Latest Blog Posts
Tribute to an American Icon: Alice Parker (1925-2023)
The May 2024 issue of Choral Journal is online and features a section remembering Alice Parker. Alice Parker led an incredible life dedicated to the timeless power of music. She passed away in 2023 at the age of ninety-eight. You can read her In Memoriam in this section. Following that is a selection of reprints […]
Choral Ethics: Pettiness
“Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.” George Carlin Jackie* and I became friends at a long ago ACDA national conference and have stayed in contact for several decades. She directs a community chorus two states over and emailed me about a situation which came up during her summer audition period […]
ChoralEd: Accommodations for the Changing Voice
The voice change process can be a challenging experience for young singers. Episode 32 of ChoralEd discusses musical accommodations that can support singers through their respective voice change. Musical accommodations occur when the choral educator makes changes to the musical material to better support their singers. (1) Octave displacement is a common accommodation where the […]
May Choral Journal Preview
The May 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. If you are not already a member of ACDA, join today to start receiving your monthly Choral Journal! ARTICLES Tribute to an American Icon: Remembering Alice Parker […]
Choral Ethics: Another One
“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” Madeleine Albright For those of you too busy with concerts and the end of the semester to keep up with current events, here’s another story in the news about inappropriate conduct in the Classical Music World. It concerns one of our […]
Culturally Responsive Pedagogical/Andragogical Context Knowledge in Choral Music
Responding to the diverse strengths, interests, and needs of musicians is a critical issue in music making and has been forefront in the scholarly dialogue. One significant current in this discourse is culturally responsive education. Framed as culturally responsive teaching, culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and other related terms, these asset focused approaches are […]
A Round Peg Voice in a Square Hole Choir with Timothy Mount
Tim’s article “How to Ruin an Alto” was published in 1982-83 in The Choral Journal and in MENC’s publication. It included some strong language like “there are no good reasons for allowing women to sing tenor.” In this episode Timothy Mount, a Professor Emeritus at Stony Brook University, joins me to discuss his very strongly […]
Choral Ethics: A Silent Wood
A Collage “Sunflowers for Ukraine,” By Russell Amenta, artist with autism I am taking a bit of a Choral Ethics break for the next few weeks and this is a Choral Ethics Blog repeat. In observance of Autism Acceptance Month, I am repeating during the next two weeks two requested blogs on music and disability. […]
Research Report Editor Search
We invite applications for the position of editor of the Research Report column, which appears three to four times per year in the Choral Journal. Applicants should have a substantial record of research and publication and an interest in seeking out student researchers. The Research Report editor will recruit and/or select column material, will edit […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Ordinary (Extraordinary) Wisdom
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau I don’t know how often we think of ourselves as “wise.” That word seems reserved for the sages, the super seniors with long beards or gentle voices and twinkling eyes, sharing mic-drop pearls that stop us in our tracks. Yet, […]