Latest Blog Posts

When it comes to choir members singing by themselves, there are generally two schools of thought: 1. Singers in a choir should never be forced to sing by themselves. 2. All singers need to be graded individually for how they perform because choir is a skills-based class. My approach differs from the two. HERE IS […]

This week, I am excited to have Melanie Trecek-King as our guest. Melanie is a science educator who specializes in teaching science to non-science majors. In addition to her expertise in the field of science, Melanie is passionate about helping individuals improve their thought processes and metacognition. She is making major waves online with her […]

“I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.” Khalil Gibran Why Kindness?  Why write about kindness in the music profession?  Is it really necessary to be kind? In order to be kind in all things, we must have been […]

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 Summer 2023 issue […]

I use the same 6 rounds every year. These rounds teach technical skills, develop confidence in my singers, create community, and even offer tradition to our community. This blog post will share WHY each round is important and also, HOW I choose to teach them. HERE IS MY BLOG POST: The 6 Choir ROUNDS I […]

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche Earlier this summer, I read a review of a book I thought might be interesting to review here on Choral […]

Wednesday, September 20, 2023   Building audiences. It is something we all must take time to do. It can be a little scary as we have to look honestly in the mirror and ask, what are we marketing and is it working? The great news, audience building is really a combination of advocating for your […]

It is no news flash that we live in an incredibly judgmental world. Even in the last 10 years, the opportunities to “like” or judge have increased exponentially and the impact on our time, our state of mind, and the quality of our professional work is profound.  Especially because we don’t realize what is happening. […]

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 […]