(An excerpt from the panel session, “Conducting Women’s Choirs: Strategies for Success,” by Lynne Gackle. Presented during the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) The following concepts are of particular importance for teachers and conductors to understand and employ when working with young female singers: It is generally accepted that voice change is not complete […]
Finding the Shoe that Fits
(An excerpt from the interest session, “The Cambiata Voice, Finding the Shoe that Fits,” by Alan McClung. Presented during the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) When working with early adolescent male voices, choral music teachers are confronted with two primary musical challenges: The first challenge is identifying the vocal range of each student. The […]
Recruitment, Retention, and Repertoire
(An excerpt from the interest session, “Recruitment, Retention, and Repertoire for Two-Year College Choirs,” by Alice Cavanaugh. Presented during the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) A great way to encourage camaraderie and to simultaneously support students who cant read music is to create a seating chart that promotes collaborative learning. This is not the seating […]
Performing Polyphony
(An excerpt from the interest session, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone? A New Education- Performing Polyphony: Developing Independence, Style, and Musicianship,” by Jameson Marvin; assisted by the Texas Tech University Concert Choir, Richard Bjella, conductor. Presented during the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) When choral singers are offered the chance to sing lines […]
Challenging the Children’s Choir Movement
(An excerpt from the interest session, "Challenging the Children’s Choir Movement to Inclusionary Excellence" by Sarah Morrison and Carol Woodward Ratzlaff. Presented during the 2013 National Conference) Among the special needs community we find many complex and musically gifted young people who wish to sing, and who are willing to rehearse and persevere […]
The Art of Successful Programming
(An excerpt from the interest session, “The Art of Successful Programming: Study, Selection, and Synthesis,” by Richard Bjella. Presented during the 2013 ACDA National Conference.) All of us struggle with putting together an effective, efficient, and affective program. Almost always we are left only partially satisfied with the result, the response, the overall […]