Latest Blog Posts

Over the last few weeks I have noticed a storm after the calm in choral music circles. We saw a boil over in Texas when a clinician withdrew from a conference based on a letter from two members that made her feel unwelcome, and a downstream fallout stemming from how the organization handled the issue. […]

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” Leonard Bernstein For the month of December, I’m rerunning some Choral Ethics blogs from years past with a few modifications where needed. Today’s is THE MOST REQUESTED December Blog or ANY Blog. It is especially appropriate […]

Sometimes, I divide our large mixed choir into separate treble and bass ensembles to give them a different experience singing SSAA or TTBB repertoire.  Great for programming and for variety in rehearsal, and for listening in a different way for blend and balance and color. When I resumed this practice a couple of years ago […]

The November/December 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Fostering Belonging in Choral Contexts” by Elizabeth Cassidy Parker. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Belonging has made an impactful resurgence in schools, universities, community music spaces, national organizations, and corporate America.1 As amplified by “A Place of Belonging,” ACDA’s 2023 National […]

“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” Winston Churchill I’m rerunning some Choral Ethics blogs from years past with a few modifications where needed. Two of my MOST REQUESTED December Blogs will also be making their yearly appearances. In a few days, it will be Christmas Eve. Your plans have been […]

Featuring Dr. Peter Steenblik When you read the word “burnout” what comes to mind? Is it a feeling? A time of year? Is someone you know experiencing it, maybe even you? We’ve been hearing from folks that the season and the schedule are ramping up to pre-pandemic standards (and beyond) and the burn is starting […]

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 […]

This week, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King joins the Choralosophy conversation by joining me to discuss two related topics. The teaching of musical fundamentals in our classrooms AND how we can have better and more productive conversations about social justice and the inequities in our society. We range from concrete, in class activities to try with a […]

I’m rerunning some Choral Ethics blogs from years past with a few modifications when needed. Two of my MOST REQUESTED December Blogs will be making their yearly appearances, including today’s. Happy December! ~MLGA  I love “Messiah”. Truth be told, it is probably one of my favorite large choral works.  There’s a little something for everyone–from […]

We are looking back at the October 2021 issue of Choral Journal in this week’s post. That issue was a focus on mental health, and it featured several articles related to mental health and choral music, including “Remember You: Mental Health in a Life Dedicated to Choral Music” by Stephanie and Troy Robertson. You can […]