Choral Journal

August Choral Journal Preview

July 7, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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. Below is a preview of the articles you will find in this issue. If you are not already a member of ACDA, join today to start receiving your monthly Choral Journal! Associate members can join for only $45 a year.
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Inside the Choral Classroom: Advice for the First-Year Teacher (Part 1) by Amanda Bumgarner

A New Vivaldi Discovery in Warsaw: Credo RV 592 by Gregory M. Pysh

Between Stage and Choir Loft: Church Music and Opera in Leipzig Before Bach by Markus Rathey

Sacred Music Choral Reviews

Current Events: A Section of Articles Related to COVID-19

Repertoire and Resources – MS/JH Choirs
Vision for Success: A Guideline to Creating and Offering an Exemplary Choral Music Program at the Middle Level Intro by Nathan Dame

An Interview with Roland M. Carter by Kevin Ford

Graduate School Auditions for Choral Conductors by Micah Bland

June/July Choral Journal Preview

June 1, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The newest issue of Choral Journal is available online. Following is a list of the articles you will find in this issue.

Expressions of Grief through Choral Settings of the Psalms of Lament: Recommendations for High School-Level Choirs by Patrice Madura Ward-Steinman

The Chorus as a Dramatic Force in Wagner’s Operas by Yunn-Shan Ma

ACDA and the Church Music Institute by Charlotte Kroeker

Student Reflections on the Importance of Choral Music in Secondary Schools by Paulette T. Sigler

Works by Women for Lower Voices by Christopher Kiver

A Technology Q&A with Andrew Goren by Kyle Hansen

Book Reviews

Choral Reviews

Choral Journal Index for Volume Sixty

Mouthing the Text: The Advantages and Disadvantages

May 11, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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The May 2020 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Mouthing the Text: The Advantages and Disadvantages” by Micah Bland. This is a fascinating interview, and you can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Below is the first question of the interview.
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As a conductor, what percentage of time in performance do you find yourself mouthing the words?
Jeffery Ames: 25%

Hilary Apfelstadt: As little as possible. Likely the maximum would be 15–20% of the time.

Jerry Blackstone: I’m probably the wrong person to ask about how much I mouth words, since mouthing is often unintentional. I do, however, try to not mouth words unless it is for a specific purpose, such as vowel improvement, unanimity, etc. I find that with younger singers, mouthing tends to improve the sound of the ensemble, especially large festival groups. Young singers are trained to follow the conductor’s face, not their hands, so breaking that habit in the space of a few days is not so easy. I’d say, with the University of Michigan Chamber Choir, I tend to mouth very little. They are trained musicians able to ascertain the conductor’s intention quite quickly from communicative gestures. Perhaps 15% of the time.

Joey Martin: The percentage of time varies from ensemble to ensemble based on their needs. With advanced university groups, I rarely mouth the words. With less experienced ensembles I mouth about 20% of the time.

Amanda Quist: This is hard to say without watching a video of myself conduct. I believe it changes with the ensemble; if I am trying to inform vowel shape, then it may happen more. Hopefully not more than about 20% of the time.

Richard Sparks: Too much, although I’ve never counted percentage!

Tram Sparks: Since I have been on the faculty at USC, I have not conducted an ensemble on a regular basis. However, while a choral faculty member at Temple University (1999–2009) and as conductor of several ensembles over the course of my time there (Women’s Chorus, University Singers, University Chorale, Concert Choir), I found myself mouthing words on occasion, e.g. significant words or words at important entrances. As far as I am aware (I think conductors typically have an inaccurate view of their own practice unless documented by videos), when mouthing, I usually would form the vowel shape, as if to visually “place” the phrase. Personal video footage generally shows more vowel formation than mouthing of sentences or entire phrases.

Carl St. Clair: I am not one to do this as a matter of course and certainly do not employ this as a substitute for nonverbal conducting gestures and communications, but if there are particularly favorite moments or texts, I might sing along with a singer or chorus. I can think of a few places, such as in Mahler’s Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, or some of Hesse’s incredible texts in Strauss’ setting of his Vier letzte Lieder, when I just can’t resist singing along. I am sure there are such moments in Beethoven’s 9th as well. But, at this moment I am not “mouthing” words, I am literally singing along because I love it so much. I suppose that in every opera, choral work or works with singers there are such beautiful moments which I just can’t escape participating. That said, I would never sing so loudly that almost anyone would hear it. No one would buy a ticket to hear my voice.

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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the May 2020 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

CJ Replay: The Singing Sergeants of the U.S. Air Force

May 4, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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The November 2019 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “The Singing Sergeants of the U.S. Air Force: A Career Path for Singers” by Technical Sgt. Jilian McGreen. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose November 2019 from the dropdown menu.
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Right now, United States Military musicians are stationed throughout the world, using their musical skills to serve our country. The wide range of ensembles includes rock bands, jazz bands, concerts bands, and, yes, choruses. Choral musicians at every level should know about the opportunities that exist for them in each branch of the U.S. Military. In the U.S. Air Force, this opportunity is called the Singing Sergeants.

The Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the U.S. Air Force, is one of six ensembles under the umbrella of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. The eighteen-member chorus has been permanently stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling since its inception in 1945. Initially an all male group, in 1973 the Singing Sergeants became the first American military chorus to enlist women. The group strives to fulfill the mission of the United States Air Force Band: to honor those who have served, inspire Americans to heightened patriotism and service, and positively impact our global community.

Honoring Veterans

The Singing Sergeants honors veterans through more than 200 public performances each year in the Capital region and across the country. The chorus embarks on several tours each year to different regions of the country, performing in a variety of venues including concert halls, sporting arenas, theatres, high schools, and community centers. Repertoire for these concerts includes traditional choral selections, music from Broadway shows, pop tunes, holiday favorites, and patriotic selections. Each concert ends with patriotic music and a medley of the armed forces service songs during which veterans in the audience stand to be recognized by their community. Chorus members often have the opportunity to speak with veterans before and after performances, thanking them for their service and hearing about their experiences in the military.

We also honor America’s veterans on locally- and nationally-broadcast television events commemorating patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Independence Day. The group has been seen on the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks broadcast as well as the PBS National Memorial Day Concert.

Additionally, the chorus performs for groups of veterans visiting Washington, D.C. Through the Honor Flight Network, veterans from around the country visit our nation’s capital to see the memorials dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifices of themselves and their comrades. As part of each visit, Honor Flights are welcomed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for a performance highlighting repertoire from the World War II, Vietnam, and Korean War eras.
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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the November 2019 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

CJ Replay: Choral Elitism is Real

April 27, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

The June/July 2018 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Choral Elitism is Real: What It Is and What We Should Do about It” by Chris Maunu. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose June/July 2018 from the dropdown menu.
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I have been a high school choral director for over eleven years. The last decade has been filled with so many beautiful moments, wonderful music, and students who have learned a few things about music and even life. My life has been enriched beyond what I could have ever imagined. I owe so much to the field of choral music for so many of the blessings I’ve experienced in my life.

As I look back through the years, however, there has been an ever increasing awareness of something else—something that presents itself in a less-than-overt manner. Many of my years have been spent second guessing myself, wondering if I’m good enough, comparing myself to others, and suffering from imposter syndrome. Much of my journey in working to get over that in recent years has involved recognizing my own innate insecurities as a conductor. It even took some time in therapy to get to the heart of something else going on in the choral landscape of the United States that I’ve come to recognize as a significant contributing factor to those issues: choral elitism. I couldn’t put my finger on it in those early years, but as I look back on it, choral elitism was at the core of a lot of my anxieties as a conductor.

What is Choral Elitism?

Oxford Dictionary defines elitism as the belief that a system should be led by an elite group. I believe choral elitism is deeply rooted in the culture of our profession. It stems partially from the comparative aspects of what we do. We can all agree that excellence is valued highly in any artistic medium, but because there is no one universally accepted definition of what a great choir sounds like, the only way we can assess our own level of achievement is by comparing it to other work that has already been presented.

We spend a great deal of time listening to great recordings and performances to shape our personal understanding of what constitutes high artistry. At the core, this is not a negative thing. We need to be pushed by one another to reach greater heights of musicianship. Elitism shows up in what we say to each other or about one another, how we assess each other’s work, how we view the various levels of musical education, and our general attitude and arrogance about the various aspects of our profession. Here are some things that I felt and observed in my career:

“I’m better than you because my choir is performing at this level and your choir is not.”

I’m sure very few have actually come out and said this, but it’s felt in the underpinning of a comment, body language, or facial expression. It’s in a simple statement like, “You’ll get there.”

“If you are not as experienced or your choir isn’t performing at a certain level, you aren’t as valuable to the profession.”

A colleague of mine shared a story about performing at a state conference for the first time. One of her students came up to her and asked, “Are we supposed to be here?” Confused, the conductor inquired what the student was talking about, and he explained, “I overheard someone say we didn’t deserve to be here because you’re such a new teacher.” My colleague was mortified that (a) a music teacher thought that and (b) had the nerve to say it aloud in front of students.
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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the June/July 2018 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

Choral Conversation: Interview with Anton Armstrong

April 13, 2020 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

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Choral Journal’s ongoing column called “Choral Conversations” features interviews with noted choral conductors and composers. An interview with Anton Armstrong is featured in the April 2020 issue.

You can read the interview in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose April 2020 from the dropdown menu.
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As someone who has traveled the world as a guest conductor and clinician, how have these international experiences shaped your view of choral music, and what are the most important things you’ve learned from these experiences?

I first traveled abroad as a member of the American Boychoir but didn’t travel again until I was invited to go back to my parents’ home region in the Caribbean and work for the Ministry of Culture and Education of the British Virgin Islands between 1985 and 1990. It was an incredibly validating and grounding experience to have my first international work be with people from my own roots and develop a deeper connection to the music I often heard as a child.

My international experiences have helped me learn that our work can help build bridges and heal wounds. The songs we sing from different parts of the world are often the way we enter a cultural experience very different from our own. If we can treat that music with respect and do our best to understand how and why that music originated, we start to understand the people who created it, and we find a commonality in how we exist together. Once we begin singing together, our differences of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and experience don’t disappear but instead cease to become barriers.

What do you find most challenging when preparing for the premiere of a new choral work?

Unlike preexisting compositions, there are likely no performance models to use as a study guide for premieres—whether it be an audio recording or performance video. Without that model, it’s squarely on your shoulders to find the interpretation of the piece that works best.

In my experience, I have learned that it’s essential to trust your own instincts—whether or not it perfectly aligns with what is written on the page. This can be quite a challenge, especially for young conductors and individuals working on their first premiere and learning to manage the conductor/composer relationship.

To address this challenge, I believe it is essential that conductors create honest and open communication with composers from the very beginning of the process, so that both can come to an understanding on the interpretations of a piece and forge a mutual path on how a score should be rendered. At minimum, my process includes a phone call with the composer. If I’m working with a local composer or we have the ability, I’ll invite them to St. Olaf to attend rehearsal so that we can delve further into the piece together and with our singers. The process isn’t always easy, especially if your vision isn’t congruent with the composer’s work. And occasionally, what a composer hears in their head may not be what works best for the piece when it’s actually brought to life.
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Read the rest of this interview (and more!) in the April 2020 issue of Choral Journal.