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(An excerpt from the interest session “Singing in the Groove: Connecting with our Rhythmic Roots,” presented by Brian Tate during the 2014 ACDA Northwestern Division Conference)          Rhythm is energy. When you have your singers clap a simple pattern (clap, rest, clap, rest), usually the first thing that happens is, they speed up! Why […]

A collaboration between the University of Rochester Computer Science and Eastman School of Music departments has come up with an interesting vocal teaching tool: ​    (University of Rochester Newsroom)   Obviously analyzing one voice is far different than analyzing a whole ensemble, but this idea of visually demonstrating aural information opens up a lot […]

(gettyimages: mstay / iStock Vectors) Over the past couple of years, we’ve touched on a wide range of technology uses in our field: rehearsal management, choral operations, delivering music and feedback to our musicians, recording and performing. With a few exceptions such as our series on creating a web site, these have all been solely […]

TOP HYMNS OF ACDA MEMBERS by Thomas Vozzella          How many times does the average church attendee, currently around once a month, leave worship thinking, “I only knew one of the hymns this morning”? Below is a list of the top 100 hymns in America, give or take a few. The most frequently mentioned […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Extencec New Works: Sharing Resources and Successes,” presented by David Hodgkins with Alan Harler and Deborah Simpkin King during the 2014 ACDA Eastern Division Conference)          I am a self-proclaimed Troglodyte. To me an app is something you order before dinner and a tweet is a birdcall. But […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Re-Voicing Public Domain Choral Music for SSA, TTBB, etc.: Tips, Tricks, and Time Savers,” presented by William C. Powell during the 2014 ACDA Southern Division Conference)          When re-voicing choral music, it is helpful to compare SATB scores with TTBB and/or SSAA settings of the same title by the […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Where 10 or 12 Are Gathered: Strategies for Smaller Church Choirs,” presented by Matt Caine during the 2014 ACDA Southern Division Conference)          . . . In any of these situations you may have to help the choir develop a new vision, but in the case of the […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Recruiting and Retaining Adolescent Males in an Urban School,” presented by Nicolás Alberto Dosman during the 2014 ACDA Eastern Division Conference)          Many young men may enjoy singing but they may be reluctant to participate in choral ensembles. A combination of many variables can be exacerbated in hyper-masculine […]

(An excerpt from the interest session “Developing Vocal Techniques in the Middle School Choral Rehearsal,” presented by Sandra Howard during the 2014 ACDA Eastern Division Conference)          The main theme of this session centered on repertoire selection with the consideration of vocal technique requirements for the singer. In addition to other selection criteria, choral […]

One of my former students, a soprano, asked me if she could sing alto on Haydn Creation. I asked her why, and she said that she wanted a challenge because she loved sight reading! I’ve heard a few singers say this before (I am not one), and I thought it was a subject matter worth […]