Latest Blog Posts

“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” Socrates I have known many honorable people in my life, both musicians and non-musicians. Some of these folks appeared to be honorable at first glance, but as I got to know them better, they were far from […]

The power of a genuine “Thank you” cannot be underestimated.  Our busy lives don’t slow down for much, but when a gesture or word of thanks comes our way, we pause and take notice of where we are and who we are with.  We smile, breathe more deeply and for a moment, think larger than […]

The February 2024 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Choral Vibrato: The Hundred Years’ War” by Andrew P. Schmidt. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ According to recent scholarship, singers may experience cardiac, respiratory, and even brain-rhythm synchronization while performing together. For the field of choral singing, synchronization sits at the […]

We are doing something different and fun this week! Just me, and three young colleagues about half my age. Over the last few months, I have gotten several requests to do an episode dedicated to the issues and concerns faced by the next generation of educators. What better way to do that than host a […]

“Music is the easy part, it’s everything else that’s difficult.” Rose Marie Ditto Grass (1927-2014) My Mom, a coloratura soprano, used to tell us music was the easy part, everything else was hard. She told us in various ways, in various situations, or used some such variant when it seemed applicable. Several of us became […]

What happens when a choral director and psychologist join forces? We get some awesome tips and tools for managing our mental health as choral music people!    As part of the monthly Advocacy and Collaboration curated blog and podcast episodes, we’ve started this little mini-series on avoiding burnout thanks to feedback we are hearing from […]

The February issue of Choral Journal is available online. ACDA members can log in with their username and password to view and download the newest edition. You can also read our electronic version. If you are not already a member of ACDA, join today to start receiving your monthly Choral Journal! Choral Vibrato: The Hundred Years’ War by Andrew […]

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe It’s a New Year and new opportunities will crop up for you. New attitudes and new diets and new exercise programs and other NEW, NEW, NEW stuff will revamp and revitalize your life. Or will they? During […]

ACDA’s annual free summer workshop and festival listing will appear in the March/April issue of Choral Journal for events taking place May 1 – Sept 1, 2024. Submissions are due by January 15, 2024, to . Please format your submission as follows:  Date of Event Event Title Location (specify if Virtual) 1-2 sentence description of the event Contact name Contact email/phone […]

The quest for diversity in Western art music has led to the influx of ‘Westernized’ African music into the choral canon, albeit tagged as ‘world music’. This approach to the inclusion of diverse repertoire has led to the homogenization of indigenousAfrican folk tunes by non-indigenous composers, thus creating Western-sounding African music. In this episode, we […]