Latest Blog Posts
CJ Replay: Sight-Singing Suggestions
(From the Choral Journal article Sight-Singing in the Choral Rehearsal by Nancy Telfer) 1) Sight-singing sessions should be short and concentrated. Exercises should progress sequentially, with each short example designed to teach and reinforce a separate skill and to build on previously learned skills. 2) Since sight-singing vocal music involves reading words […]
CJ Replay: Instant Tone in a Warm-Up
(From the Choral Journal column, “Musica Pratica” [p.41] by Nina Gilbert) Don Neuen, Director of Choral Activities at the Eastman School of Music, uses a warm-up early in the fall that inspires instant, compelling choral tone. “Imagine that a long-lost friend has just appeared at the door to our rehearsal room,” he suggests […]
CJ Replay: Choral/Orchestral Balance
(From the Choral Journal article “Choral/Orchestral Balance: An Old Problem Reviewed” by James Fankhauser ) Can anyone imagine a choral director who would not choose to have his choir within eight feet of the podium for choral-orchestral works? Does anyone really like placing the choir at the back of the stage, behind the […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Sven-David Sandström
Reno, Timothy. A Messiah for Our Time: An Analysis of Sven-David Sandström’s New Oratorio. Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation, University of Maryland, 2010. In honor of Handel’s anniversary year in 2009, German conductor Helmuth Rilling commissioned Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström to create a new oratorio using the full text of Messiah, by Charles Jennens. […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Influence of Cecil J. Riney
Wheatley, Kyle D. The Growth of Music Education at Friends University during the Tenure of Cecil J. Riney (1960 – 2005). Master of Arts thesis, University of Alabama, 2012. The purpose of this study was to investigate the growth of the Music Education program at Friends University during the tenure of Dr. Cecil J. […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Choral Music of Judith Bingham
Monroe-Fischer, Marjorie. An Examination of Selected Choral Music of Judith Bingham. Published Doctor of Arts dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2012. Judith Bingham (1952- ) is the most acclaimed female British composer of our time. Her work encompasses most genres; however, a quarter of her compositions are choral. In spite of her fame in […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Choral Score Study
Seighman, Gary B. Expanding the Choral Conductor’s Horizon: The Application of Selected Literary Theories to the Process of Choral Score Study. Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation, University of Maryland, 2009. The various movements associated with literary theory can provide unique interpretative insights for the choral conductor during score study. Traditionally, score study focuses on […]
Scholarly Abstractions: Choral Philosophy of Craig Jessop
Redfearn, Christopher Michael. The Choral Philosophies and Techniques of Craig Jessop. Published Doctor of Arts dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2012. Craig Jessop is widely accepted among American choral directors as one of the pre-eminent choral leaders of our time. For over twenty-five years, he conducted high-profile instrumental and choral ensembles in the United […]
The Chick-fil-A Choir Concert
This Chick-fil-A controversy was brutal, wasn’t it? I stayed on the sidelines – I didn’t express an opinion or buy a sandwich or protest or anything. I watched Facebook erupt with pictures of chicken sandwiches and thoughtful condemnations of those that bought them. I’m sure you saw plenty of the same thing; none […]
New Choral Journal Index
Everyone, For years, Scott Dorsey has done an invaluable service for ACDA members by placing all of the articles of the Choral Journal into a manageable resource. He based his project on Gordon Paine's monograph, a work that featured CJ organization for the first eighteen years of the journal. The most recent […]