Latest Blog Posts

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. Every ChorTeach issue includes a section called “Ask a Conductor,” which is a reader-generated Q&A format where readers submit questions related to teaching, conducting, rehearsing with, or singing with K-12 students. Several educators who either currently work in K-12 or who […]

Last week, I attended the first national gathering of the American Choral Directors since 2019. I had some incredible experiences, saw incredible choirs, heard wonderful and challenging thoughts presented in PD sessions. In this episode, I will recap my highlights, as well as presenting the highlights of some conference attendees that I interviewed during my […]

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Charles Dickens It is difficult to believe it is already March. Today the weather here in the Midwest is lovely, warm, sunny, and fun with the […]

In episode 18 of ChoralEd, Lizette Ochoa shares how teachers can best care for their voice amidst the vocal strains of everyday teaching.  As the school year progresses, Ms. Ochoa suggests self-monitoring your voice for any vocal change such as loss of range, raspiness, or fatigue.  Teachers should seek medical attention if these vocal issues […]

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS)  is ACDA’s scholarly publication that welcomes studies that apply rigorous, systematically-grounded methodologies, either quantitative or qualitative, to investigate phenomena of potential interest to all who sing in, work with, or are otherwise interested in choral ensembles. Below is the abstract from this article written by Ruth […]

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1    Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and begins another season. If we are church musicians, Lent began….ready or not….even if we have not recovered from the Christmas Season. If we are not church musicians but in academia, we are probably […]

“Root to rise” is a fundamental cue in a yoga class.  Also phrased as “ground down to lift up,” it reminds us that before we can fully extend or expand, we have to be firmly rooted.  We have to be grounded before we can grow, or we will find ourselves wobbling or limiting our potential […]

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels but specifically K-12 and community choirs. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/publications/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For more information, email  or visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the Winter 2023 issue […]

This presentation is the second part, or “why” sequel to Episode 135. In that episode, I lay out processes and procedures to build independent literacy skills in a beginning choir. In this presentation, I expanded into the moral and scientific case for centering literacy in our curricula, as well as support for my contention that there […]

“‘Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too? I never saw one alive before!’ ‘Well, now that we have seen each other,’ said the unicorn, ‘if you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.’” –Lewis Carroll; Through the Looking Glass I was at my usual Southland Arts (a community arts alliance) meeting […]