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ACDA Leadership

Together in Music…Collaboration tips and “squashing the why (not)!”

March 16, 2022 by Emily Williams Burch Leave a Comment

Some of the most common FAQs presented to the ACDA Advocacy and Collaboration Committee include “how do I find someone to collaborate with” and “how do we make it work?” So often, finding that “perfect” partnership is the barrier in and of itself (hint: there is no such thing as “perfect” but we’ll get to that). Where do you look? What questions do you ask? How do you ensure both parties are enjoying a mutually beneficial partnership? When are you evaluating the impact and value of the collaboration? … and where does the time come to do all of these things?

If “advocacy” is the ability to tell the story and/or demonstrate impact, “collaboration” is really the “togetherness” that creates something bigger and more powerful or impactful. It is that togetherness in music that we focus on in this month’s A&C curated Series on the Music (ed) Matters Podcast (Episode 96).

This month’s A&C guest is Dr. Amy Williams, the Executive Director for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra. Dr. Williams lives out her passion for the togetherness that comes with music through intentional community building, meaningful collaborations, and a mindset that any barrier can be squashed somehow. In a recent podcast conversation, we talked about how she went from being THAT kid who was swinging the flute on her stand to picking up a bassoon all the way to a DMA and how those degrees and experiences prepared her for massive success in the arts admin world. (There are some great interview tips at the end of the conversation, too – great for those pre-service teachers about to enter the workplace, check it out.)

Dr. Williams offers four steps to create your own “together in music” moments:

Step One: Take time to actually build community. It’s during this time that you develop the “who” and “why.” Dr. Williams suggests actually picking up the phone and making calls, taking time to meet and talk face-to-face when possible, and most importantly: “More listening than talking…that’s the big key to building a community.”

Step Two: Listen to the barriers (the why it isn’t happening or isn’t possible). During this phase, figure out the “where” and “what.” Barriers often include comments like “we’ve always done this” or “that has never happened.” This is your chance to get creative, ask more questions, and figure out how to “squash the why.” However, remember, nothing is perfect, but almost anything is possible with the right motivation and resources – especially if you’re listening. Dr. Williams joyously says, “Don’t be afraid to step on the why (not) and squash it!”

Step Three: Create meaningful collaborations. This means making (or finding the time) by connecting to your mission or vision. Dr. Williams was adamant when she said, “You don’t have time NOT to collaborate.” Collaborations don’t have to be all-consuming, figure out what can feasibly work for you.

Step Four: Use your skills in your favor. Use collaborations as a way to build impact, grow knowledge, and make intentional transfers. These are the moments to “fill the gap.” Dr. Williams explains this using her experiences interviewing and working a variety of arts administration jobs. She intentionally sought out opportunities and collaborations to use the skills she gained from her DMA to succeed in administrative positions. She had to be willing to ask questions and follow all the steps she just outlined to find long-term success.

What’s the point of all this? Like advocacy, collaboration isn’t about finding a one-size-fits-all solution or creating a stamp and repeating that over and over. Collaborations are organic, yet intentional, and need to align to mission, vision, and purpose. Meaningful collaborations begin like a seed, you must first build community, figure out the needs and barriers, develop solutions, and while acknowledging the skills you’re bringing to the table, also be willing to work with others to fill gaps and develop something bigger than just you. Collaboration is more than designing a party and asking another organization to bring the chips and dip…. it’s inviting the possible collaborators to the table, listening to their needs, and creating something together. Be willing to let go of the chips and dip my friends…you never know what amazing project is out there when you “squash the why (not)” through building community first. Patience pays off and we can’t wait to see what you end up creating!

Learn more about Dr. Amy Williams (https://savannahphilharmonic.org/amy/) and The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra (savannahphilharmonic.org).

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SOT6gMEv-4k (or episode 96 on the “Music (ed) Matters” Podcast where ever you listen to pods).

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

Filed Under: Advocacy & Collaboration Tagged With: ACDA Leadership, Collaboration, community

Where My Heart Lives

July 20, 2021 by From Our Readers Leave a Comment

By Kathleen Bhat

The person that we thought we were doesn’t have to be the person that we are. This thought came out of a goal-setting meeting at my gym in a discussion about how we were impacted by the pandemic. This past year has changed our world and it has changed our organization.

In college, it was a course requirement to join ACDA during the semester of conducting. I had not heard of the organization. I was familiar with our Music Educators Association in high school, and attending MMEA as a collegiate student was the best. Or so I thought. My first ACDA conference was in Wichita, Southwestern Region. I was blown away – EVERYTHING was about choral music. Every person I met was involved with something just like what I was doing or at least similar. The choirs and the interest sessions were amazing and from that point, I was committed. Although I maintain membership to NAfME, ACDA is where my heart lives. At an ACDA conference you could easily be standing next to a choral legend or engage in a conversation with someone who two years later was a national headliner (true story!!). Within the membership of Missouri, my state chapter, I found the people who became my closest friends and most trusted colleagues. Throughout the years, the support network has never failed me. Members have offered assistance by clinicing my choirs, suggesting literature, or just listening when I felt like I didn’t know what to do. There has always been someone a phone call or a text away. As technology and social media have become more prevalent, the resources for information have grown exponentially; which has made my state organization all the more valuable. The members of MCDA are a vetted resource. 

I have the distinct pleasure of serving as membership chair for our state. It is a role I have loved for more than 20 years. Taking a leadership position made a huge difference in my appreciation of our organization. It has given me the opportunity to welcome new members and help bring them together with others, as someone did for me. I value being a part of the leadership team and the continued growth of Missouri ACDA (MCDA) as we endeavor to improve for both members and the singers that we serve. But those years of experience did not prepare me for being a membership chair during a pandemic. I have been heartbroken for my colleagues who have lost positions, or left positions because it was just too much. I have spoken with those who have temporarily (I hope) left the organization because there is simply no singing going on in their institution. I felt defeated as our membership numbers continued to decrease, and fewer renewals came in.  

At the same time, I am amazed at the fortitude and creativity of those who have modified and adapted to choral life during a pandemic. Pre-COVID, it was a normal task to keep our members informed of events, conferences, new music sessions, etc. Since March 2020, my role has been more focused on finding ways to keep our membership connected, when we couldn’t be together in person. We started with little things like celebrating our members’ birthdays in our Facebook group.  President Stephen Rew began a weekly Facebook Live, Fridays at 4:00.  We tried to make our newsletter more interactive and engaging since there were no events to promote. It might sound silly, but we created a bitmoji choir. Several, actually. We have a traditional choir, a show choir, a jazz choir, and a day at the park.  

The Missouri ACDA Bitmoji Choir

A year later, the traditional bitmoji choir has become a type of symbol for our chapter. It is our cover picture for our Facebook group and the banner has our hashtag #mcdafamily, which is how we now identify ourselves. We expanded the risers to add more singers. Thank you to Wenger for inventing the 9 step risers. HA! With bitmoji and Facebook avatars, we are able to include anyone who wants to join.  

It was hard to be a choir director in 2020-21. My school was seated in-person all year. We sat socially distanced and my students sang masked. New singers were lost without secure voices around them as leaders. Rehearsals were slow as we tried to sing safely amidst emerging science and CDC guidelines. With no live concerts, we muddled through virtual performances, which were entertaining for our community but not a high standard of musicianship. To be honest, I felt like a pretty mediocre teacher this year. Staying connected with my MCDA family is what kept me going and for that I am eternally grateful. This organization has been the rock for my entire career, and it didn’t fail me – even in a pandemic.

Kathleen Bhat teaches grades 6-12 vocal music at the Orchard Farm School District in St. Charles, Missouri. In addition to teaching she also serves as the fine arts curriculum coordinator, directs the musicals, and sponsors the middle school yearbook. She is membership chair for both the Missouri state chapter and Southwestern region of ACDA.

Filed Under: Others Tagged With: ACDA Leadership, ACDA Membership Benefits, COVID-19

Advocacy: Responsibility, Calling, Amplification, and Joy

December 23, 2020 by From Our Readers Leave a Comment

By Amanda Sprague Hanzlik

2020 marks the year where the definition and practice of arts advocacy began to transition and evolve for me – in my heart, mind, and real life. Until recently, the majority of my experiences with advocacy for the arts, and specifically choral music, have been personal, local, and limited to my places of employment and the houses of worship I have attended/worked in over the years. Those efforts have been forged through conversations, relationships, community events, and creating public/community presence for the choirs I direct and engage with. Even with those elements present in my professional life (and although creating community has always been a very natural part of my life’s work), I will admit that the word advocacy has often felt somewhat foreign and mysterious to me. I always felt as if I were somehow not experienced, educated, or important enough to have a voice and speak articulately about advocacy in any real or official way. Honestly, I even avoided those special advocacy sessions at the big conferences in my early years as an educator. In my naïveté, I sincerely thought that people in far away offices at ACDA and NAfME were the ones who held the advocacy cards – I was a worker bee in the trenches, who looked to them for guidance.

What I didn’t yet understand was that advocacy of the arts is a multidimensional process; a multi-layered web of relationships, issues, policy, collaboration, and ultimately, action.

Sometimes, advocate is a verb – sometimes, a noun. Individuals and institutions often need an advocate in a variety of situations; they self-advocate or seek advocacy efforts to be made on their behalf. One of my favorite definitions comes from AgeUk, a charity organization in Leeds, United Kingdom:

The role of an advocate is to offer independent support to those who feel they are not being heard and to ensure they are taken seriously and that their rights are respected.

An advocate does not represent their own views but amplifies that of the person they are supporting. An advocate should also empower the person to advocate for themselves wherever possible. – AgeUK -Leeds

These definitions became extraordinarily relevant in my developing relationship with advocacy – particularly the sentiment of amplification. According to Merriam-Webster, these are the definitions of amplify:

1 : to expand (something, such as a statement) by the use of detail or illustration or by closer analysis

2a: to make larger or greater (as in amount, importance, or intensity) : INCREASE

b: to increase the strength or amount of

especially : to make louder

My favorite? To make louder.

Amplification of our voices, issues, concerns, ideas, and solutions is necessary – and as I discovered, it is a defining element and tool in the development of advocacy efforts.

I currently serve as president for the Connecticut chapter of American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and in the spring of 2020, I was practicing advocacy by actively searching for and seeking out assistance, resources, and connections for Connecticut choral directors, so that they might be able to feel supported and advocate for themselves and their programs/choirs during the first wave of COVID-19 and remote learning. Then, something happened: a new and urgent need for arts advocacy on a much larger stage presented itself. The State of Connecticut began to explore and create an official Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group – and quite surprisingly, not a single arts organization was offered a seat at the table. I knew that I, and we as an ACDA executive committee, had to step into the arena – and we did (as did many other CT arts organizations). This letter is our public statement and was shared widely via email and social media, and was delivered to the desk of our governor.

The process of this very public statement/engagement with governmental agencies and the amplification of the voices and concerns of my fellow educators was clearly new for me. Although I felt and recognized the weight of that specific responsibility, it was the action that felt like the fulfillment of a calling. This action gave voice to my choral colleagues, and created a way for all of us to be seen, for our needs to be amplified in an arena where impactful state-level policies were being considered and developed. Ultimately, this action also produced closer relationships and an evolution of trust with my local government, state representatives, the members of the CT-ACDA and other arts organizations in the state. It even opened the door for me to engage in a very practical way, by serving on a task force, where I, along with a diverse group of other arts educators, created “K-12 COVID-19 Considerations for Music Education Programs in the State of Connecticut.” This action also opened my eyes to disconnect and need for more purposeful engagement, connection, and intention on the part of the ACDA and other arts organizations in our state – we cannot remain reactive or reserve our presence for times of crisis. Arts organizations, and specifically ACDA chapters, must establish patterns of engagement with our governmental bodies, as a normal and cherished part of our mission and community involvement.

This entire process, the action, the relationships, the negotiating, the collaboration, the WORK – it was and is a calling. All of these elements also produced depths of joy and gratitude, for which I was not prepared and had no way of anticipating. For the first time, I felt that I was stepping beyond the role of traditional advocate into the role of citizen-artist, in a new and unexpected way.

The role and definition of a citizen-artist can be defined as the following:

Individuals who reimagine the traditional notions of art-making, and who contribute to society either through the transformative power of their artistic abilities, or through proactive social engagement with the arts in realms including education, community building, diplomacy and healthcare.  – The Aspen Institute Arts Program

I am seeking what it might mean to more fully explore and embrace the roles of advocate and citizen-artist, both in my life as a choral musician and educator, but also – looking ahead – for the transition of my role into past-president of our ACDA chapter.  I see this new role as an opportunity to follow this calling and joy of advocacy – to more intentionally seek better ways to forge authentic relationships with other arts organizations and governmental bodies: to evolve and to challenge myself, our chapter and our state to pursue connection, justice, equity, dialogue, meaning, and the creation of policy through the amplification of the voices of individuals, arts communities, and choirs in Connecticut and beyond.

Amanda Sprague Hanzlik is president of the Connecticut chapter of American Choral Directors Association.

Filed Under: Others Tagged With: ACDA chapters, ACDA Leadership, advocacy, COVID-19 Resource

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