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ICEP of the Americas – Inspiración y Colaboración

January 22, 2017 by T.J. Harper Leave a Comment

2017 ICEP OF THE AMERICAS: 

30 Conductors, 7 Countries, Limitless Possibilities

The February 2017 ACDA Choral Journal features the current ICEP Conducting Fellows from the United States and South America. These conductors represent not only the future of choral music in their respective countries, they are the standard-bearers for the next generation of choral musicians. A new generation of trailblazers who value scholarship, education, mentorship, and service as cornerstones of our ever-evolving profession.

At the heart of any exchange are the amazing individuals who donate countless hours of service to administer these programs. For the 2017 ICEP of the Americas, ACDA has been fortunate to collaborate with outstanding choral leaders from South America who have supervised all aspects of this year’s ICEP exchange in their own respective countries. ACDA recognizes our partners from South America who continue to champion the choral music profession as they create opportunities for the next generation of leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Eduardo Lakshevitz – ICEP Coordinator for Brazil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oscar Escalada – ICEP Coordinator for Argentina and Uruguay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Ramirez & Dr. Bill Belan – ICEP Coordinator for Costa Rica and Guatemala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jorge Cózatl – ICEP Coordinator for Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

 

And just in case you missed article in the February 2017 Choral Journal or the recent postings on the ICEP Facebook Page, here is the list of outstanding group of 2017 ICEP Conducting Fellows:

UNITED STATES

Dr. Alan Stevens, Dr. Arian Khaefi, Dr. Bradley Miller, Dr. Caron Daley, Dr. Jose ‘Peppie’ Calvar, Joseph Osowski, Dr. Matthew Erpelding, Dr. Nicholaus Cummins, Dr. Nicolas Dosman, Dr. Paul Hondorp, Dr. Phillip Shoultz, Sara Durkin, Dr. Sherrill Blodget, Dr. Trent Brown, Dr. Wendy Moy

SOUTH AMERICA

Ana Laura Rey (Uruguay), Camilo Santostefano (Argentina), Emiliano Linares (Argentina), Rodrigo Faguaga (Uruguay), Santiago Serna (Argentina), Virginia Bono (Argentina), Bianca Malafaia (Brazil), Eduardo Nobrega (Brazil), Jose Alberto Corulli (Brazi), Tarik Bispo (Brazil), Abraham Tinoco (Mexico), Julio Morales (Mexico), Fabian Vargas Castillo (Costa Rica), Susan Hernandez Oses (Costa Rica), Dulce Maria Santos (Guatemala)

If you are interested in learning more about the International Conductors Exchange Program or how to become involved with the conductor exchange in 2017, please contact Dr. T. J. Harper, Chair of the ACDA Standing Committee on International Activities: . Please consider joining our ICEP group on Facebook or the ICEP Choralnet Community (choralnet.org/home/280632) for the latest news and information about the upcoming exchanges.

Filed Under: International Initiatives Tagged With: ACDA, ACDA4LIFE, icep, ICEP of the Americas, South America, tim sharp, tj harper

11 Annual Alumni Choir Songs OTHER than “Hallelujah”

December 20, 2016 by Adam Paltrowitz Leave a Comment

Choral Clarity Presents:

Are you looking for a more effective way to musically engage your alumni?  Do you want your alumni to come back year after year and ENHANCE the sound of your ensemble? It’s never too late to create a new tradition that the current choir members and alumni can all perform really well.

An annual traditional piece of choral repertoire, especially one intended for alumni to join, needs to be easy to lyrically and note-wise retain, easy to balance the varying voicing, and easy for alumni who may not have sung in years to be able to jump in and sing. I believe the “Hallelujah Chorus” is misused way too often since it does not meet any of those guidelines.

Here are 11 suggestions for Annual Alumni pieces OTHER than the “Hallelujah Chorus”

 

Filed Under: Choral Clarity, Others Tagged With: ACDA, American Choral Directors Association

10 Reasons To Retire The Hallelujah Chorus….especially with alumni!

December 13, 2016 by Adam Paltrowitz Leave a Comment

Choral Clarity Presents: 

10 Reasons To Retire The Hallelujah Chorus….especially with alumni!

I may have just said the unthinkable. No, I won’t retract my statement. We can do better! We should do better!

Why did Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus become the selection that choirs choose to repeat year after year? Why did this piece become the one that we invite our alumni to return and sing year after year?

It’s time to look elsewhere.

Here are 10 Reasons To Retire The Hallelujah Chorus….especially with alumni!

Filed Under: Choral Clarity, Others Tagged With: ACDA, American Choral Directors Association

CJ Replay: Rodney Eichenberger on Conducting

December 12, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

april-2015

The April 2015 issue of Choral Journal was a special focus on the brain. The three feature articles were titled “Exploring the Science of Ensemble: Gestures, Emotion, and Collaboration in Choral Music Making” by Gary B. Seighman, “Monkey See, Monkey Do: The Choral Conductor and the Mirror Neuron System” by Riikka Pietiläinen-Caffrey, and “Effective Conducting in the Choral Classroom: An Interview with Rodney Eichenberger” by Adam Conn. The last article will be the subject of today’s ChoralNet blog.

Rodney Eichenberger is a choral conductor who is known for his conducting philosophy “What They See Is What You Get,” which is also the title of his instructional video on choral conducting, available through Hinshaw Music. The interview published in Choral Journal contains some interesting and useful information about Rodney’s conducting philosophy and his approach to lessons and conducting gesture. Following are two questions and their answers.

Q: Many conductors are taught to conduct the pattern with a loop on the second and third beats in a 3/4 pattern or a loop on the second, third, and fourth beats in a 4/4 pattern. I have often seen you demonstrate the effect of using a pointed versus rounded ictus with those various beat patterns. Can you describe why this is an important concept?

A: Clarity of the ictus is conducting can eliminate a lot of rhythmic and phrasing problems. When conducting in 3/4 time, for example, conductors often have the habit of making beat two a loop so that the hand continues in the same direction after beat two occurs. If a dotted quarter and eight comprise the first two notes, it seems that this not only muddies the definition of the tempo but also affects the ensuing eighth note. With the loop, the eighth note seems to attach to beat one. When the second beat is a clear V so that the direction of the release is up instead of out, the eighth note attaches to beat three and gives forward movement to the phrase. Another aspect is the importance of a smooth, even movement between beats and reserving the bounce away from the ictus for special effects.

Q: I have heard some criticism that you teach your students to use too low a conducting gesture. Can you help shed some light on this topic?

A: Yes, I am often accused of asking conducting students to conduct too low. But in reality, I am simply asking them not to avoid the belt area. Often conducting instructors suggest that the hands should be almost at shoulder level for the attention position. Giving the preparatory gesture at this level not only encourages clavicular breathing, but if the conductor continues to conduct at this level, it leads to vocal fatigue and negates a wide area of usable conducting space. I believe that the upward movement is powerful, and failure to use the full range from the power center to the shoulder takes away many possibilities. Both hands cupped in front of the body with palms down just above the navel gets an entirely different sound than with both hands cupped at shoulder level. When I demonstrate this in clinics, I have yet to have a choir sound the same with both of these positions.

Read the rest of the interview in the April 2015 issue! Do you agree or disagree with the above? What has your experience been with the height of conducting gestures in producing different sounds?

ACDA members can read this issue of the Choral Journal online by clicking here. Non members can review the benefits and membership categories here. (There is an associate membership option for only $45 a year!)

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: ACDA, ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, Choral Conducting, Choral Journal, CJ Replay

16 Must-Dos To Ensure a Great Concert

December 6, 2016 by Adam Paltrowitz Leave a Comment

Choral Clarity Presents:

We just spent many months learning notes and rhythms, memorizing lyrics, working on balance and blend, shape, and internalizing meaning. But now it is concert season. Our priority needs to shift from how our ensemble sounds to what our audience sees and hears. Believe it or not, most of what the audience members see and hear have nothing to do with how well our ensemble sings.

You must make sure you do these 16 things in order to have a great concert!

 

 

Filed Under: Choral Clarity Tagged With: ACDA, American Choral Directors Association

12 Ways to Memorize DURING Rehearsal

November 29, 2016 by Adam Paltrowitz Leave a Comment

Choral Clarity Presents:

Our ultimate goal should be teaching our students to embody the music they sing. The deeper their understand, the more they become the art.

These 12 rehearsal techniques provide the framework for teaching students how to embody and memorize music while using sheet music:

Click here to find out 12 Ways to Memorize DURING Rehearsal

 

This is a follow-up to the previous two articles:

Don’t Make Them Memorize

Memorizing Music Without Really Trying

Filed Under: Choral Clarity, Others Tagged With: ACDA, American Choral Directors Association

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