Latest Blog Posts

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS)  is ACDA’s scholarly publication that welcomes studies that apply rigorous, systematically-grounded methodologies, either quantitative or qualitative, to investigate phenomena of potential interest to all who sing in, work with, or are otherwise interested in choral ensembles. Below is the abstract from this article written by Sandy P. Hinkley […]

Do you find it overwhelming to find new repertoire? Finding new repertoire is like surfing through endless television channels and finding nothing to watch. There’s so much repertoire out there, but how to do you find repertoire that works for YOUR group? I’m going to share 9 SIMPLE ways to sort through a lot of choral […]

Want your singers to make fewer mistakes while sight reading? In this episode I outline some approaches, philosophies and even a rubric. But first, one obvious tip, and one counterintuitive one: Obvious: SRF assignments, quizzes and most importantly daily class work, and test EACH kid individually at the level appropriate for their current aptitude. Not […]

“Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose… anything goes.” Cole Porter Our lives will soon be more normal than they’ve been for a while. Each day brings news of relaxing of some restrictions, opening up of venues, stores and the ability to go about our lives without […]

I remember memorizing the phrase “whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half” many years ago when I began taking piano lessons in third grade.  My piano teacher Mrs. Peterson was incredibly pleased that I had the phrase memorized and could recite it at a moment’s notice.  She would smile and congratulate me on my new skill.  The problem was, even though […]

By Stuart Hunt, with additional comments by Geoffrey Boers The landscape is looking as if we may again be meeting in person in the autumn. While tentative, this may be a rare opportunity to reset and, hopefully, to celebrate. There are many details and technical solutions to solve before we all feel comfortable and safe, […]

The June/July issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Capitalistic Machine Against a Radical Individual” by Richard Robbins. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction. _______________________ American composer Marc Blitzstein (1905–1964) spent much of 1932 planning and composing The Condemned, an ambitious “choral opera” for four […]

I say it’s steering them. And I think that’s bad news. I believe that Social Media has a tremendous upside and potential for good. But only if it is reflective of the common humanity that we experience when we are in person. My concern is that this has been reversed. That, as we begin to […]

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” Robert Frost I became a regular ChoralNet Blogger in the fall of 2015. The year before, I had been asked to contribute an occasional guest blog for ChoralNet, the first time a week after my […]

By Rebecca Lord & Nate Wise Does your choir have a minimal budget or none at all?  If so, you know how challenging it can be even to provide sheet music, let alone to pay for copyright licensing for the songs you want to perform! The good news is there are some free or low-cost […]