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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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Today, let’s look at two quick things in this brief excerpt from the 2011 ACDA National Conference. The first is poise.  One would be hard-pressed to find a choral environment with a higher stress level than standing on the stage at an ACDA National Conference – yet note how comfortable and relaxed our colleague appears.  […]

In this brief excerpt from her interest session at the 2011 ACDA National Conference, Sandra Snow discusses the issue of trust in a choral rehearsal.

Many interesting and accessible works for children’s chorus are the result of a commission from a particular children’s chorus or choral event.  Commissioning a new work allows young singers the opportunity to work with a composer or arranger and to gain knowledge of the creative process from concept to concert. Children can be involved in […]

          Music with Sacred Text:           Vital to Choral Music and to the Choral Art         Choral music educators recognize that choral music may fulfill diverse objectives. At one end of the spectrum is aesthetic education and artistic performance which can insure development of musicality and sensitivity. At the opposite end of the spectrum […]