Amanda Bumgarner

The Changing Paradigm of Professional Singing

August 22, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The December 2015 issue of Choral Journal featured an interesting conversation with top conductors and singers in the United States. The panel included four conductors—Simon Carrington, Joshua Habermann, Simon Halsey, and Craig Hella Johnson—and five singers—Dashon Burton, Esteli Gomez, Kathryn Lewek, Kelley O’Connor, and Kyle Stegall.

The author asked the panel questions about, among others, what qualities and skills make a singer marketable as a full-time professional musician and how conductors can better prepare young singers for careers in the field. The subject of today’s ChoralNet blog is this question: What changes do you see happening in music (both solo and ensemble) over the next fifty years?

Below are just a few of the responses from those on the panel. The full article is available by clicking here to download as a PDF or read in e-format online. (Note: You must be logged into the acda.org site as a member in order to access the Choral Journal online.)

Simon Halsey: I think music will move even further toward freelance work. Musicians will have a greater need to be multi-skilled and will probably need to get more involved in youth and community work as well.

Craig Hella Johnson: The level of professional choral music is growing and improving consistently, and I fully expect that the results of this will be that a great many more people in more cities will be able to hear choral music making at this level.

Esteli Gomez: I’m excited by the possibility of big changes in the way classical singers are trained and treated in the United States… I believe that new venues and opportunities for presenting fusion musical/performance experiences will continue to flourish.

Kyle Stegall: I believe the next few decades will see a significant increase in public interest in new compositions… Whenever a people need a voice, whenever a larger audience needs to be reached with a message of hope and change, music will be there… All positive change starts with communication, and nothing communicates like music.

Click here to read the full article with useful and fascinating answers to many more questions.

Your turn! What changes do you see happening in solo and ensemble music over the next few decades?

Choral Zen: Quieting Your Restless Inner Voice

August 15, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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As we approach the rush that signals the start of a new school year, it is important to think about how to maintain the ability to enjoy successes and triumphs in the classroom and be a positive influence in the lives of our singers.

In a ChorTeach article from Fall 2015, Timothy Glasscock writes: “The first step toward being the positive individual we are all capable of being is to deal with the negative voice lurking inside us.” He suggests that learning to meditate can be an effective way to gain control over “our restless inner voices.”

The article continues to explain that meditation need not be complicated. “What you need is a short period of time set aside for the purpose of relaxation, resetting, and centering. Give yourself permission to stop obsessing over this fall’s repertoire choices, the upcoming solo auditions for Missa Solemnis, or anything else that is clouding your focus at the moment.”

Following are just a few of the tips included in this article on how best to set up yourself, and your school year, for success by setting aside some time for meditation.

Find a comfortable place to sit.
Concentrate on the breath. Choose the space under the nostrils or the rising of the chest or stomach as your focal point to notice the entrance and exit of your air.
Think “in,” “out,” or “inhale,” “release”—any two expressions of breathing that give a focus to the breath.

Glasscock then shares results he has experienced. Here are just a few of those discussed in the article:

A lessening of the constant nagging voice.
The ability to think about one pressing issue, to truly examine it and to make clear-eyed decisions without feeling like you have to rush through it to get to other things.
An increase in patience.

How do you control your “restless inner voice”? What do you think about this article’s suggestion of the practice of quieting your mind through meditation? What are some ways you can set yourself up for success this school year?

To read the full article, click here. (Note: you must be logged in to acda.org as a member). You can also explore the ChorTeach index, which has organized over 150 articles into 17 categories for easy sorting.

September Choral Journal Preview

August 8, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The latest issue of Choral Journal is available online! ACDA members can log in with their username and password to view and download the newest edition. You can also read our electronic version. Below is a preview of the articles you will find in this issue. If you are not already a member of ACDA, join today to start receiving your monthly Choral Journal!

Coordinating Vocal Colors in Women’s Choruses by Philip Silvey

“When singers in women’s choruses combine their individual vocal colors, they create vibrant sonorities. As members of an equal voice ensemble, they must learn to coordinate these distinct colors to form an integrated whole, one that captures the expressive intent of a range of musical compositions… This article is intended primarily for the ensemble needs of high school and collegiate women’s choruses, with potential application to adult women’s choruses.”

Literacy in the Choral Classroom: A Pedagogical Analysis Celebrating Contemporary Choral Compositions by Donna Menhart

“This pedagogical analysis of three choral works composed from 2013 to 2015 presents folk songs and musicianship solf-fa exercises using moveable-do major and la-based minor as the stepping stones to create connections between students’ past musical experiences, their present musical understanding, and their confident musical futures.”

A Guide to Improving Student-Led Section Rehearsals by Felicia Mulé, James Robison, and Ryan Kelly

“Many high school and college choirs hold section rehearsals that are directed by student leaders… Student leaders can employ a number of strategies to help them lead better and understand the needs of their sections. Likewise, teachers can take steps to guide their leaders with greater direction and oversight. This article’s goal is to offer both students and teachers strategies for improving their choirs’ sectionals so that they are more productive, musical, and unifying experiences for singers.”

CJ Replay: 250th Mozart Anniversary Focus Issue

August 1, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

In June 2006, the Choral Journal published a special focus issue on Mozart’s 250th anniversary, guest edited by Lawrence Schenbeck. As Schenbeck states in his editor’s column, “What surprised me in surveying recent research on [Mozart’s] choral music is how much we still have to discover. The four articles have one common, central theme: each offers something genuinely new about the subject—new repertoire, new analysis techniques, new performing materials.” Ten years later, in 2016, I wonder what new light we can shed on this composer and his choral music.

Below are the four articles featured in this anniversary issue with a brief synopsis.
1) “The Choruses of Die Zauberflote in Context: Choral Music at the Theater auf der Wieden” by David J. Buch – Choral music and musicians in the suburban Viennese theater where Mozart produced Die Zauberflote.
2) “Adding Birds to Mozart’s ‘Sparrow Mass’: An Arrangement with Children’s Instruments by Paul Wranitzky” by John A. Rice – A “new” version of Mozart’s “Sparrow” Mass, one that could prove the highlight of a future concert season for you, or at least an engaging novelty for a special occasion.
3) “The Principle of Chromatic Saturation in the Late Choral Music of Mozart and Haydn” by Edward Green – The author applies the concept of chromatic saturation to the choral music of Mozart and Haydn.
4) “Mozart’s Evolving ‘Great’ Mass in C Minor” by Timothy Newton – A guide through the thicket of recent ‘completions’ of the Mass in C Minor, K. 427/417a.

Choral Journal issues such as this one are valuable for choral conductors and choral music enthusiasts alike. The rich history of composition and conducting is relevant still today, and anniversary years are always a good time to reflect and learn.

Click here to download the full issue in PDF format. (Note: You must be logged into the acda.org site as a member in order to access the Choral Journal online.)

Do you have a favorite composer? What work or works by Mozart do you enjoy?

CJ Replay: If You Can Speak, You Can Sing

July 25, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

In just under a month, ACDA is proud to be part of hosting America Cantat 8 in Nassau, Bahamas, the first time this exciting festival is being held in a primarily English-speaking country. The current issue of Choral Journal is a focus on the music, people, and places of this international festival. Even if you are not able to attend America Cantat, you can experience the music of the Americas through this special issue, guest edited by Eden Badgett, ACDA’s festival development director. Click here to learn more about America Cantat 8.

A full list of the articles included in this issue is below. Today’s blog will focus on the article “Voices of Youth—Joy of Singing!” by Zimfira Poloz. She writes in the introduction: “My belief is that if you can move, you can dance; if you can speak, you can sing… It is easy to label a child as a monotone singer. They all, however, have the ability; sometimes the voice is just hiding!”

She continues in the conclusion:

“Children’s choral music is not just an art form but a critical role in the growth of every child. A children’s choir conductor’s job is demanding but also creative and artistic. Working with young singers, we have to study so many aspects of not only the music and conducting but also the voice and singers as a whole. To study and train young voices is a fascinating and rewarding challenge!”

Click here to read the full issue online or to download the PDF. (Note: You must be logged into the acda.org site as a member in order to access the Choral Journal online.)

Do you conduct a children’s choir? What do you find the most rewarding? Do you agree with the author that if you can speak, you can sing? What do you think about the statement that children’s choral music has a critical role in the growth of every child?

Other articles in the current issue of Choral Journal:

The Islands of The Bahamas: Home of America Cantat 8

Choral Symphonic Music from Latin America

Social Integration and Choral Music

A Pedagogical Approach to Contemporary Resources

Theatrical Elements in Choir Concerts

The Story of Songbridge

Music in Paradise: Learning the Rhythm of Bahamian Culture

CJ Replay: Fleeing War, Composing Peace

July 18, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner 1 Comment

Continuing from last week’s post on the Choral Journal article “The Rediscovery of Antonio Vivaldi,” I want to focus on another article that will be of special interest to scholars of choral history: “Fleeing War, Composing Peace: The Evolution of Jean Berger” by Zebulon Highben, which was published in the August 2015 issue.

Jean Berger (1909-2002) was a leading figure in American choral music in the second half of the twentieth century, but many may not be aware of his origins: “He was born into an orthodox Jewish family in Germany, under a different name, and was later persecuted by the Nazis.” He eventually made his way to America. This background impacted his life and work, and the article discusses two war-era compositions—In a Time of Pestilence and Vision of Peace—as examples of the “connection between Berger’s biography and compositional syntax.”

Included in the article is an interesting section on Berger and Religion (p. 15). Although Berger retained a strong attachment to Judaism throughout his life, he described a “gradual but unstoppable detachment” from the religion of his birth. His relationship to Christianity was also complex. He “felt a personal connection to many New Testament passages” but he “never considered himself Christian and would not set some traditional liturgical texts.”

Click here to read the full article online or download the PDF of the Berger article. (Note: You must be logged into the acda.org site as a member in order to access the Choral Journal online.)

Seven of Berger’s works are discussed in this Choral Journal article. For a complete list of Berger’s works, see the American Music Research Center’s online guide to the Jean Berger Collection (compositions are listed on pages 5 through 22).

Are you aware of Jean Berger’s Jewish background? Just as this article shows that a composer’s early experiences can influence his or her later compositions, do you think the experiences of a conductor can have an influence on teaching or conducting styles and interpretations? Why or why not?