Latest Blog Posts

We all want our choirs to sound great. So what do we do when a “tone-deaf” singer wants to join our choir? Some singers that walk in our door will bring down the flow of our rehearsal and negatively impact our sound. What do we do? Do we send them away?   This blog post […]

For this Oxford Press conversation, I was able to speak to composer Alan Bullard about his life, career and approach to choral music. We talked about what it was like to study with Herbert Howells, the need for music for flexible voicings, the contrasting economy of sheet music sales in the US and UK, as […]

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” John Steinbeck I have been thinking a LOT about my elementary […]

It’s been an interesting start to the semester, yet again, but we are resilient and we keep showing up for choir and our singers. Go us! However, there is always that chance for budget cuts, restrictions, or worse, canceled programs. With decreasing numbers, uncertainty, and pandemic fatigue, how do we move from survival mode to […]

As a church musician, I believe that the confidence ensembles have makes a profound difference in their ability to lead worship. Part of that means knowing what choir needs. Sometimes that’s the appropriate technical information with ringing or singing; for example, a reminder about breathing for a vocal choir or flow in how a bell […]

The February 2022 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Diverse Embodiments: How COVID-19 Expanded Choral Practice” by Caron Daley. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction. _________________ COVID-19 chipped at the foundations of the choral art, sending out a shock wave of fear regarding the […]

Your Ultimate Choir Midterm Exam Do you have a Choir Midterm? If you don’t, there’s no need to worry! It’s not too late and we have you covered. This choir midterm exam will not take up any class time, won’t burden your students in any way, and it will be a clear assessment of how well […]

When discussing how music and education intersects with race, gender and culture, I find that we are often pretty quick to apply reductionist labels to the idea or concept. For example, phrases I have come across too often include “That’s a boy’s song,” or “Choral Music is an inherently white art form,” or “sight reading […]

“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe It’s been a while since I shared correspondence from Ye Olde Choral Ethics Mailbag (Inbox) with you. Today I’d like to share letters from two ChoralNetters with similar problems. And as you can guess, these two folks are […]

As ACDA leadership works to expand their umbrella of belonging, it’s necessary for this blog to shift. The goal thus far has been to talk about transitioning into/out (ha) of COVID, understanding how choral professionals have navigated public health and the much-needed equity work being undertaken. Since this blog started last June, ACDA and membership […]