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ChorTeach Preview

Summer 2019 ChorTeach Preview

July 29, 2019 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For submission information, to view the index, or to read the latest issue, visit acda.org/chorteach.

Volume 11, Issue 4, is now available online and contains the following four articles:

Singing Seniors
Nicole Aldrich, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

“Older adults can bring a wealth of experience, wisdom, and grace to our ensembles. Along with these, they bring their older bodies and voices. And while the older adult voice is not the same instrument as the one the singer enjoyed in her or his younger years, it is simply not true that older adults should accept the voice changes as inevitable. Choral directors can do much to keep their “chronologically gifted” singers performing at a high level for years.

“Choir directors typically are most aware of the physical changes that singers undergo as they age because these changes have effects that we can hear in rehearsal: loss of vocal range, change in vibrato rate or size, loss of breath control, decreased endurance, pitch inaccuracies, breathiness, and changes in loudness, etc. Some of these physical changes include muscle wasting and related changes in balance, posture, and coordination, reduced vital capacity in the lungs, and stiffening, thinning and deterioration of the vocal folds which can cause the vocal folds to bow. Bowed vocal folds do not close as strongly. This can lead to breathiness, hoarseness, and vocal strain. Hearing loss, side effects from medications, and other health problems are also factors for some older adults.”

The Concert Spiritual—It is Closer to Western Classical Music than You Might Think
M. Roger Holland, University of Denver

“Most of us are aware of the origins of the Negro Spiritual. This folk music emerged in the crucible of American slavery when Africans were brought to the Americas in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries and labored under the harshest of circumstances. Infusing elements of their African culture along with Bible stories they learned from Christian missionaries, they sang about their present plight and desire for freedom. These “sorrow songs,” later called spirituals, became a huge part of what sustained the enslaved African community, gave them a sense of hope, and affirmed their humanity. The Negro Spiritual (or spiritual) is what musician and scholar Wendell Whalum refers to as the root and trunk of Black music.1

“After emancipation, many freed blacks wanted nothing to do with anything that was reminiscent of slavery and sought to divorce themselves of any vestiges of this terrible history, including the singing of spirituals, seeing this music as unsophisticated and an indication that one was uneducated.2 This mind-set no doubt contributed to the reluctance of the students at the Fisk Free Colored School (now Fisk University) to sing spirituals as they toured to raise money to support their school. Eventually, a small group of classically trained singers known as the Fisk Jubilee Singers embraced this folk music of their heritage and enthralled audiences worldwide.”

1 Wendell Phillips Whalum, “Black Hymnody,” Review & Expositor 70, no. 3 (Summer 1973): 353.
2 James Weldon Johnson. The Books of American Negro Spirituals. Vol. 1. (New York: Da Capo Press, Inc. 1989), 49.

Getting Inside the Mind of the Composer
Carl Ashley, First Baptist Church, Goldsboro, North Carolina

“Have you ever stopped to think about why composers compose? Many, if not most, of the great composers agree that composition cannot really be taught. Stravinsky once said, “A composer is or isn’t; he cannot learn to acquire the gift that makes him one… The composer will know that he is one if composition creates exact appetites in him, and if in satisfying them he is aware of their exact limits. Similarly, he will know he is not one if he has only a desire to compose or [a] wish to express himself in music.” (Conversations with Igor Stravinsky, by Robert Craft, n.p.)

“It is the performer’s responsibility to strive to recreate the composer’s intent. Composition is a form of artistic expression, just as performance is. If we do not fully understand the composer’s thoughts, we cannot fully understand his or her creation. One contemporary arranger once noted that she could only write down about ten percent of what was in her head. Because of this, some people claim that approaching a work from the perspective of the composer is impossible, since we can only have limited knowledge of the instrumentation, acoustics, or traditions of performance. In addition, our audience may come from a different background and culture, and not relying on the composer’s view gives the performer freedom. On the other hand, how can the music be truly appreciated unless it is performed as intended?”

The Missing Link: An Intermediate Step for Introducing New Music to Your Choir
Bo Shirah, McAllen High School, McAllen, Texas
Micah Bland, DMA Student, University of Southern California

“Since the time of early American singing masters who traveled from town to town selling their music books and teaching the public how to read music using a sol-fa system, the process of introducing and learning a choral work has seemed to remain relatively unchanged. Currently, two main approaches seem to dominate the secondary American educational system. The first being rote teaching, in which the teacher plays or sings the notes, with the students echoing until the content is learned. The second being a sight-reading method incorporating alternative syllables which represent a correlating pitch, such as solfege or numbers.

“It is in this second method that many educators approach the music learning process in a ritualistic fashion where students first count the rhythms, chant the solfege syllables in rhythm, and finally sing the syllables in rhythm. While this method is effective and utilized by many educators, there remains a missing step in this sequence of music teaching.”

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview

Spring 2019 ChorTeach Preview

April 22, 2019 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For submission information, to view the index, or to read the latest issue, visit acda.org/chorteach.

Volume 11, issue 3 contains the following five articles:

• Stronger When We Work Together
Michael Jeffrey, Pine Island Schools, Pine Island, Minnesota

“‘Today we’re going to start a group project…’ Those are words that are dreaded by every type-A student. As a high school and college student, there were few words that I hated more when they came out of teachers’ and professors’ mouths. Now, as an adult, my experience with collaboration is very different. It has led to some of my favorite musical performances in the last several years. I have been consistently surprised at how much collaboration I have found in southeast Minnesota. Youth choirs, including Bella Voce, the Honors Choirs of SEMN, and Northfield Youth Choirs, are working creatively with other ensembles and musicians for their concerts.

“Choral Arts Ensemble, an adult, auditioned choir in Rochester, is hosting its third annual Singing For Life High School Festival for which three regional high school choirs attend and perform with the Choral Arts Society in a side-by-side concert. Events like these abound, and they result in performances that are creative, engaging, and memorable for audiences and students alike.”

• I Heart (Love) Sight Singing!
Jane Vanderhoff , Garden City High School (retired), Garden City, Kansas

“Sight singing is the unbreakable principle, the sacred cow, the ‘must do,’ most days, anyway! It is the key to a singer’s progression/growth; it breaks the artificial ceiling of rote singing; it gives students independence and musicianship to get started. It is the key to their success! In my classroom it takes many forms. I use different books from year to year or throughout the year, write exercises on the board, use portions of songs, have students sing in groups or alone, sing the exercise backwards, switch from line to line, sing portions of a song, have one group clap the beat while another counts/claps the rhythm, anything to keep the brain moving in a musical direction.

“For beginning sight readers, I have assigned a pitch to a section (SSA or TTB usually), and they must sing their pitch as it occurs in the exercise, in rhythm. If there are more notes than sections, I sing the leftovers. If they sing on their own, they can choose any exercise in the book for me to sing on the spot. All of these ideas have been stolen from someone else!”

• Ten Commandments for the Children’s Choir Director
Henry Leck, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, Indianapolis, Indiana

“The following material was developed to convey, in a condensed form, some of the important elements of being a children’s choir director. By seeing these ideas as ‘ten commandments,’ one should not construe that this writer has seen the burning bush. As we all know, teaching and conducting are a continuous process of learning and growth. Children make that process an exceptionally joyful one, for they have a tremendous intelligence and artistry within them waiting to be nurtured.

“If a choral director takes the time to understand the child’s voice, its subtleties and capabilities, the results can be completely rewarding artistically and personally.

“1. Create good mental focus. Rapid learning only occurs when the mind is focused. Excellent musicianship becomes apparent only when the mind is acutely sensitive to its physical and aural environment. With this level of mental intensity, the text can take on life and begin to link the singer aesthetically with the audience.”

• Catching Up with VOCES8
Patrick F. Casey, Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina

“As a lifelong instrumentalist heralding the virtues of chamber playing, I am increasingly drawn to the amazing world of vocal/choral creations. Since first hearing VOCES8 perform in the winter of 2014, I have found this ensemble’s impeccable sensitivity and synchronicity to be completely engaging. I managed to visit with co-founder Barnaby Smith in Greenville, South Carolina, on November 13, 2018, after VOCES8 worked with area choirs in a ninety-minute master class.

“Barnaby, as the ensemble’s co-founder and artistic director, will you briefly share the early history of VOCES8? The group was actually founded out of a group of friends. We met when we were singing together in the Royal School of Church Music’s Millennium Youth Choir. When we were about college age, we got a little bit too old for that choir, so my brother, Paul, and I started to arrange sleepovers for our friends at our parents’ house, which was an excuse to socialize and have a bit of a party, and then, of course, do a lot of singing together.”

• The Care and Preservation of the Voice
Tony Thornton, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts

“As conductors and singers, we work very hard over a period of weeks to prepare for performance. Concert week may include additional rehearsals and certainly a dress rehearsal. This added stress can cause the immune system to weaken, making the body susceptible to illness. It would be a pity to become ill right before the concert. Below are twenty tips to help conductors and singers maintain excellent vocal health throughout the year.
• Strive for good general physical and mental health at all times through exercise, meditation, and proper diet.
• Get plenty of rest. If the body is tired, the voice is tired.
• Along with proper diet, a daily multivitamin, extra Vitamin C, or zinc may help you stay healthy. However, always consult with a physician before adding new supplements.
• Always warm up the voice before teaching or singing.
• Speak, conduct, and sing with proper alignment, which will allow breath to move more efficiently in and out of the body.”

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview

Winter 2019 ChorTeach Preview

January 14, 2019 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For submission information, to view the index, or to read the latest issue, visit acda.org/chorteach.

Volume 11, issue 2 contains the following five articles.

• A Conductor’s Greatest Untapped Resource
William Hienz, University of Louisiana-Lafayette and Conservatory of Music, Lawrence University, previously

“While many practitioners have not had the opportunity to study with virtuoso conductors or even excellent teachers, we can now study the traits and styles of conductors of our choosing. We can be inspired by observing the best of the best. Whether we are beginners or professionals, conducting large or small ensembles, choral or instrumental focus, young singers or a town and gown community chorus performing major oratorios, we can learn by watching both the good and the bad. With that in mind, consider three overarching areas where the plethora of videos available provide valuable instruction: knowledge of the score, baton technique, and stage deportment.”

• A Community Divided: Gendered Discourse in the Ensemble Classroom
Eric Rubinstein, Queens College, Melville, New York

“In a world where “boys will be boys” and “you _______ like a girl,” we often do not realize the negative impact our words and actions have on adolescent males and females. Many of our teaching practices tend to reflect our implicit and perceived sex and gender biases. Based on my experiences in both secondary and higher education, I find that discussions regarding diversity in education focus more on socio-economic status and cultural identity and less on gender discourse. In this article, I hope to show that despite our ongoing work to promote gender equality, we may actually be making it worse.

“In our attempts to treat all students equitably, we might also be encouraging more divisiveness (whether we are aware of it or not). I also wonder if this is a never ending cycle. Are we really doing anything different or are we talking about diversity just to check off a box? Outlined below, I challenge all choral directors to decide whether their repertoire choices, ensemble structures, curricula, and pedagogy are fair and equitable for all students, male and female alike.”

• The Unique Attributes of a Collegiate Ensemble Director
Sarin Williams, University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Ohio

“As an aspiring college professor, there are a variety of positions one might consider for the future. Collegiate music faculty generally fall into three main categories: academic instructors, applied music instructors, and ensemble directors. Not only are these very different types of positions with radically different daily duties, but within each position, applications can vary greatly.

“How, then, does a student make an informed decision about which jobs to apply for and what type of career they would most enjoy? One answer is to seek advice from knowledgeable faculty already in these positions as to the positive and negative aspects of every job and institution. This article attempts to aid in such a search by sharing the wisdom of six collegiate ensemble conductor/teachers and their insights into the diff erent world their positions occupy.”

• Asking Facebook Colleagues What Enhances Choral Sound – A Pilot Study
Derrick Thompson, Staunton River Middle & High School, Lynchburg, Virginia

“During the school year, conductors introduce many methods and approaches to help their students recognize the importance of proper singing technique and singing together as a group. These approaches can be presented through warm-ups, the repertoire chosen, or by listening to other high-quality performing ensembles. But the question is, what does choral and vocal pedagogy look and feel like, in action, in the classroom? What are we choral directors doing to enhance the sound of their choir and help our singers grow?”

• Sight Singing for Others at Your School
Lindsay Brazell, Chesnee High School, Duncan, South Carolina

“Sight reading is often something we practice in the comfort of our own classrooms. Maybe once or twice a year, we sight read at a festival or at an adjudicated event. That is all well and good, but I’d like to challenge you to do something that might make you a little uncomfortable—sight read in front of an audience. Not in front of judges or other choirs, but in front of non-choir folk, or as I like to call them, regular people.”

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview

ChorTeach Summer Preview

June 11, 2018 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

Below is a sample of the articles you will find in the latest issue of ChorTeach, available to ACDA members online at acda.org/chorteach.
View the full article PDFs online.

Teaching Culturally: Encounters with Immigrant Students by Sarah J. Graham

During the past 40 years, there has been an important movement made towards broadening curricula to be culturally inclusive. In “Effective Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Across Disciplines,” Christine Clark notes that while many practitioners continue to question the value of a multicultural curricula, most have moved through the debate regarding its value and on to looking at best practices for incorporating multicultural elements into the curriculum.[i]

In the field of music education, there has been a rise in the use, study, and performance of multicultural and ethnic music during the last thirty-plus years. In our own organization (ACDA), an Ethnic Music Repertoire and Resources area was first introduced in 1979 as the Ethnic and Minority Concerns Committee led by Eugene Simpson.

[i] Clark, C. (2010). Effective Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Across Disciplines. Multicultural Perspectives, 4(3), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327892MCP0403_7

Voices in your Head: A Method for Teaching Audiation in the Secondary Choral Classroom by Micah Bland

In the musical, The Music Man, con man Professor Harold Hill arrives in the quaint town of River City, Iowa, to swindle the unsuspecting townspeople.  Equipped with his instructional method, the think system, Professor Hill asks his students to practice by simply thinking the Minuet in G with no need to “bother with notes.”[i] Imagine how easy our jobs would be if teaching music were only that simple.  While the “think system” does not work, the method of audiation is a fundamental part of a student’s musical development.

Audiation, or as Kodaly teachers refer to it, inner hearing, is a pedagogical technique in which performers internalize the sound of the music in their heads without actually creating any sound.  The term audiation, most notably disseminated by Edwin Gordon in his book, Music Learning Theory, is most commonly implemented at the elementary level.[ii]  Although audiation is initially developed at a younger age, we as directors should continue to foster its development throughout a student’s entire musical journey.

[i] Meredith Wilson, The Music Man (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1958), 113.
[ii] Edwin Gordon, Learning Sequences in Music: A Contemporary Music Learning Theory (Chicago: GIA, 2012).

Keeping Ourselves Honest: Are We Fully Prepared for Rehearsal? by Catherine Feazell

As a conductor, I feel the most important work I do happens outside the rehearsal room.  It is selecting appropriate literature and preparing to present that literature to the ensemble.

If I have done my homework wisely, the rehearsal process becomes much easier. Our singers entrust us choral directors with their most valuable resource– their time. To use the ensemble’s time wisely, it is imperative that we come to rehearsal with a thorough knowledge and understanding of each score. Despite its importance, score study is one aspect of the job I believe many of us, I include myself, fail to always find adequate time for.

I developed the following checklist as a way to “keep myself honest” during the process of score study and to help evaluate whether or not I am fully prepared for a rehearsal. While it is certainly not exhaustive, I hope you find it to be a useful resource in your rehearsal preparation.

Music is Best when Surrounded by Rest: Choral Conductor Suggestions for Conductor Wellness by Jerome Upton

I love my job(s). I wouldn’t trade my profession for any other. It truly is wonderful to make music with students and adults that love to sing, but I’m exhausted after a day of rehearsals. By the time I get to Christmas with my family, I have almost forgotten what Christmas is about. I love my singers, but sometimes I just need to get away from them for a while.

Throughout my career, I have often reminded myself of the phrase, “Music is best when surrounded by rest.” I picked up that phrase in college when we were performing one of Paul Brandvik’s Madrigal Dinners at Bemidji State University (Minnesota). Brandvik used it as one of the punch lines from the jester in one of his scripts. But I find this phrase to be an important personal reminder as I strive to be an effective choral conductor.

Lately, I have been obsessed about the strategies choral conductors use to recharge and stay well in their profession. I asked several choral conductors and other music teachers around my region this question, “What things do you do at home that keep you rested and healthy in your professional job?”

All of these articles are available online for ACDA members at acda.org/chorteach

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview, Conducting

ChorTeach Spring 2018 Preview

March 19, 2018 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

Below is a preview of the articles you will find in the latest issue of ChorTeach, available to ACDA members online at acda.org/chorteach.

“The Role Music Plays in Racial Identity—One Conductor’s View” by Adan Alejandro Fernandez

The author of this article candidly shares his experience as a Latin music student and offers thoughts on racial identity in the choral music classroom.

“Choral Repertoire for Mixed Choir Every Conductor Should be Aware of—with One Men’s Part” by Kevin Smith

Do you have an ensemble with a limited number of men or an imbalance between men and women? The author of this article discusses his favorite repertoire for mixed choir with one male part. The link to download a full list of repertoire is included.

“Score Preparation for Sacred Choral Music of the Renaissance” by Stefanie L. Cash

Preparing choirs for the performance of Renaissance choral music can be challenging. In this article, the author provides guidelines to assist in the preparation of sacred Renaissance choral music.

“Percussion for Choral Conductors” by Dustin Woodard

Percussion can sometimes be difficult to understand. The author of this article discusses topics including: stick and mallet choices, how to talk to percussionists, and tips on leading percussionists in the context of a choral rehearsal.

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview, Repertoire

ChorTeach Preview: Winter 2018 (Volume 10, Issue 2)

January 29, 2018 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online magazine for choral directors and music educators. The articles in each issue are gleaned from ACDA state and division newsletters and from submissions. ChorTeach is specifically designed for those who work with amateur singers and are looking for practical material to apply to classrooms and rehearsals.

Below is a preview of the articles in the Fall 2017 issue, available for download here. The annotated ChorTeach index has also been updated. Click here to view. Email editor Terry Barham at for submissions or questions.

Teaching Habits of Mind in Youth Choirs: Adapting A Mind-set for Learning to Enhance the Choral Experience by Lindsey Blackhurst

Using as a framework the ideas provided by Kristine Mraz and Christine Hertz in their guide for the elementary classroom teacher, this article discusses practical implementation to fostering a mind-set of learning within a choral ensemble.

Preparing for the First Rehearsal: A Guide for Choral Conductors by Timothy Mount

Careful planning and mindful techniques are the foundation of a productive rehearsal. The author of this article shares keys to efficient choral rehearsals, using Bach’s motet Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 as a sample guide.

Reconsidering the Use of Metaphor in Choral Rehearsals by Brian Winnie

This article examines how a director’s use of imagery and metaphor in the choral rehearsal can cause confusion and produce unintended problems. Approaches for clearer phrasing are suggested.

From the Treble Choir to the Treble Choir to the Treble Choir! by Amanda Sprague Hanzlik

The author of this article shares her personal reflection of her musical journey from joining the middle school treble choir as a young seventh-grader to later directing a middle school treble honor choir.

Click here to read ChorTeach!

Filed Under: ChorTeach Tagged With: ACDA Membership Benefits, ACDA Publications, ChorTeach, ChorTeach Preview

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