Latest Blog Posts
Conference Program Book Sent to All ACDA Members
In February, ACDA members found a little surprise in their Choral Journal. An even bigger surprise arriving in their mailboxes right now – because every member of ACDA both in the U.S. and in 45 other countries will receive a copy of the 228-page National Conference Book, which just happens to be the March issue […]
GUEST BLOG: “Conference Reflections: Los Angeles” by Paul Carey
CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS: LOS ANGELES by Paul Carey Dallas is Calling You! The Dallas ACDA National Conference is coming soon but it's not too late to register and attend. I’m writing to encourage everyone in the choral field to attend the Dallas conference. There will be so much music to hear by so many […]
Rehearsing well — Start with Musicality
For me, it’s important to include musicality and expression, particularly that of phrase shape, from the very beginning of the learning/rehearsal process. The problem with ignoring the shaping of phrases (dynamic, agogic, stressed and unstressed syllables, etc.) is that the choir learns an unmusical shaping of the phrase which then has to be un-learned (and that […]
GUEST BLOG: “Why Barbershop Along with High School Chorus?” by Carl Taylor
WHY BARBERSHOP ALONG WITH HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS? by Carl Taylor In 1989, when a man I had never met called me and asked me to do some singing with him and two other fellows, I really had no idea what was ahead. In a very short time I found myself memorizing several songs, performing […]
Guest ChoralTech: DIY Websites–Buy This, Get a Website
Does your choir need a website? Yes! Yes, it does! This is the second in ChoralTech Guest Blogger Seth Garrepy’s series on DIY Web Design. Check out his first article while you’re at it, and come back next week for the thrilling conclusion. “Buy this, Get a Website” It’s almost too good to be true. […]
Grammys To Honor Music Teachers
From the New York Times: The Grammy Awards are adding a new honor for music teachers. Neil Portnow, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, announced the new award for music educators, which will be presented for the first time next year. He made the announcement on Thursday evening at an […]
Composition Spotlight: The Lord’s Prayer
COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig (Each week we look at a piece of useful repertoire from the ChoralNet Community Composition Showcase. A variety of voicings and levels of difficulty will be presented. Enjoy!) The Lord's Prayer by Dustin Oldenburg SATB a cappella (click for PDF and AUDIO) Level: High School or higher Uses: Sacred, General […]
Stick Time: Vast Inspirational Riches
Edsel. Beta-max. New Coke. In their respective days, these were supposed to be the “next big thing,” products that were thought to be so revolutionary that the paradigm would be re-written in their glorious image. Not so much. Contrary to what advertisers (particularly, it seems, the purveyors of various iGadgets) scream, “new” is […]
Asteroid or Reading Packets?
What will scare a choral conductor worse this Friday . . . the building-size asteroid passing within a few miles of the Earth or missing out on the reading packets at the ACDA National Conference? The answer, of course, is missing the reading packets! The American Choral Directors Association REALLY wants you to […]