Latest Blog Posts
CJ Replay: Stravinsky’s Choral Style
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Stylistic Consistency In Three Choral Works Of Stravinsky,” by Maureen Cash Moffet) Another consistency found in Stravinsky’s choral style is his use of melodies of small range. In Les Noces, this feature results from the nature of the cell. The melodic style of Oedipus Rex is generally of […]
CJ Replay: Bach’s Lutheran Masses
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “J.S. Bach’s “Lutheran” Masses: Aspects of Chronology and Structure“, by Chester L. Alwes) Bach’s “Lutheran Masses” are comprised of only the Kyrie and Gloria texts of the Mass, an occurrence so consistent throughout Protestant Germany that the majority of Masses composed there during the Baroque era were of […]
CJ Replay: Roman Choirs in the Late Sixteenth Century
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, "Performance Practices of Sacred Polyphony in Rome and Madrid at the Times of Tomas Luis de Victoria," by Aimee Beckmann-Collier) The Roman choirs with which Victoria and Palestrina were associated were the centers of musical life in the late sixteenth century, and the singers attached to them enjoyed […]
CJ Replay: How to Make a Legal Copy
(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “The Music Educator’s Guide to Copyright Law,” by Karen Faaborg Permissible Uses: (1) Music educators may make copies of entire works only in emergencies to replace purchased copies which for any reason are not available for an imminent performance provided purchased replacement copies shall ‘be substituted in due […]
Choral Caffeine: Adolescent Singers
There are few of us who would willingly go through the turmoil and tribulations of adolescence a second time. Once was probably more than enough. Though no longer living thorough the experience themselves, those who teach on the middle and secondary levels need to remain keenly aware of the physiological and psychological effects of puberty […]
Choral Caffeine: Make Nice with the Band Director
One of the greatest joys of a recent position was the friendship one enjoyed with the band director. Being good friends (and demonstrating genuine mutual respect) made every day a pleasure. We worked together for the benefit of the students, and benefit of the overall music program. Sometimes, sadly, band directors and choral conductors don't […]
Rehearsing well
How can you make your rehearsals more efficient and accomplish more? How can your rehearsals motivate and inspire your singers? That’s the topic of my next series of blog posts. This is an area that I strongly believe is both craft and art. But what do I mean by that? There is a […]
GUEST BLOG: “The Action of ACDA” by Tim Sharp
THE ACTION OF ACDA by Tim Sharp We have learned a great deal throughout our two-year long strategic planning process. It is no accident that the chair of the Steering Committee for the 2013 National Conference also chaired the work of our strategic planning. As a result, what you will see during the […]
Choral Caffeine: Evil or Essential?
In a recent ChoralBlog titled, “Technology is Not a Goal,” Jeff Tillinghast (a member of ACDA’s Technology Committee) said, “[Technology is] not a part of some shady additional discipline. These things are simply methods and assistants to help us facilitate our goal, be it teaching, learning, art, or all three.” Put another way, it’s […]