Northern Arizona University Selected 2017 Outstanding ACDA Student Chapter

The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Student Chapter at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff has been awarded ACDA’s 2017 Outstanding Student Chapter Award.

The chapter’s faculty advisor, Dr. Ryan Holder, in recommending the chapter for the award, noted that it has been very active in recruiting new students to the university’s choral program, mentoring incoming music education students, organizing educational sessions throughout the year, and promoting engagement of NAU choral students with state, division, and national ACDA events, as well as university choral events. For example, he added, “The NAU Jazz/Madrigal Festival, to the best of my knowledge, is the largest exclusively choral festival in the United States, with over 75 high schools and 150 choirs in attendance every year,” and it “would not be possible without the support of the NAU ACDA Student Chapter.”

In announcing the award, ACDA Collegiate Choirs Coordinator, Dr. Amanda Quist, noted that this chapter “has proven that it provides a great service to developing choral musicians, to choral music, and to the institution.”

There are currently over 150 active ACDA student chapters throughout the United States, located in 45 states nationwide. Based primarily on college and university campuses, they carry out activities such as promoting choral music on campus and in their communities, organizing workshops to build the skills of students, and developing leadership among chapter members.

The Outstanding Student Chapter Award is made biennially at the national ACDA conference. The NAU Student Chapter will have a representative at the ACDA National Conference in Minneapolis (March 8-11), where the award will be officially made. Previous award winners include the Ithaca College and the Michigan State University Student Chapters, both 2015 winners.