Latest Blog Posts

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. Following is a list of the articles in the Summer 2023 issue! A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For submission information, to view the index, or to read the latest issue, […]

  I have a simple method to voice my students effectively and quickly. With this approach, you can voice new members in as quickly as 3 minutes or less. In addition to discovering a singer’s range, we must also take into account other factors, such as: -their tessitura -the needs of the ensemble -their personal […]

In this episode I draw on a few sources, including audience comments to present an advocacy conversation. To make the case for Choral Music classrooms, infrastructure support, and educational priorities. You will see or hear a video I made all the way back in 2012 in response to the popular TV show “Glee,” as well […]

“Love in all eight tones and all five semitones of the word’s full octave.” Stephen Fry Happy anniversary to US! It’s hard to believe it has been eight years since Scott Dorsey asked me to become a regular ChoralNet Blogger. At first, I worried about having enough material to write a regular blog on something […]

The August 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Voices of Change: Impacting the Communities We Serve.” Following is a portion from the article. _________________ The following panel discussion convened by Donald Dumpson, R&R Chair of Lifelong Singing, was presented at the 2022 ACDA Eastern Region Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, as part one of […]

This week, I am PUMPED to be joined by renowned Psychologist, researcher, author and host of the Psychology Podcast, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. We in the Performing Arts education sphere are in a unique position to have an impact on the whole person in a way that is not accessible to our other teacher colleagues. […]

“No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.” Edgar Degas This is a Choral Ethics Blog post repeat from several years ago. I need to slow down and plotting out the rest of the summer now seems like a smart idea. […]

In ChoralEd Episode 24, Robert Westerberg discusses the numbers sight-reading method.  When selecting a sight-reading method to implement in your classroom, it’s important to consider your student population.  If your ensemble incorporates a wide range of age and ability levels or frequently includes new students, then numbers may be a great option for your program.  […]

It’s a new school year, a new season.  We spent time this summer reading, taking coursework, watching videos, or reviewing (a lot of) repertoire as we programmed for our ensembles.  We come back to our work renewed, “fresh.” But is this “freshness” our rediscovered self or a duplication of everything and everyone else out there?  […]

The September 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “A Building without Walls: A Biography and Conductor’s Analysis of Lena McLin’s The Church Cantata” by Khyle Wooten. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Lena McLin (b. 1928) is one of the most influential African American women composers of the twentieth century. […]