Latest Blog Posts

For many, the terms “reflection,” “introspection, or “philosophy” are about as attractive as the words “dental drill.”  But trust me for a short 230 words, will you, please?   Choral conductors cannot simply be musical mechanics; we have a responsibility to dig a little deeper.  Among the great philosophical souls in our profession was the […]

The April Harvard Business Review offers a condensed version of Walter Isaacson's biography of the innovator's innovator, Steve Jobs. In the article The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs, Isaacson extracts 14 lessons leaders can glean from the life and work of Apple's Steve Jobs. These make for a great dashboard of thought and consideration […]

I'm teaching choral conducting this semester and I'm in the middle of a unit on the importance of text in choral music.   I'm using as my basis an article from one of my mentors, John Dickson, who recently was named Director of Choral Activities at LSU.  I had a fabulous choral methods class with […]

Skype is becoming popular in music lessons around the world.   Will a SKYPE choir be next? See this from the New York Times: Skype and other videochat programs have transformed the simple phone call, but the technology is venturing into a new frontier: it is upending and democratizing the world of music lessons. Students […]

It’s that crazy-busy time of year in our profession.   Think about the biggest stumbling block you’ve faced during this season.  Was it an irascible and inflexible colleague in the athletic department?  Maybe you’re struggling with a couple of diva students.  Perhaps you have some high-maintenance parents rattling your cage.   Now put yourself in […]

In university ensembles, we often work 5 hours per week for 8 weeks or more to prepare 1 concert.  Yet, Sunday morning comes for church choirs relentlessly every Sunday, needing a song of quality to support worship.  I follow a few simple steps to help make each week’s selection productive and helpful for services.    […]

In 1780, future U.S. President John Adams famously wrote to his wife, Abigail, “I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, […]

The World Choir Games arrive this summer, and for the very first time, to a U.S. city, bringing over 350 choirs from around the world to Cincinnati, Ohio. International adjudicators and workshop presenters include Rollo Dilworth (USA), Oscar Escalada (Argentina), Morten Lauridsen (USA), John August Pamintuan (Philippines), and a long list of stellar choral leaders […]

On June 29-31, ACDA celebrates the conclusion of the initial phase of our multi-year partnership with the Library of Congress in the National Symposium on American Choral Music, “The Search for an American Style.” The Symposium features keynote speaker/composer Conrad Susa, along with Pulitzer Prize winning composer and 2013 Brock Memorial Commission composer, Steven Stuckey, […]

The Pope may be one of the most celebrated visitors Cuba has welcomed this spring, but next month, the American Choral Directors Association will be there, joining with choral conductors and composers of Cuba for the ACDA initiated US/Cuba Choral Summit in Havanna.   This event grew out of ACDA’s International Conductor Exchange Program (ICEP) […]