Latest Blog Posts

       Driving past an amusement park on a summer’s day is a bit frustrating.  Okay, fine . . . it’s MADDEDNING!  One sees all of those delightful rides and attractions just waiting to be explored, but we don’t get to go in and play.        So it is for those of us who, for one […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Fine Tuning Your Choir,” presented by James Franklin during the 2014 ACDA Southwestern Division Conference)   If we want to have a more finely tuned choir, we need to have an understanding of how intervals might sound.  We are so entrenched in a modern system of tuning, i.e., equal […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Embodying Music: Transferring Movement from Rehearsal to Performance,” presented by Marci Major during the 2014 ACDA Southwestern Division Conference)          After attending or hearing about the session on Embodying Music at the SWACDA conference, choral directors might want some specific activities to try with their students to help […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Teach Phrasing First: Practical Considerations for Teaching Artistry at the Beginning of the Rehearsal Process,” presented by Steve Grives during the 2014 ACDA North Central Division Conference)          Imagine you are at the dress rehearsal of your choirs’ performance. Perhaps, you have prepared a choral/orchestral work, and as […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Sightsinging in the Choral Classroom,” presented by James Bowyer during the 2014 ACDA North Central Division Conference)          When selecting superb sightsinging materials, there are several things to keep in mind. First, all materials that we select for the chorus must, in the end, develop fundamental musicianship skills […]