Latest Blog Posts
Planning for a Hybrid Rehearsal Structure
How can we streamline the rehearsal process to make the most of student contact time? If you are like me, you have seen a TON of ideas for online activities to keep our choirs engaged. And that’s wonderful! We need as many tools in our belt as we can get. However, what about the times […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: One Hundred Years Ago
“Through persistent dedication, Susan B. Anthony, and other remarkable leaders, women were finally granted the right to vote in 1920.” Louise Slaughter One hundred years ago this month, women in the United States were granted the right to vote. I say “granted” because that’s what many folks say, like the right to vote was a […]
Leading Voices: Spring 2020, A Look in the Rear-View Mirror
Like many of us, I can clearly remember where I was on 9/11. In the months and years later, after this tragic event, our world and our model of national security evolved and changed into a new recognition of personal and social safety. Now, after months of teaching online this Spring, attending Zoom meetings, […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Tapas (or “The best way out is always through”)
By Ramona M. Wis I have to admit, I am feeling the heat. Virtual rehearsal planning. Technology. Pandemic updates. Constant communication. Summer heat. Conductors are tough folks—we know what it’s like to feel the heat and find ways to get through it. Though “no pain, no gain” is usually considered an athlete’s mantra, musicians live this, as well. Usually the […]
Eric Whitacre on the Birth and Maturation of the Virtual Choir
Eric Whitacre may be the father of the virtual choir. But could he have ever envisioned what it would become? In this episode, I have the honor of speaking with the FATHER of the virtual choir. Eric Whitacre. We discuss the origins of his virtual choir “franchise” and his thoughts on watching that concept evolve […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Songs My Mother Taught Me
“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” Erma Bombeck Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of my mother’s death. The last couple of years, I hadn’t remembered, or even noticed the date, […]
Non-auditioned Choirs – and Their Conductors – Are at the Heart of Community Singing
By Pat Guth For the first 40 years of my musical career, I spent a lot of time dealing with “imposter syndrome” – that nagging feeling when you doubt your accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Maybe you’ve been there, too. It’s not uncommon among artists of all […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Still the Mind Chatter
By Ramona M. Wis Last week, we looked at the importance of “making space” if we want something new, presumably better, to enter our lives. By releasing pursuits, ideas, or habits that no longer serve us, we make space to move forward to new opportunities, insight, or energy. To some degree, this release requires detaching from the […]
Planning Ahead: Five Considerations for Future Choral Music Classrooms
ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For submission information, to view the index, or to read the latest issue, visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the Summer 2020 […]
Bonus Episode: Stepping Outside the Choir World with Sociologist Dr. Roderick Graham
Our online choral conversations are frequently centered, especially recently, around culture. How do we negotiate a diverse society within our classrooms and the online conversations that result? Dr. Graham invited me on his YouTube channel to discuss topics that fall under this broad umbrella like cancel culture, race, discourse and why so many of these topics are difficult […]