Latest Blog Posts
Make a Joyful Noise
Spotted this on Twitter – it is a book about a love entanglement within a choir as they prepare for a perfomance. Someone read it and let us know if it is any good! About the book: Tristan is a choral conductor, twice married and determined not to be caught again. Lucy is […]
Twitter for Choirs
If you’ve been using Twitter to broadcast what you had for lunch (or avoiding it because that’s all you think that it’s good for), it’s time to reconsider. Twitter is an immensely powerful tool for both your own professional interests and communicating with your groups. Let me show you three steps to become a Tweet […]
ACDA National Youth Honor Choir Scores in London
Olympic sport isn't the only special event taking place in London this summer. Among the many valuable and highly visible undertakings by the American Choral Directors Association in the summer of 2012 was the inaugural National Youth Honor Choir's concert tour of England. Those traveling with the choir were impressed. "The thing that struck me […]
ACDA is Like a Drive-in Theatre
Drive-in theatres are making a comeback! Yes, that iconic symbol of the 50s & 60s is experiencing a Renaissance. “People love the communal experience,” said Kipp Sherer of drive-ins.com. The recent USA Today article continues, saying “There is definitely a resurgence of drive-ins, maybe because people are tired of the sterile environment in multiplexes.” […]
ACDA Crafts Mission Statement
The American Choral Directors Association has developed a mission statement that will serve as a guiding declaration for the Association as it grows though the second half of its first century: The mission of the American Choral Directors Association is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy. The mission statement […]
Byrd, Ave Verum Corpus
A video from Central Washington University Chamber Choir and Gary Weidenaar. Watch for an article in the Choral Journal soon about Gary’s innovative thoughts about Facebook and YouTube.
A breathtaking moment . . . exploring sacred music in Great Britain
A very smart student of mine pointed me to this interesting BBC series on sacred music, specifically the modern British composers of sacred music. Very interesting to hear the perspective of Macmillan, Rutter, and Tavener. There are 6 short videos in the series. Here is one that starts with Tavener and the funeral of […]
Choral Caffeine: Chili in My Chocolate
Recently a friend introduced me to chili infused chocolate. It sounded less than appealing (okay, it sounded gross), but I tried it. And although it killed me to admit it out loud, she was right . . . it was delicious; a tasty oxymoron in a foil wrapper. Certain words just don’t go together, […]
Choral Caffeine: Is She an Alto?
There are certain topics in our profession that seem to generate a fair amount of disagreement between colleagues. The use of vibrato in an ensemble setting. Repertoire performed at ACDA conferences. The value of certain types of choral groups. And – gulp! – the placement of female singers in an alto section. In her […]
Choral Caffeine: Classroom Management
NEWS FLASH: It's August 1st! As the summer weeks tick away, we start to focus increasing amounts of brain wattage toward the looming school year (and for a large number of colleagues classes begin teaching TODAY!). Among the countless details we face in preparation for the new season is the age-old question of classroom […]