BIG VOICE educational DVDs now available

ACDA member Jeffe Huls loves music and his job as Santa Monica High School’s choral director. This exceptional documentary chronicles his skills to pull the music out of students who are also dealing with their own teen issues. After selecting a 32-person madrigal choir (a longtime dream), Mr. Huls finds that his students who had to audition for the ensemble are not always motivated to put in the necessary work. A combination of cajoling, encouragement, innovative techniques, the sheer force of will, and a deep-held love of music play a role in motivating and teaching his students. The growth over the year is amazing but not without its tensions. Yet it’s obvious that the students recognize the crystal clear moments when everything comes together and their performance rises to a new level. This film is inspiring and thought-provoking. Production values are excellent, with crisp video and audio, and the program comes in both an 83-minute and a 53-minute version, which would be a better fit, time-wise, for classroom use. Teresa Bateman, Library School Journal

The educational DVD of this award-winning choir documentary, which screened at the ACDA National Conference, is now available to ACDA members at a 20 percent discount. Use discount code ACDA20. You can purchase the DVD at videoproject.com/Big-Voice.html.