(An excerpt from the interest session “Masters in Miniature: Singing the Great Composers with a Small Choir,” presented by David Rayl and Zebulon M. Highben during the 2014 ACDA Central Division Conference) The vast treasure trove of Renaissance music provides a wonderful resource for choirs of all types. Consider a piece like Dowland’s […]
Conference Morsel: TOO Concerned with Tuning?
(An excerpt from the interest session “Starting a Group,” presented by Deke Sharon during the 2014 Western Division Conference) People in “a cappella” [the form of pop ensemble singing] have become too concerned with tuning. Perhaps it’s the prevalence of pitch correction in recordings and pop music, but groups seem ever-concerned with […]
Conference Morsel: Socially Engaged Musicianship
(An excerpt from the interest session “Socially Engaged Musicianship in Choral Music Connecting to the World Around Us,” presented by Doreen Rao during the 2014 ACDA Central Division Conference) The idea of “Socially Engaged Musicianship” can be framed by Leonard Bernstein’s response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy: “This will be our […]
Conference Morsel: Top Five Tips for Grant Application Writing
(An excerpt from the interest session “ I Want Free Money! Grants for Choirs,” presented by Chris Clark during the 2014 ACDA Eastern Division Conference) Grant writing by choral directors is often a necessary evil, deriving from the desire to see ensembles progress farther than ticket sales and dues allow. Ideally, directors should […]
Composition Spotlight: Frozen In
COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig (Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet. This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.) Frozen In by Dale Trumbore for […]
GUEST BLOG: “Attaching Stories to Choral Texts,” by Amanda Bumgarner
ATTACHING STORIES TO CHORAL TEXTS by Amanda Bumgarner The May 2014 issue of the Choral Journal features a cover article written by Philip Silvey titled “Fashioning Compelling Stories” in which Silvey argues for the importance of the role of stories in a choral singer’s experience—what he calls “text narrative exploration.” Undoubtedly, there […]