Latest Blog Posts

The October issue of Choral Journal is available online. Following is a list of the articles you will find in this issue, which features 3 composer anniversaries from 2022. 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 […]

Do you feel your rehearsals could be more productive? Are your students losing their focus, disengaging, and slowing down the flow of your rehearsal? These 12 tips and tricks will create more focused singers in your rehearsal.   Check out my latest blog post:  Hocus Pocus: 12 Tricks for Rehearsal Focus

In this episode I sit down with THE Middle School choir guru, Dale Duncan to talk about sweet spot for success in Middle School vocal music. Middle School Singers are often overlooked and underestimated. What they need is an educator that believes in them, and provides high quality instruction in a school that supports them. We talk […]

“Sometimes when you’re overwhelmed by a situation – when you’re in the darkest of darkness – that’s when your priorities are reordered.” Phoebe Snow Sometimes I search for the epigraph for my ChoralEthics blogs before I write them and other times, after. I usually know exactly what, or whose, quote I want but many times […]

Choral directors that teach young singers regularly encounter vocal tones that require correction.  In pursuit of choral excellence and the vocal health of the student, it’s important to properly train these voices.  The following are some suggested strategies to implement when working with challenging vocal tones. Breathy/Airy Tone Before making corrections to a breathy tone, […]

“Letting go” is hardly a surprising topic for a yoga blog.  But for the conductor?  Now there’s an interesting exploration. Letting go is central to yoga and other wisdom practices.  We sit on the mat and focus on our breathing, letting go with each exhale.  We consider the words of poets and sages, of scripture […]

The August 2022 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “ACDA Symposium for Research in Choral Singing: Conference Report” by Patrick K. Freer. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction. Note! Submissions for Research Poster Sessions for the 2023 ACDA National Conference are open through October […]

When you and your singers assess their rehearsal participation you will have better rehearsals! This requires accountability: your accountability and the accountability of your singers. There is an easy way to assess rehearsal participation. My method is really simple and pays off with big results!   Check out my latest blog post:  Simply Assess Choir Rehearsal Participation Using […]

On this episode Dr. Chantae Pittman joins me in the ongoing conversation surrounding the philosophy of choral music education. Why are we there? What is our function? Just how critical is it that students who complete a term or more in vocal music in school are able to reach some level of music reading proficiency. Dr. Pittman […]

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.” Thomas Szasz Like many of you, I’ve had a few teachers in my time who would announce—often–that there is no such thing as a “stupid question.” No one was asking questions and the teacher must have felt […]