Latest Blog Posts

The March/April 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Business of Composing Part 1: Commissions & Publishing” by Jake Runestad with Dan Forrest. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ One of the great traditions of the choral community is supporting and performing new music by living composers. The development of […]

Did you know that boys have fallen behind girls in almost every measurable academic category? Boys are 3-6 times more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis, 3-5 times more likely to be expelled, 2-3 times more likely to die from suicide, and are reporting higher levels of loneliness on average. There are a lot of […]

Choral Ethics Guest Blog: Time to Embrace a Global Musical Canon! ~~Benjamin Amenta I am taking a bit of a Choral Ethics break and today we have a guest blogger. I continue to work on Choral Ethics Blogs, so if you have a Choral Ethics dilemma or query or comment, please email me: . What […]

By: Emily Crowe Sobotko What does it mean when we say, “Let’s be each other’s audiences?” To put it simply, it means that you show up for others and they show up for you. By building up our community, especially through collaboration and advocacy,  we broaden our perspectives and ultimately learn from and celebrate others […]

Since I moved to Iowa City, Iowa in August 2022, much of the past several months has been establishing new routines. Even something as simple as where to go grocery shopping has taken some figuring out. With a new position comes new policies, procedures, and working relationships. Then there is emerging out of lockdown. Even […]

The March/April issue of Choral Journal is available online. This issue is a focus issue on Composition from the ACDA Standing Committee for Composition Initiatives. ACDA members can log in with their username and password to view and download the newest edition. You can also read our electronic version. If you are not already a member […]

The beautiful challenge is that in vocal music ensemble instruction, every instrument is unique. So unique in fact that an instruction that helps one student sound better can make another sound worse. In the instrumental classroom there are MANY technical instructions that can be delivered in a way that applies to EVERY trombone or every […]

“As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed.” James Madison  Recently I was speaking to someone not familiar with my Choral Ethics Blog. He asked what types of people contact me, what kinds of questions do I get asked and what […]

This is the eighth post in a series: https://choralnet.org/archives/666904 How is it March already? My students are giving their second trimester concert today and after that we will begin our themed music for our end of the year fundraiser. Our theme is Ocean Conservation. We’ll likely be performing lots of “water” songs, like “The Water […]

“Holding space” is the practice of allowing room for someone to release their thoughts, concerns, or fears without judging them or feeling the need to offer advice or fix the situation.  This is a valuable skill in our professional and personal relationships, a way of honoring and showing compassion for others so they feel heard […]