(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “The Changing Concept of Desirable Tone Quality in Samoan Choral Singing,” by Robert Engle) Prominent among Pacific Island cultural groups is the traditional Samoan choir. Singing is a universal activity in Samoa. In addition to the functions which parallel the use of music in American life, […]
CJ Replay: We Create the Safety
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Creating a Safe Environment for Singing,” by Kenneth H. Phillips) For many people the act of singing can be a daunting experience. Called upon to perform before others, they feel vulnerable and intimidated by expectations that scare them. Boys, especially, seem to fear “sounding like a […]
CJ Replay: Schubert
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “The Development of the Early Romantic Choral Song and the Contribution of Franz Schubert” by Timothy P. Perkins) When considering the vocal compositions of Franz Schubert, one finds an abundance of short pieces that are usually referred to as part songs or choral songs. Pieces of […]
THIS is What it’s All About
Some days we seem to be surrounded by rampant narcissism and seemingly endless self-promotion by wanna–be mini-celebrities. So when something like this comes along, the only word that comes to mind is “refreshing.” The recent ACDA national conference in Salt Lake featured a service project where choral students from Waukee High School (Iowa) led […]
Saturday Respite: Basses to the Rescue!
The next time you get a little cranky with the bass section (yup, we basses can be a handful!), consider that those deep mellow tones could save the day, at least according to these engineering students.
CJ Replay: Blending the Arts
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Fuse the Arts, Please!” by Dorothy Bond.) As you battle today’s on-the-job psychological confusion do you yearn for another kind of fusion – a sort of total experience with the total arts for your total person? In the struggle to understand this fusion much comparison […]