations of composers does not indicate their popularity, although many frequently cited composers are well known. Frequency of citation generally indicates frequency of reference. Gesualdo, for example, is not one of the most significant composers of the Renaissance. Because of his mannerist style, he is merely mentioned a lot. Otherwise, I'd like to clarify that the listing of repertoire is not meant to reflect popular appeal, but instead, familiarity. I discuss this in the sixth paragraph of the preface.
Thanks to Dennis Shrock for this thorough piece of scholarship and for taking the time to respond to my inquiry.
" . . the Framers embedded within the country's constitution a clause stipulating that Congress provide for copyrights and patents -- which is to say, that they endorsed the notion of intellectual property. But here is the kicker. They did so for only a limited term. Their purpose was to encourage innovation, to reward inventors and authors, and ease their inventions and writings into the public domain with reasonable alacrity -- so that they could be of benefit to all.
The aim of the entertainment industry is to maximize profits, and they have pushed again and again for the extension of copyright. That they have succeeded time and again in the last few decades is a sign of their power. But the truth is that, in repeatedly extending copyright, Congress is denying to the rest of us what is rightly ours: works that, until recently, would have found their way into the public domain."
Paul A. Rahe holds The Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, where he is Professor of History.
The choir walked on stage. They were poised, appropriately coiffed, dressed immaculately – obviously significant attention had been paid to the choir’s appearance, they were even wearing matching shoes. The repertoire they were about to sing was historically valuable and educationally solid. I was eager to hear them sing. The conductor’s hands raised, a breath was taken, and then . . .
Well, at this point, let’s just say that if there had been as much effort invested in the choir’s tone as had been the tuxedos and dresses, things would have sounded better. A LOT better. Friends, we’re in the choir business; and the choir business is about SOUND.
In his article “A Choral Director’s First Task” (SWACDA Common Times, Vol.27, No.3), Charles Chapman discusses this in greater detail.
“Many of our choral conductors have too little information about how to produce sounds different from those so-called “natural” sounds the students bring to class the first day of the year. The choral conductor is, in most cases, well served by altering resonator shapes, the changes of which are mostly visible, mostly directly adjustable, and may even be silently cued during performance, when [o] shapes begun by singers begin to turn into smiles. Teach your choir singers to sing vowels alike. Teach them first to sing a well-shaped [o]. Look at how many of them aren’t even rounding their lips!”
(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit ChorTeach.)
In the January "Outlook" from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Perry/Preston/Wallace outlines five issues facing all of us that work with not-for-profit entities, related to our dependency on grants and other forms of philanthropy. The following are the issues, followed by my ponderings related to choral music education and choral performance:
1. This year, the question of how to broaden opportunities for all Americans is likely to occupy much of the philanthropic agenda. So, the implication? What is my organization doing to help the yawning gap between the rich and poor?
2. Philanthropy will face new demands to fill the gaps created by dwindling government aid--to give more to protect the safety net, keep museums and theaters open, and ensure kids go to decent schools. So, the implication? Where is my organization going to find the funding to fill the gaps created by reduced government support, or how are we going to learn to live without such funding?
3. Friction between younger employees and baby-boomer charity executives will grow as jobs are fewer and older workers find themselves working longer. So, the implication? There will be increasing friction between 20-somethings and their desires and aspirations, and those of the baby boomers looking toward retirement.
4. The share of nonprofit's money that it spends on administration is under assault. No perfect evaluation measure has come along to replace the "overhead ratio". So, the implication? Administrators must be very well-equipped to answer the question "What impact are you having?"
5. Experimentation in collaborations between for-profit business models working with non-profits on social concerns is growing. So, the implication? Will hybrids give nonprofit groups a bold, new way to pursue their missions--or will the new entities siphon off financial support that had previously gone to traditional charities?
I'm teaching Choral Literature in Spring 2011. As a part of my preparation, I'm investing in a couple of new resources:
1. The digital version (i.e. Kindle) of Dennis Shrock's Choral Repertoire (I already own the hardback). (Hey Dennis, can't I get a discount by purchasing both?)
2. I've decided to subscribe to the "premium" version of Spotify, a new subscription service for music. I mentioned Spotify in this blog about a month ago, but I have yet to really explore the new tool.
There is much to like about Spotify. The best feature is access to an incredible universe of all types of music. One of the other ingenious features is the ability to make and share playlists. Rolling Stone has created a playlist of the 500 greatest hits of all time.
I've been searching for choral music playlists and I've found several.
This Spotify is an incredible tool for us to use. How many of you have created lists for yourself, or for your classes about choral music? It is time to share - or learn - about the great opportunities with Spotify.
Skype is changing the way people are learning music - this article from the New York Times discusses the relatively new technology and it's impact on private music lessons:
Skype and other videochat programs have transformed the simple phone call, but the technology is venturing into a new frontier: it is upending and democratizing the world of music lessons. Students who used to limit the pool of potential teachers to those within a 20-mile radius from their homes now take lessons from teachers — some with world-class credentials — on other coasts or continents. The list of benefits is long: Players of niche instruments now have more access to teachers. Parents can simply send their child down the hall for lessons rather than driving them. And teachers now have a new way to build their business . . . .
There is no data on the number of video music lessons, and many people certainly will prefer face-to-face lessons. But many music teachers said in interviews that they were conducting more lessons over broadband connections.
Will skyped-in choral critiques be far away?
I'm fairly certain that this has happened already, but I don't know details. Who can share?
Apple released an easy to use tool called iBooks Author which allows anyone (publishers and users) to create interactive iBooks with text, video, images and more. As Apple mentioned during their media event, the availability of such a robust tool to make electronic books has been lacking. iBook Author can export projects in a number of different formats, including iBook format, PDF and text.
And here is a video that provides the dream behind the technology:
The Simon Fraser University choir in Vancouver BC riffs from HBO's Game of Thrones. I haven't seen the TV show, but I'm reading the book, which features the same catchphrase, Winter Is Coming.
They have other posters based on Skyrim, Lord of the Rings, Dr. Horrible, and more.
Obviously churches can choose their pastors without government oversight. But other employees of churches have, until now, been subject to employment laws, including those which bar discrimination. But in the case of Cheryl Perich, a teacher at a Lutheran (LCMS) school, who sued under the ADA alleging that her firing was due to her medical condition, the court upheld the school:
"The interest of society in the enforcement of employment discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a unanimous opinion. "But so too is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith and carry out their mission."
The majority opinion intentionally left it a little vague exactly who falls under this "ministerial exception," but it seems pretty likely that Minsters of Music would be included, if schoolteachers are. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito wrote separate concurring opinions expressing different views on how to determine the extent of the ruling: Thomas would let churches make such determinations on their own, while Alito would only apply it to employees with religious leadership roles. Perich, while primarily a teacher of secular subjects, occasionally taught religion classes and led chapel services.
I'm not sure exactly why churches consider it essential to their ministry to be able to discriminate against the disabled, but maybe it was just an excuse.
P.S. I've been asked why we didn't participate in the Internet "blackout" yesterday to protest proposed copyright-enforcement legislation pending in Congress. The answer is that it seemed too remote from choral music. Obviously any guilty-upon-accusation laws are a threat to any website, and I agree that SOPA and PIPA are horrible proposals whose side-effects are far worse than the problem they're trying to solve, but it didn't seem close enough to our core mission to involve our entire site in a political matter. We'll continue to confine our opinions on such matters to ChoralBlog.
The very first word in the National Standards for Music Education is . . .
SINGING
I’ve always thought that was pretty cool.
Yes, of course, the standards have been with us for more than a decade. Yet it’s worth noting that the National Standards for Music Education is an educational reform that has been proven to actually work.
Because they are successful, it is worth re-acquainting ourselves with the core of their merit. In his article “Using the National Standards for Choral Teaching” (ICDA Notations, Vol.23, No.1), James Fronczek provides a concise checklist of ways to use the nine points of the National Standards in a choral environment.
“Choral teachers around the country are finding that the standards are making their jobs more interesting to themselves and to their students as well as preparing them for future testing which is just around the corner in the arts. In all likelihood you are probably using the standards more than you think. It is not difficult to do.”
(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit ChorTeach.)
In a recent Wall Street Journal article (Sat/Sun, January 7/8, 2012), columnist Spencer Ante outlines how corporations survive beyond the corporate life expectancy of 40 years, and how to avoid the terrible toll of not responding to ongoing innovation. Most of us work for non-profits, but the lessons are easily applicable.
Business leaders, academics, and venture capitalists say the companies that are able to survive in a world of constant innovation demonstrate the following characteristics:
They are ruthless about change;
They are not afraid to cannibalize their big revenue generators to build new businesses;
They make frequent, but small, acquisitions that bring in new technologies and open new markets;
They also are the recipients, on occasion, of good luck.
On the other hand, the ones that don’t make it:
Are burdened with beauroeucracy;
Spend too much time on the defensive;
Try to catch up too late by lurching into big acquisitions;
They also are the recipients, on occasion, of bad luck.
The article stated that top executives at large successful companies display the same characteristics as executives at small successful companies: they are smart, able to diversify, and are focused on the company’s core mission.
