Latest Blog Posts

Join host Stan Schmidt this week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio for his annual Christmas In July show.   There are eleven selections that take you from the Medieval style to the glorious sounds of 2017. You will hear works by Anna von Köln from the year 1500; the opening number from the Nativity […]

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 as an Associate for $45 per year and receive access to ChorTeach and the Choral Journal online. Last year I created an annotated ChorTeach […]

A lot of the music that I feature here from week to week is on the newer side, as I enjoy highlighting pieces with which many conductors may be unfamiliar.  However, I find myself needing to remember—as I think many of us do from time to time—that I must go back and include pieces from […]

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.”  Mark Twain During the first two weeks of July, Choral Potpourri Blog focused on what you need and what you do. Today we’ll be thinking about our behavior inside of rehearsal. It’s easier to be objective when not actively in the midst of rehearsals or the academic […]

This week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio Stan Schmidt; Your sound attention to a program called A Mass for Modern Man by Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg released in 2017.  To offer a musical frosting you will enjoy the Cambridge Singers from their CD Lighten Our Darkness and two selections with the voice of […]

The Choral Journal archives dates back to May 1959 and contains many wonderful articles, some of which, yes, are out of date; but there are others that still hold importance for choral conductors in the twenty-first century. In 1974-1976, Carole Glenn published a fascinating series of interviews with seventeen choral conductors on various questions of […]

Like many of you, I often try to build concerts around some kind of theme or unifying element.  For conductors of the “average” choir, however, if can often be difficult to find enough high-quality yet attainable music that fits the theme to fill a program.  I try very hard to choose themes or concepts that […]

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Rudyard Kipling In last week’s Blog, I mentioned for the month of July I would be blogging about things to get you thinking. Last week, I asked what you need to do a good job right before a concert. This week, […]

This week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio Stan Schmidt  takes you on a journey to view A Map of the Celestial Sky.  You will hear Music created by Joseph Gregorio, Eric Barnum, Tarik O’Regan, Bruno Skulte, Paola Prestini, Orlande de Lassus and Frederyk Chopin.   Musical styles vary by offering a Cosmic Mystery called The […]

The Choral Journal archives dates back to May 1959 and contains many wonderful articles, some of which, yes, are out of date; but there are others that still hold importance for choral conductors in the twenty-first century. In 1974-1976, Carole Glenn published a fascinating series of interviews with seventeen choral conductors on various questions of […]