Latest Blog Posts

The newest issue of Choral Journal is available online. Following is a list of the articles you will find in this issue. 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 of ACDA, join today to start receiving […]

I use the same 5 rounds in my choral program each and every year. These rounds are used to celebrate holidays in rehearsals and in traditional community performances. There are so many reasons why singing rounds can benefit a choral program. Check out my blog post:  The 5 “ROUNDS” I Use in my Choral Program […]

A Cappella guru, and ACDA Contemporary and Commercial co-chair, Rob Dietz joins me this week to tell his story of passion for the “Pop A Cappella” genre of ensemble vocal music. Rob is well known in this sub-genre of choral music for his work on “The Sing Off” and collaborations with groups as wide ranging as Pentatonix, […]

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Seneca Welcome back! School and rehearsals have started for most of us but there are some leftover issues from spring and summer to take care of before we begin our new year. It’s been a wild time, with a few ChoralNetters contacting me during the summer […]

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels but specifically K-12 and community choirs. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/publications/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For more information, email  or visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the Summer 2022 issue titled “The […]

I hope that the beginning of the program year or school year is going well for you and that you’ve had several memorable and musical moments already with your choirs. As the new Director of Music Ministries at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa, I’ve learned a ton already and will continue to […]

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. Every ChorTeach issue includes a section called “Ask a Conductor,” which is a reader-generated Q&A format where readers submit questions related to teaching, conducting, rehearsing with, or singing with K-12 students. Three to five educators who either currently work […]

It’s not what you say….it’s HOW you say it. There is a way to positively phrase everything. -How do you phrase your guidelines? -How do you phrase the signs around the class? -What do your posters say? If you want to give your students a positive learning experience, the little things can make a big difference! Check […]

I believe choirs will be most successful when there are effective guidelines in place. There are two specific guidelines that I believe every choir will benefit from. I call them the 2 GOLDEN GUIDELINES. Check out my latest blog post:  The 2 Guidelines Every Choir Director Should Have

In this episode, I reflect on the psychology of gratitude, and on the importance of helping our students develop a healthy relationship with their own mistakes, and even flaws and weaknesses. Not because we don’t care about high achieving ensembles, but precisely for this reason. There is power in psychology, both from our perspective as […]