Latest Blog Posts

Few topics on Choralnet have garnered such extensive responses as those that deal with director/singer relationships. Surely our inspiration and love of what we do should transcend any problems in interpersonal relationships! After all, it’s “all about the music!” Isn’t it? Yet how many of us wish we could take back a comment that was […]

The “Big Voice” project has been discussed by various commentators on ChoralNet.  Today, film-maker Varda Hardy gives us a chance to hear what the students at Santa Monica High School think about singing in a choir.   Sometimes, friends, amid the flotsam and jetsam of our hectic days, we tend to forget that we are […]

A dog interrupts Eric Whitacre's sleep:       The director stops the choir, looks around, and says "Are we OK??"   Let's brainstorm other possible responses to the dog, or their owner:   1.  "What, doesn't your dog like Eric Whitacre?" 2.  "Hey, we are having audience participation on the next song, not this […]

Are you thinking about submitting an interest session proposal for next year’s ACDA National Conference in Dallas?  Well, it’s time to stop thinking and start writing! “We want to provide the best possible slate of sessions at the National Conference,” said Tim Sharp, ACDA’s Executive Director. “Planning that program begins with the interest and passion […]

Hitting the 'High Notes' An insider's look at 2012 World Choir Games event progress March 16, 2012 Dear 2012 World Choir Games Supporter: March Madness has taken on a whole new meaning for us here at the World Choir Games! The month of March has been one of the most exciting periods for event milestones […]

Each morning at 7:00 at the ACDA Eastern Division Conference in Providence Steven Russell taught a yoga class for singers and conductors.  Each day at dawn a good number of brave early risers greeted the sun as it rose over the Providence Journal Building across the street from the fifth floor Pre-Function Area of the Convention Center […]

What has been the traditional role of the conductor? Typically, s/he is the omniscient leader who determines the direction of the ensemble, calls all the shots, makes all the musical decisions. We like to be in charge!  And think of the responsibilities you have as a conductor – as a teacher of voice, as a […]

The New York Times reported that Encyclopedia Britannica has thrown in the towel: In an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age — and of competition from the Web site Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools. The last print version is the 32-volume 2010 […]

       The great master teacher of singing, Giovanni Battista Lamperti, once said: “There is no ‘attack,’ no ‘mouth position,’ no ‘tongue control,’ no ‘voice placing,’ no ‘fixed chest,’ no relaxing this or that muscle, no stiffening any part of the body, in fact, nothing that would not spring frominstinctive utterance.”l Choral teaching must release voices, […]

       When choral conductors meet at a convention, clinic, or other professional gathering, the talk inevitably turns to how to get good blend, balance, and diction. Oh, there may be discussion of conducting technique, recruiting methods, repertoire, and similar concerns, but the subject of the sound itself is never far from anyone’s mind or tongue. […]