Below you will find the responses to my request for secondary choral
methods texts.

Mark Bowdidge


Mark A. Bowdidge, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Music
Brewton-Parker College
Mount Vernon, GA 30445
912-583-3132
mbowdidge(a)bpc.edu


ORIGINAL POST

I will be offering Secondary Choral Methods for our music ed students in
the Spring. It would be very helpful for me to receive suggestions for
a text(s) for this course. I will gladly post a compilation.

Mark Bowdidge, D.M.A.
Brewton-Parker College
Mount Vernon, GA 30445
mbowdidge(a)bpc.edu




RESPONSES

This message is totally self-serving, but I saw your post on ChoralList
and decided to write. I am the author of Teaching Choral Music published
by Prentice-Hall. It is in it's second edition and my editor tells me it
is the most widely used textbook in this area of study in the United
States. We will be beginning a third edition next year. Prentice-Hall
will send you a desk copy upon request. If you would like to view the
book's website, it is:

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One of the unique features of the text is that it addresses both
mid-level and secondary equally. Most texts emphasize the secondary. It
is very comprehensive yet designed in such a way as to allow desired
portions to be covered in class.

Sorry about the self-aggrandizement, but nowadays that's the American
way, or so it seems!

Don L. Collins, Ph.D.
Professor of Choral Music Education
University of Central Arkansas
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, Arkansas 72035
501-450-5756





I have not found one text that fits the needs of a choral methods class.
I would recommend Frauke Hassemann's VOICE BUILDING FOR CHOIRS. This
one depends on what you consider important for your students.

Richard Clark
University of Oregon

Richard Clark
1750 E. 27th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97403-1648

Home Phone (541) 343-9454



For beginning conductors, I recommend "Basic Techniques of Conducting"
by Kenneth Phillips. For Secondary Methods, there are many texts that
have particular strengths, but the best that I have found overall is
"Conducting Choral Music" by Robert Garretson.

Michael Melton, Director of Choral Activities
Northeastern Illinois University
mikemelton13(a)yahoo.com



I like Barbara Brinson's "Choral Music Methods and Materials" published
by Schirmer books. You can tell that Dr. Brinson has actually had
successful secondary public school teaching experience as you read the
text. It is a very practical approach. Best wishes!

Mark Munson
College of Musical Arts
Bowling Green State University
munson(a)bgnet.bgsu.edu



Don Collins, Teaching Choral Music, 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall. Good
book.

Terry

Dr. Terry Barham.
Director of Choral Activities
Emporia State University
Emporia, KS 66801
barhamte(a)emporia.edu
620-341-5436 (ph)
620-341-5601 (fax)




I am a conducting student at Western Washington University in Washington
state. In our choral methods class Dr. Leslie Guelker-Cone used "Choral
Music; Methods and Materials" by Barbara A. Brinson, and "Conducting
Choral Music" by Robert Garretson. Both were really good books, with a
lot of great resources. You can get the Brinson through Schirmer Books,
and the Garretson through Prentice Hall.

- Josh Viles
Choral conducting student
Western Washington University




I recommend Collin's "Teaching Choral Music". I used it while at
Southwest Texas State University.

Richard

Richard Hintze
Past-President, ChoDA
President-Elect, AZ ACDA

Minister of Music
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church
4455 E. Lincoln Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
602-840-8360 Ext. 116
richard(a)pvumc.org




I have used Haasemann/Jordan's "Group Vocal Techniques" (Hinshaw) as a
basic text because I believe it contains good resource materials and
helps students develop good analytical techniques regarding tone
production. James Jordan has just come out with a book entitled "Choral
Ensemble Intonation" (GIA). I used it a little bit last semester as a
supplemental text. I like the concepts and the sequencing in the text,
but am still getting familiar with the concept. Both books also have
instructional videos and other supplemental materials available. I also
have them read the chapter from the old Harold Decker (ed.) "Choral
Conducting: A Symposium" book that covers the American "Choral Schools".
The article was written by the late Howard Swan and opens my students to
the many different approaches to choral music. I think it is important
that they know this because few have any breadth of choral experience at
the undergraduate level and I don't want them to just mimic me or anyone
else.

Dr. Larry Smith
Missouri Baptist College
St. Louis MO
buswasu796899(a)yahoo.com




You might consider the second volume in the series, Conductors Handbook
volume 2 "A Conductor's Alphabet" which I co-wrote with Douglas
Lawrence.

Regards,

Vern Sanders




I think the finest all-round text is the Paul F. Roe - "Choral Music
Education". 2nd Edition. It now comes in a paperback and is therefore
less expensive for the students.

Lon




I am presently using the text, Choral Methods and Materials by Barbara
Brinson. I would be interested in knowing what text other colleges are
presently using.

Sincerely,
LuAnn Holden




The last few year Mark Ball and I have been using Don Collins's Teaching
Choral Music, published by Prentice Hall. We have ended up with it (at
the present, at least) because it gives extensive space to middle
schools and changing voice information. We also have them purchase A
Practical Handbook for Musical Theatre by Larry Mitchell, published by
Comedia Publishing Company and Building a Pyramid of Musicianship by
Sally Herman, published by Curtis. Both are 8 1/2 x 11 paperbacks.

Arnold Epley




As a supplementary text, please include work from the "Choral Score
Reading Program" by Richard F. Grunow and Milford H. Fargo, published by
GIA Publications. I found my undergraduate education lacked a
connection between my aural perception/sight singing classes and the
choral rehearsal. This workbook/cd compilation draws that connection by
providing choral recordings with built-in errors and asks students to
mark the errors on the score provided. You might also want to include
Lloyd Pfautsch's article from the Choral Conducting Symposium, titled
"The Choral Conductor and the Rehearsal"