Latest Blog Posts

“I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.” Robert Browning This first Thursday of September marks the FIFTH anniversary of my Blog here at ChoralNet, Choral Potpourri. I’ve written over 250 Blogs, more or less, including repeats during the summer […]

By Rebecca Lord Conducting today can feel like it requires a graduate degree in technology. This article will provide tech solutions, simple to complex. Recommendations and video examples come from music-technology professionals, conductors, and internationally recognized virtual choir leaders. REHEARSAL SUCCESS IN A LAND OF LATENCY Before COVID-19, how many of us knew about Zoom […]

By Ramona M. Wis “Movement is essential.”  Katy Bowman, M.S., biomechanist I just finished my first week of fall classes:  five rehearsals and two non-performance class meetings, all online.  While it was different, the experience was enlightening, connected, and inspiring on many levels.  The unsolicited feedback from students after the first day of rehearsals was very positive and […]

The newest issue of Choral Journal is available online. It is a focus from ACDA’s Standing Committee for Education & Communication. 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. […]

The author’s views and opinions are his own, as are those of all ChoralNet bloggers. ACDA is providing comprehensive, expert-informed, regularly updated information about singing safety and best practices for rehearsals during this difficult time on the following web page: https://acda.org/resources-for-choral-professionals-during-a-pandemic/.  I am so excited to see choirs around the US return to singing. And many writing in […]

“Around me I saw women overworked and underpaid, doing men’s work at half men’s wages, not because their work was inferior, but because they were women.” Anna Howard Shaw For the last Thursday of August 2020’s Choral Potpourri, I would like to share some thoughts about women conductors. I hope you will share some of […]

By Pat Guth Every choir has them. The diva, divo, prima donna, egotist…whatever you prefer to call them. Whether you’re waving your arms in front of a choir of professionals or tending to an ensemble of amateurs, you’ve no doubt come across at least a singer or two who views himself/herself as superior to others […]

By Ramona M. Wis Singing for the Greater Good has been our choirs’ “North Star” for several years, evolving as we became more and more aware of the broader, deeper, more impactful aspects of the choral music making process.  Singing for the Greater Good unites us, guides our decision making, and recalibrates us when challenges arise, as they […]

The September 2020 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Resilient Choral Teachers” by Alex T. Favazza, Jr. and Amon Eady. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Below is a portion of the article from the introduction._____________________________ The study of teacher resilience, especially thriving teachers, is a somewhat nascent field of inquiry. Gu and […]

A Choralosophy First attempt at a front porch conversation. I invited members of my recently graduated choral program to talk about what life has been life in lockdown. Featuring Eghosa Ogbevoen, Avery Beavers and Zaria Jackson. This episode is an experiment for sure! I began to feel like much of our conversation had been a […]