Choral Caffeine: Listening at a Conference

Attending an ACDA Conference is a little like trying to drink from a fire-hose.  There’s a whole lot coming at you in a big ol’ hurry.  The trick is to quench your thirst without getting soaked.

 

In her Choral Journal article, “Conferences 101: How to Listen, Absorb, and Process the Conference Experience,” Susan Davenport discusses how to make the most of the musical feast placed before us.

 

“One of the greatest benefits in attending conferences is hearing new literature. Yet, listeners must hear in a specific way if they are to learn the most from what they are hearing. Choral methods professors have proposed many useful lists of criteria for selecting literature for choirs,  and those same criteria are equally valuable when listening at a conference. Since, over the course of the two or three days, one will hear many pieces of music, listening must be systematic. In ‘Choral Music: Methods and Materials’ Barbara Brinson identifies certain factors to consider in literature selection that are also significant for more effective convention listening:

     <> range and tessitura of each voice part

     <> quality text

     <> accompaniment

     <> size and maturity of choir

     <> texture

Awareness and effective application of these factors will greatly enhance “evaluative listening” at conferences.“

 

Read Susan’s article to prepare yourself to take the biggest drink you can at the Conference.  There is still time to learn more about and REGISTER for your ACDA divisional conference.