The John Brown University Choir (meeting the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Flickr photo by niassembly)
 Choral Apathy
Choral Apathy » Date: February 8, 2010 
The Choir Girl is accepted into a graduate program and realizes she won't be able to make the summer choir tour.
I have to admit that when I received my acceptance call from the University, after the initial shock from that message died down, the FIRST thing that popped into my head was: "That means I can't go to Italy." :( Interesting reading today - a choir member is accepted into a graduate program and has to miss the yearly choir competition: For a second I felt like declining my Masters acceptance! I realize that may sound a bit sick to some of you readers . . . I have slowly come to term with the fact that I won't be able to go, trying to find trivial details to make me feel better like "That means I don't have to fundraise like crazy this year! Whoot $2500 saved!", "Nobody knows where Seghizzi is anyway!", and "The performance venue doesn't look that nice". All in attempt to placate my silently suffering self.
I have never been through such a bout of choral apathy. It is a deadly thing. It's the crippling unmotivation that is getting me. I feel like I have nothing to work towards this year. Why should I memorize that piece? I won't be able to sing it anyway. Why should I go to that performance? I don't need performance experience anyway. Maybe it's even better for me not to sing since I'm just throwing off the group balance that actually will be touring. I've always known it's important to have a common goal in choir, whether it is for a particular concert or competition, but once that end goal is no longer in sight, it's hard to motivate yourself to continue what you're doing. We all need something to drive us and inspire us to be better. When that stimulus is gone... we're directionless.
 Not just children anymore
Not just children anymore » Date: February 7, 2010 
ACDA has a new name for one of the R&S areas and they are talking about it.
Here is Robyn Lana, the National Chair for the newly named "Children's and Youth Community Choirs" Repertoire and Standards Committee:
The committee proposed the title change in an attempt to be inclusive and clearly indicate who is served by this R & S area. We are proud to include our youngest training choirs in community, church, and school programs. It is our responsibility to build the foundation for the future of choral music in the United States. We are also proud to serve community youth/children’s choirs that have developed from community, church, and school programs and are not part of regular school curriculum/course offerings. To those of us active in the field, it has always been clear that "children's choir" involves older youth as well as elementary programs. As Karen Bruno eloquently pointed out in her October 2009 Choral Journal article “Keep America’s Youth Singing,” much of the national misperception is due to the success of MENC and their service to school based curricula. Church and community programs have often been misunderstood to fit into such a mold.
The Progression
The Progression » Date: February 5, 2010
Do you ever have the sense that your choir thinks you are talking about someone else when you make a correction during a rehearsal? I do, and one of my students helped me come up with this pyramid yesterday. The Band Industry is Killing Music Education
The Band Industry is Killing Music Education » Date: February 4, 2010 
My colleague told me this story about a recent happening in the "band" world that you may not have heard about:
Here is the outline of the story:
1. On January 30, 2005, a parent wrote an article in the Washington Post that bemoaned instrumental music education in general and substandard literature in particular. He also wrote a "follow on" article entitled "The Repertoire is the Curriculum: Getting Back to Basics in Music Education" that elaborated on the original issue.
2. All of it caused quite a furor. (He "received more than 100 messages and phone calls from band directors, students, ex-students, elementary school teachers, church musicians . . ") His mail ran about 7 to 1 in favor of what he had said.
4. He was about to publish another article, but the article was pulled at the last minute by a new president of the association.
Online ACDA Voting: Highest Turnout Ever
Online ACDA Voting: Highest Turnout Ever » Date: February 3, 2010 
First, congratulations to Karen.
Second, congratulations to ACDA!
Here are some of the details:
- Over 12% of active membership voted in the National election and bylaws.
- Highest percentage of voting on record. (Participation in voting is one measure of associational loyalty.)
- First time ACDA has had national election, division elections, and bylaw changes determined by online voting.
- Voting participation grew steadily throughout the month, but spiked in the last 3 days of voting.
- NO PAPER BALLOTS were requested, which is an option. No one asked for one and none were used. ACDA National, Division, and State elections are all taking place online now. One of the three bylaw changes included the wording "vote by mail" to include "voting via electronic means" for future elections.
- Continues Executive Director Tim Sharp's initiative of using technological advancements to improve and enhance the mission and purposes of ACDA.
It is worth noting that these are the first Bylaw changes in ACDA since 2006 -- another indication of change and improvement.
Our national organization is moving ahead, one step at a time.
Podium 2010 - Where Canadian Choral Communities Meet.
Podium 2010 - Where Canadian Choral Communities Meet. » Date: February 2, 2010 
Details of the the biennial ACCC Canadian national choral music conference, known as "Podium" have been released. This year, the conference runs from May 20th to the 23rd in Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
Here are highlights of this year's conference:
During this four-day event, delegates will attend concerts from some of the best choirs in Canada including the Canadian Chamber Choir, the Elora Festival Singers and the National Youth Choir. Delegates will be able to visit the MarketPlace Trade Show, network with other professionals and choral enthusiasts, hear presentations at key choral development sessions such as 'WOW-ing' Your Audience, Developing Tone by Choosing the Right Repertoire and French Diction. Three young emerging conductors will have the distinct opportunity of completing a series of Master Classes with Dr. Julia Davids, Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir.
Follow this link for more information about the conference, and to register online. What to wear
What to wear » Date: February 1, 2010 
The age old debate of what a classical musician should wear on stage continues over at The Rambler.
Here is a sample of his post. Read the full post at this link
There are the beginnings of a debate on Twitter on the vexed subject of formal wear for performers at concerts. I go to enough contemporary music concerts that I very rarely see performers in full formal dress any more. When I do, it doesn’t bother me that much – although it does still surprise. What disturbs me more are the peculiar ritual/non-ritual practices that occur before the music begins. (And this, again, is not something that I ever remember having seen at a new music concert except occasionally those involving the major venues and the large ensembles – new music players tend to be pretty slick at getting on stage and getting playing.)
The debate about formal wear is generally couched as part of the wider debate about increasing attendance at classical music events. Such a debate is especially governed by a certain green-eyed view of the audience who go to plenty of other cultural events – arts galleries, the theatre and so on. There are plenty of people who go to the theatre all the time, the argument goes; how do we get them to come to classical concerts too? My choir has experimented in the past by moving away from the tuxedo, but we always come back. Do you feel that wearing a tuxedo in concert hampers efforts to increase attendance?
I don't.
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