Latest Blog Posts

Ramona M. Wis We are nearing the end of a year that will forever remain in our minds, our hearts, and our personal narratives.  A year that, when we look back, will be that slowly unfolding “moment” where we dug deep, fought a relentless pandemic, considered serious questions and made important decisions, found new skills and […]

The latest issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Whitfield Sound: Unearthing Foundational Elements of Contemporary Gospel Music” by Brandon Waddles. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction ___________________ Toward the latter half of the twentieth century there was a focal shift in […]

For those of you familiar with my blog, this piece may seem an outlier as a choice. It doesn’t hit any of the usual hallmarks of my repertoire choices on this forum. But you know what? It is an absolutely perfectly teachable piece for my early-intermediate group, especially in these strange Covid-times. It is -exactly- the piece I need right now. Take a look. It may be just exactly what you need too.

“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.” Arthur Miller As I write this, it is the week before our presidential election. I decided to write this week’s Blog BEFORE the election because I wanted to be clear minded and not influenced by events of the week. And I […]

Who is Your Vygotsky or MKO? I learned to ask this question last spring when two of my theory students informed me that they were working together and helping each other out with their online assignments.  At the time, I did not make much of their comment.  As a seasoned K – 12 vocal music […]

For Off The Podium this week, please check out this repost of Wholehearted Attention, which will be the basis of a FREE talk presented by the Richmond Symphony School of Music, featuring a discussion with: Dr. Ronald Crutcher, President, University of Richmond Alex Laing, Principal Clarinet, Phoenix Symphony and Walter Bitner (yours truly) Thursday, November […]

The newest issue of Choral Journal is available online. Following is a list of the articles you will find in this issue. 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 […]

As we march through what has been the most challenging semester possibly to EVER face the field of education, we find ourselves twisting our minds in pretzels to discover what works and what doesn’t work on the fly. Every day is an experiment whether you are in person with masks, hybrid or all online, you […]

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” Martin Luther Throughout the month of October, we’re revisiting some of the staple issues of Choral Ethics. I’ve written a BUNCH about each of these subjects during the last few years. While most of us now rehearse and […]

By Mark Lawley One Friday many years ago I was going about my teaching with extra enthusiasm and zest. I moved from class to class, from lesson to lesson, with a heightened sense of exuberance! All of a sudden I paused to consider why I was so energized. I came to the realization that the […]