Latest Blog Posts

Last blog post discussed WHY Rounds are so useful; This week’s blog gets personal! I’m sharing the 5 rounds (plus one more) that I use with my high school choir every year, and WHY! I hope my WHY is helpful in choosing the right rounds for your program!  Here are: The 5 “ROUNDS” I Use in My Choral Program Every Year – And […]

The December 2018 issue of Choral Journal is now available online. Below is an excerpt of the article “What is Written on Our Choral Welcome Mats? Moving Beyond Performative Culture Toward a More Just Society” by John D. Perkins. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose December 2018 from the […]

Does your choir sing ROUNDS? If YES, that’s great, but are you aware of the tremendous opportunities they afford your singers? If NO, are you aware of the tremendous opportunities they afford your singers? Here are: 7 REASONS ALL CHOIRSSHOULD SING ROUNDS!

One of the hottest topics of discussion online in the last few weeks in the choral world has been the topic of cultural appropriation. Who should be allowed to perform, compose or arrange which kinds of music? Where do we draw the line? Does intent matter? What should a conductor do if they are worried […]

I have noticed in the 6 months I have been doing this show that there is a hunger for questioning and exploring choral and educational topics at a philosophical level, about asking why, offering answers, and dialogue. We don’t get much of this at conventions, we get presentations. This is NOT a condemnation of the […]

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” Socrates Finn* had heard about Dr. Marcus* for years. He taught at the local community college, had the best (and biggest) church position in town and conducted the premier community chorus in the region. Finn taught elementary school […]

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 Larry Swingen appearing in the Fall 2019 issue._____________________________________ Because of […]

Everyone CAN learn to sing. Everyone SHOULD sing.  If you believe this, you should “ditch choir auditions!“ Choir should be an open community, not a gated community. I hope you will hear my philosophy behind this comment and how it relates to WHY our culture no longer includes singing. Here is: Ditch Choir Auditions: Everyone Can Sing!

“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” Percy Bysshe Shelley I love autumn. The golden slant of the sunshine, the rich, beautiful colors of the trees, the crisp and […]

The November 2019 issue of Choral Journal is now available online! This issue features an article written by Felicia Sandler titled “Ephraim Amu’s African Songs: Notation and Performance Practice.” Below is an excerpt of the article, and you can read it in its entirety in the November 2019 issue! Go to acda.org/choraljournal and click the image of the cover to […]