ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly publication for choral conductors and teachers at all levels. It is published online, and each issue contains four practical articles. If you are not already a member of ACDA, you can join as an Associate for $45 per year and receive access to ChorTeach and the Choral Journal online.

Last year I created an annotated ChorTeach index (found here) with seventeen categories for classification. A list of the articles found in the “Community Choirs” category is below. To find any of these articles, click here and use the dropdown menu.
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“Community Choirs: Mission Impossible?” by Rick Bjella; Vol 3. Issue 4, Summer 2011

This article provides the basics for helping to mold your community choir’s mission for the coming season.

“Keeping the ‘Community’ in Community Choirs” by Susan Medley; Vol 7. Issue 4, Summer 2015

This article offers a list of eight principles to remember when conducting your community choir.

“Oakdale Prison Community Choir: A Person is a Person Through Other People” by Mary Cohen; Vol 3. Issue 1, Fall 2010

The author of this article shares her experience conducting the Oakdale Community Choir, a group comprising inmates from Oakdale Prison (“inside singers”) and community members, students, and faculty from the University of Iowa (“outside singers”).

“Preparing for the First Rehearsal: A Guide for Choral Conductors” by Timothy Mount; Vol 10. Issue 2, Winter 2018.

Careful planning and mindful techniques are the foundation of a productive rehearsal. The author of this article shares keys to efficient choral rehearsals, using Bach’s motet Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 as a sample guide.

“Sing, Sing, Sing with a Swing—Jazzing Up Community Choirs” by Stephanie Austin Leston; Vol 2. Issue 3, Spring 2010

This article shares resources and literature suggestions for working with the vocal jazz genre to find repertoire and methods appropriate for community choirs.

“Singing in a Chorus—Do’s and Don’ts for Church or Community Chorus Members” by Stephanie A. Henry; Vol 9. Issue 3, Spring 2017

This short article provides practical suggestions for singers who wish to be successful in their choirs.

Find these (and more!) ChorTeach articles here.