Picture the eager undergrad. Just starting freshman year, a nervous excitement envelops them as they begin their first day of coursework. Ahead of them lies a colorful, four-year list of classes. Courses in conducting, teaching methods, and applied voice top the charts. The path to being a choir director is taking shape! Fast forward several […]
Advocacy & Collaboration
Using Values-Based Messaging in Your Advocacy with Liza Beth of Chorus America
Have you heard of MasterClass, an online collection of classes featuring an amazing line-up of famous folks? They hooked me when I saw they had a class by Bill Nye (the science guy) and Amanda Gorman. Months later, who knew I needed to know how to become a ninja or learn how to make electronic […]
Best. Interview. Ever! “Doing whatever it takes” with Superstar Deke Sharon
Imagine walking onto the set of a potentially epic movie with a seemingly large task ahead of you: create an “award winning” choir out of a collection of humans, none of which have ever sung in choir, in one month, with one hour of rehearsal a day. Go! Daunting? Fun? A bit intimidating? But possible […]
“Advocacy” = “A story”
“Advocacy.” Sometimes it is an intimidating word. It’s not too fancy, not too hard to spell, but it can feel a bit daunting. We’ve all heard situations where colleagues had to advocate to keep to their programs or where larger communities had to find the data to fight for the arts. Those can be intimidating […]
Together in Music…Collaboration tips and “squashing the why (not)!”
Some of the most common FAQs presented to the ACDA Advocacy and Collaboration Committee include “how do I find someone to collaborate with” and “how do we make it work?” So often, finding that “perfect” partnership is the barrier in and of itself (hint: there is no such thing as “perfect” but we’ll get to […]
Equity Sings…advocacy, collaboration, Maslow and ADEIBR
While the dictionary defines “equity” as a noun, the quality of being fair and impartial, this blog post (and the podcast that accompanies it) morphs “equity” into a verb, with tangible and actionable ideas. How do we define “equity?” What actions can we take and how can we employ from the various DEIB or ADEI […]