Latest Blog Posts
Survey Open to All ACDA Student Members
Student members of the American Choral Directors Association are encouraged to let their voice be heard regarding the Strategic Planning Membership Survey that is currently available through the ACDA website. Constitutionally, the only members of ACDA that vote in elections are “Active Members”, but ACDA is opening its important Stratetic Planning Survey to student members. […]
Diversion of the day: The Cyber Conductor
This has plenty of potential for being adapted for choral performances. I particularly like "Der schlechte Dirigent." For the embedded-impaired: http://youtu.be/CFltd2838gc
Scariest thing to discover outside your hotel door at ACDA
Wake up in the morning and open your hotel door, and hey, isn’t that nice, the hotel provided a copy of the local morning paper to each room. Something to read at breakfast, and at least it’s not USA Today. The top headline on the paper reads “Reno casino gains extra time to restructure […]
NPR: The Creole Choir of Cuba
With a musical history that dates back to the late 18th century, the group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed largely a cappella and entirely in Haitian Creole. Watch The Creole Choir of Cuba mash up Cuban and Haitian cultures in this spirited set at the NPR Music offices.
Happy birthday, Gioachino Rossini!
The guy didn't get that many birthdays: only 18 during his lifetime (remembering that 1800 wasn't a leap year), so we need to acknowledge it whenever we get a chance: today is his 51st birthday. (Update: 53rd. Somehow I missed 1888 and 1988.) As they said to Frederic in another context: Though you’ve lived […]
Paul Carey is at it again
Paul Carey is at it again: he's carefully chronicling the ACDA conferences he attends. What a service! Here are a few of his posts: North Central ACDA highlights North Central ACDA p. 2 North Central ACDA p. 3 Paul, you do our organization a service with these posts. I wonder – who else […]
Distraction of the Day
Update: cartoon by Dave Walker
Collaboration Results in Great New Things
Four and a half centuries ago there was a struggle over the high art of vocal polyphony in sacred compositions and the church’s need to have its sacred texts presented in an intelligible manner. Strong measures could have been made to thwart the expressive writing of vocal counterpoint, but certain composers such as Giovanni Palestrina […]
Courts second-guessing choir membership decisions
Pretty soon we're going to have to hold auditions entirely by lottery, at least in Ireland: A YOUNG man with an intellectual disability has been awarded €2,500 compensation against Wexford Male Voice Choir for ejecting him from their membership. The 24-year-old former member who was born with a rare genetic disorder was asked to leave […]
CJ Replay: Sensitivity to Choral Students
Here’s a little situation for you to ponder: You are a new teacher at Greenfield High School. Your predecessor, Mr. Smith, was very well liked and, after twelve successful years, built-up quite a following. After three months in your new position, you felt like giving up. No matter what you did, it was met […]