Latest Blog Posts
Are We Fully Prepared for Rehearsal?
ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly publication for choral conductors and teachers at all levels. It is published online, and each issue contains four practical articles. If you are not already a member of ACDA, you can join and receive access to ChorTeach online. Below is an excerpt from an article written by Catherine Feazell in the Summer 2018 issue. You can […]
VIRTUAL CHOIRS: The Two Reasons many of us HATE them!
Do you HATE virtual choirs? Most of us had absolutely no opinion on “the value of VIRTUAL CHOIRS” until two weeks ago. Since then, we have all become experts, or at least, experts of our own opinion. I believe this blog post will be useful to Virtual Choir HATERS and Virtual Choir lovers. Here is my latest […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Autism Awareness Month
“Autism is part of who I am.” Temple Grandin This was written and scheduled before COVID-19 changed our world. Please enjoy and hope we all are soon back to normal soon! “Mrs. Amenta, we have to be kind to those poor parents. They have children with autism and have no hope.” For some reason, Dr. […]
Leading Voices: Distance Learning and the Experiential Learning Cycle
Below is an assignment I posted on Google Classroom for my 9-12 Concert Choir last week: “Good morning, Folks! For our next concert, each choir will learn a song on their own. The catch is, we will not rehearse the song as a choir. The first time we will sing the song together will be […]
Off The Podium: Good News! A Tresona Update
This post is a brief update on Tresona Multimedia, LLC v. Burbank High School Vocal Music Association, a copyright infringement litigation suit. Chances are good if you are a show choir director you know about this one. If you write arrangements of music that is not in the public domain, you need to know about […]
End-of-the-Year Activities in the Music Classroom
ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly publication for choral conductors and teachers at all levels. It is published online, and each issue contains four practical articles. If you are not already a member of ACDA, you can join and receive access to ChorTeach online. Below is an excerpt from an article written by Andrew Bruhn in the Spring 2017 issue._____________________________________ You have […]
Choosing the RIGHT Distance Learning Option!
This is a time like no other. Most of our schools are closed indefinitely as we are grieving the loss of our choral year. Now we are left finding a brand new way to do our job while living our personal life in crisis/survival mode. How do we navigate this ever-changing world, living with instability […]
It’s Ok to Suck at Being an Online Choir Teacher
Just a short note of encouragement to those of you colleagues putting a lot of pressure on yourself right now. Stop it! Do your best, but stop it. 🙂
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Appearing to Get Along
“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” Francis of Assisi This was written and scheduled before COVID-19 changed our world. Please enjoy and hope we all are soon back to normal! If you’ve been reading my Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics blogs for any length […]
Leading Voices: Tune to your Trios
“There is no feeling in a human heart which exists in that heart alone – which is not, in some form or degree, in every heart”. George MacDonald I first heard ” Tune to your Trios” during an Onondaga County Music Educators Association (OCMEA) High School Music Festival many years ago. The guest director asked […]