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By Dr. Tim Westerhaus Are you burned-out? Exhausted? Feeling behind or inadequate as our choral programs are smaller in numbers or skills in this year of emerging-from-the-pandemic? How can we intentionally rebuild our programs, and where can we find the energy to do so? How can we honor this stage of our journey (for ourselves […]
COVID Choral Contingencies: Dulcis ex asperis [Sweetness follows hardship]
Just in case we have to take another lap…are you prepared? In the first year of the pandemic, the General Accounting Office posted results of their research in 2020-21, the first year of the pandemic (GAO, May 2022). They depicted the obstacles to learning – what we all experienced to some degree – like this: […]
Midweek Meditation: Letting Go of Perfectionism
With this post, we welcome choral conductor and certified meditation teacher Steve Grives in his first post for a bi-weekly blog entitled Midweek Meditation. This blog will address issues pertinent to choral professionals through the lens of mindfulness and meditation. He will write about his own meditation practice, share some stories from his professional life, […]
Goal: Help Students Find Hope
With this post, we welcome a new blogger to ChoralNet: middle school choral educator Bethany Perkins Hall, who teaches in a rural community. In her monthly posts (second Wednesdays), she will be sharing thoughts on building a “solutionary” program, including modifications for different types of choirs and ideas for activities and assignments, as well as […]
ChoralEd: Your Teacher Identity
With this post, we would like to both thank Brian O. Ackles and welcome Micah Bland. Since February 2020, Brian Ackles has authored a monthly blog on his approach and experiences with AGILE, a student/learner-centered music education program – even during a time when he was unable to meet with his classes in person. We […]
Everyday Advocacy for Your Choral Program
By Karen Bruno What is advocacy? Advocacy is an opportunity to share with other people, many of whom are decisionmakers in some way, why choral music matters—to us, to our singers, and to the world. Advocacy should not be a term that frightens us. It should be a term that inspires us to explain to […]