Latest Blog Posts

Experience has taught me that people often hear “high school” and assume that you are working with SATB choirs (or SATB divisi).  Several factors contribute to the ability levels at which students arrive in high school, not the least of which are quality of feeder programs and whether or not prerequisites or auditions are required.  […]

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” Ernest Hemingway Today we reach back into the ol’ mailbag and pull out two more stories, this time from community chorus directors. Both have similar problems which are trust related. I have no answers for either one. It Will Come […]

This week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio join Stan Schmidt for a special edition as he helps we all remember Estonian composer, Veljo Tormis, one of the greatest choral creators of the the 20th Century.   You will hear how folk music used this towering Genius.   Internationally, his fame arose chiefly from his extensive […]

The Choral Journal editorial board reviews all article submissions through a blind review process that typically takes 4-6 weeks. After that time, the author will receive notice of acceptance, rejection, or request for revision and resubmission. A high quality of writing and solid research is expected from all submissions. There should be a clear thesis […]

News flash: Sometimes community and church choirs can be short on tenors and basses.  I know this is brand-new information for many of you (and I hope by now you have noted the sarcasm).  Something many of us often struggle to find is qualitative SAB music that is challenging enough for the experienced singers we […]

“Well-ordered self-love is right and natural.” Thomas Aquinas The choir year is winding down. We end this year while we begin our plans for the next. It’s a tough time for many of us as we look back on what we’ve accomplished, or didn’t accomplish. It is often painful. The right, positive mind frame is […]

Choral Clarity Blog Presents: Many of us think of the last day of class as a day of yearbook signing, collecting missing music, and a free period with lots of selfies. Sure, those things might happen during the last day of class, but making the final day meaningful is so important for building tradition within […]

Many of us are now in the throes of the last couple weeks of school.  Concerts are over, the students are restless (the teachers are even more so!).  As I wind down the year, I make the time pass by beginning to plan for next school year.  I have 30 seniors graduating that will leave […]

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Mark Twain This week we will look at stories from two high school chorus directors. One teaches in a private school and the other teaches in a public school. Both have had to deal with administration’s lack of understanding about their choirs this spring. What […]

This week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio Host Stan Schmidt creates a Spring Collage of diverse interests with choral works from Austria, Sweden, Italy, Finland, and England.   Our Stiles range from the Baroque to a Swedish Composer Born in 1981.  Creations are from Isfrid Kayser, Fredrik Sixten, Ippolitp Baccusi, Orazio Vecchi, Orazio Vecchi, […]