COVID-19

Silver Linings: Resilience and New Beginnings

April 14, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Marc Taylor

This past year has been difficult for most everybody in one way or another. For music teachers it has been quite challenging. For families that have lost loved ones it has been devastating.

Personally, I haven’t had a desire to dwell on or rehash the negative aspects of this period of time. I do feel that it is critical that we acknowledge and process those difficulties, challenges, and devastations that we’ve experienced; they hold a very special place in our heart and being. However, deciding what we are going to do with those experiences in moving forward is even more important. These are the things that make or break us; that mold us into what we will be. And we have a choice in how we respond and who we become.

I have actually been very fortunate during the pandemic. Yes, my concert was cancelled the day before it was supposed to happen, my tour to NYC was cancelled, and we went to virtual learning like everyone else. My students struggled to make sense of things and all seniors were sorely disappointed in missing out on all the traditional celebrations and ceremonies. There were a few that became depressed and despondent but most finally came to a place of acceptance and began to make the best of it with faith and hope in the future. And that is where the magic began.

We are all dealt a hand of cards and our success comes in how we deal with them. Most of these students found a new beginning through the acceptance of what was to them a new “hand of cards.” They found ways to be innovative, to be happy, to enjoy life, and to love each other in spite of the restrictions and hardships. I hope that in some way I was an inspiration to them whether through teaching or by example. As someone who four years ago experienced Stage IV cancer that metastasized to the liver (and the medical journey that went with it where my life was in the balance) I know something of devastation, acceptance, making the best of it, and moving forward with hope and faith. That was a new beginning for me then, and now every time that I return from a clean CT scan I experience other little new beginnings along the way.

So, together, my students and I came up with new ways of learning, making music, collaborating, and enriching each other’s lives. We have found common goals on which to focus that kept us grounded in learning and improving both in knowledge and performance. We were very fortunate in my state to be able to resume in-person learning this school year with limited public performance (albeit distanced with all the protocols in place). Gratitude for what we were able to do and not focusing on what we couldn’t do was also a major factor in shaping the attitudes and outlook of my students. The wonderful thing about the trials that we face in life is that the resilience we exhibit allows us to experience these new beginnings. In order for us to be victorious and experience growth we must not allow ourselves to succumb to darkness and negativity.

And now one year later, having had the resilience to see this whole experience through – with conviction and determination – we now see the light at the end of the tunnel. And truly another new beginning is happening as the season of spring is upon us, the vaccines are rolling out, cases are trending down, restrictions are starting to ease, and we have just had our ACDA national conference where we have all shared our minds, voices, and souls together in unity, diversity, and inclusion. We now look forward to the future together. And it is this collective thought and action in which we love and support one another that will see us through and where we will embark on our next New Beginning.

Marc Taylor is the choral director at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah.

Silver Linings: Commitment and Engagement

March 31, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By David L. Mennicke

At Concordia University, St. Paul, we’ve been fortunate to have been able to meet face-to-face, with distancing, masks, and 30-minute rehearsal times. This has led us to working on less literature and more focus on skill-building. Unable to do live concerts, we’ve engaged in sharing recorded videos of our music. The “silver linings” have been manifold:

Growth in musical/vocal independence
With greater distancing of singers, I and the singers can distinguish individuals who are singing well, or who need assistance
That distancing, and doing less literature, has led us to greater attention on details, with each singer becoming more aware of and owning of their own performance
Putting out our concerts on video has reached a greater (and very appreciative) audience
We’ve learned and made use of technological teaching aids that we didn’t access before the pandemic (including guest clinicians and collaborations at a distance)

Perhaps the greatest “silver lining” has been the palpable increase in singers’ level of commitment and engagement in our choral community. The glamorous aspects (concerts, tour) were taken away from us, but what remains—making music together in community—is more than enough. Learning and embracing the intrinsic value of our precious art is a wonderful gift that will carry us into the future.

Dr. David L. Mennicke is Professor of Music / Director of Choral Studies and Coordinator of Ensembles & Recruitment/Chapel Cantor at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Silver Linings: Giving Grace, Growing Closer, and Building Trust

March 24, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Hilary Morton

Everyone has had a hard year. I think choral directors might have had it a bit worse. We will be dealing with the fallout from this pandemic for the next few years at least, rebuilding our programs from the ground up. We haven’t been teaching “choir” as we have known it to be for our entire professional lives. We have made up our curriculum weekly to keep our students engaged, check on their emotional well-being and maybe learn musical skills along the way if we are lucky. For me personally, technology has never been my friend. I’ve learned more this year than any other year in my 18 years of teaching. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve had to teach myself some skills to share with my students, and I’ve celebrated each success along the way.

There are positives from this that I will incorporate into my teaching forever. I have given more grace than I ever thought possible. And because of this, I feel I have grown closer to many of my students. There is a different level of trust and respect that I hope to maintain. Without the stress of upcoming performances, there has been more time to check on their individual skill level, mental state, and their understanding of concepts. In a large group, students can hide. Every music director has lost members of their ensembles this year, but kids come to choir for different reasons. Some love to sing. Some are gifted at reading. Some love to be with their friends. Some love to be part of something bigger than themselves. Some were forced by parents.

We all know those students who barely produce sound, or badly need a confident singer behind them or beside them to get through. With students working individually, they are completely on their own. This is the opposite reason many students enroll in choir. It’s a very social place, and some students are uncomfortable singing alone. I have gradually made easy assignments where they sing by themselves. They turn in (well, let’s be honest, MOST turn in) weekly sight reading factory assignments. I can manipulate the criteria each week (change time signature, key signature, mode, etc.) but I always let them choose their level of difficulty. Each of our students is in a different place among their musical journey, so let’s accommodate for them and accept this fact. I give them full points for just turning in the assignment and starting on the correct first note. Accuracy is not important. I am astonished at what I heard. Once they jump over the hurdle of not being scared of the fact that their teacher is listening to them, this is a magnificent tool of gauging where your students are vocally, and musically. I can more quickly diagnose vocal faults, shifts, and how they are doing with their musical literacy. I will continue to use this weekly for the rest of my career. It makes it so much easier to quickly make decisions in a live rehearsal based on what you hear from them individually each week. Sadly, I never did this before. I wanted kids to not feel the pressure, and frankly, didn’t think I had the time. I think this is a valuable tool and I feel it has brought new confidence out in many of my singers.

I also think my professional ideals have shifted in this pandemic journey. What is most important? Teaching music or teaching children? I am currently thankful for every student who has stayed in choir and I will continue to focus on what’s important, like why I love music and why they love music. I don’t know if I will take choirs to competitions next year. Right now, that’s the least important aspect to this art. And maybe we will all re-evaluate what is most important to our programs. Right now, it’s the people who come into my room, or onto my laptop each day. I don’t know when we will sing the caliber of literature I’m accustomed to teaching, and right now, I just don’t care. It’s about so much more than that.

Hilary Morton is Director of Choirs at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas.

Silver Linings: Cross-Country Collaborative Choral Initiatives

March 23, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Tracy Wong

“Shared joy is a double joy. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” This Swedish proverb rings true as we reach the one-year mark of this pandemic and reflect on how COVID-19 continues to impact the global choral community. In Canada, the changing restrictions for this evolving pandemic have prompted choral leaders to be more creative, flexible, and resourceful when it comes to keeping the choral community active while adhering to health and safety guidelines. Creative collaborations that were launched since the start of the pandemic continue to help organizations to share resources, while contributing towards continued creation of new music and learning experiences. As a choral conductor and composer, I am fortunate to be a part of the creation of Canada’s cross-country collaborative choral initiatives such as the Bridge Choral Collective and Sonic Timelapse Project.

The Bridge Choral Collective (BCC) was co-founded in Summer 2020 by Allison Girvan, Scott Leithead, Katy Luyk, Geung Kroeker-Lee, Matthew Otto, Carrie Tennant, and Tracy Wong. “BCC represents a bold cross-Canada initiative to generate thrilling new music, rooted in justice, in a time of global contemplation. It cements the bonds among some of Canada’s most innovative youth and young adult choirs, and brings them together to explore and create in partnership with guest artists from around the world.” BCC co-founders bring together their respective choirs, also known as Partner Choirs, in shared online workshops with guest artists. These partner choirs are Corazón Vocal Ensemble (Nelson, BC), Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir (Kitchener, ON), Kokopelli Choirs (Edmonton, AB), Prairie Voices (Winnipeg, MB), Toronto Youth Choir (Toronto, ON), and Vancouver Youth Choir (Vancouver, BC).

The global line-up of guest artists that partner choirs have been fortunate to learn from are University of Pretoria Youth Choir, Moira Smiley, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Rajaton, Elise Bradley, Michael McGlynn & Anúna, Jason Max Ferdinand & The Aeolians, Jacob Collier, FreePlay Duo, and Annika McGivern. Upcoming guests are Elise Bradley & Choirs Aotearoa, Mark Anthony Carpio & The Philippine Madrigal Singers, Rajaton, and Lone Larsen & VONO.

BCC also offers the Building Bridges program, providing opportunities for participation for young singers at the high school and post-secondary level as well as professional development workshops for music educators and conductors, all of whom have the opportunity to learn from some of the above guest artists. Patron choirs and donors have been integral in supporting the continued efforts in quality content.

Sonic Timelapse Project (STP) is “a collaborative choral art commissioning project created as a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of gathering content from the emotional landscape of choral communities in Canada and beyond. Using an innovative crowdfunding model, this project brings together shared creativity and financial resources in a time of need to fund the creation of 10 new works as well as support online programming for participating choirs. The project was founded by Katerina Gimon, Laura Hawley, and Geung Kroeker-Lee with the support of Prairie Voices Inc.”

The Canadian Partner Composers involved in the creation of new music are Deanna Edwards, Jeff Enns, Katerina Gimon, Laura Hawley, Shane Raman, Marie-Claire Saindon, Ben Sellick, and Tracy Wong. These composers create new choral works inspired by the thoughts and responses of choral conductors, composers, and choristers about the pandemic. Choirs and choral conductors participate in various crowdfunding tiers to co-fund the commission of new pieces that are flexible for online/distanced rehearsals, may be in multiple voicing arrangements, and be featured on a future choral concert program. Participating choirs have access to learning tracks and supporting resources created by each composer. Perusal sheet music and program notes for all new pieces are available on the website.

STP also features a Creative Workshop series where founders lead choristers and classroom students through the creative reflection and composition process as well as provide supplementary resources (recorded videos, lesson plans, Google slides) to continue supporting choral educators and conductors with quality educational content.

At this point of writing, there are a number of events / workshops by BCC and STP that are still available for those who are interested. Bridge Choral Collective’s Building Bridges program is still accepting registrations for upcoming workshops for youth/young adult choirs and music educators featuring Sir Mark Carpio (of The Philippine Madrigal Singers) and Lone Larsen & VONO (Sweden). Sonic Timelapse Project continues to welcome participating choirs and conductors to their crowdfunding community – participants in Tiers 2 and up will have exclusive access to purchase and perform (digitally/live) a number of the new commissions (based on their Tier) during the Exclusivity Period (up until June 1, 2021). Their educational workshops are ongoing. For more information, kindly visit: https://bridgechoralcollective.ca/ and https://www.sonictimelapse.com/

In essence, collaborative creative initiatives like Bridge Choral Collective and Sonic Timelapse Project are one of the many silver linings for the Canadian choral community during this pandemic. As a choral conductor, music educator, and composer, I am in awe of, and inspired by, the vast creation of new initiatives by my resilient colleagues and am constantly energized witnessing the flexibility and positive response of choral singers and choral supporters. To quote Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, ACDA Interim Executive Director: “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

Tracy Wong is the Assistant Professor and Choral Director of McMaster University’s School of the Arts, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

A few months ago ACDA began soliciting and sharing “silver lining” reflections from our members. We have enjoyed them so much, we decided to share them in a wider way on ChoralNet. Have you experienced a silver lining during the course of this challenging year? Please email a draft to for consideration in this series.

Silver Linings: Connections in Choir During Hybrid Learning

March 10, 2021 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Edward Norris

Teaching choral music in a hybrid model: How do I do that? How do I make this work? How will I feel? How will the kids feel? Will we be productive? These are some of the questions that made our hearts race in September when this journey began.

For all of us, the 2020-21 school year will certainly be one to remember. It has been a year filled with struggle, loss, civil and political unrest, depression, anxiety, and uncertainty. Our students’ minds are saturated with images of negativity each and every day due to the current world that we live in. When I stepped back into the choral room at Glen Cove High School in September, I vowed to have our program be a beacon of light in their lives; a place where they could forget what is going on in the world, even if it were only for 45 minutes a day. I let go of a lot that I had focused on in the past musically, and decided that the theme of this year would be connection.

I know that sounds pretty silly since on most days, I have anywhere from two to ten kids in front of me and everyone else on Google Meet, but that was my thought nonetheless. I decided to focus on what we have, as opposed to what we have lost. Yes, we have lost things like in-person rehearsals, lessons, concerts and trips, but we still have the ability to connect through music and make a difference in each other’s lives.

For much of my career, my students have talked about how our choir family has made a difference in their lives. I would beam with pride knowing that our group gave them a safe space to be who they are while appreciating some of the world’s finest choral music. I’ve always known how much I adore my students, but it wasn’t until March of 2020 that I truly learned what the choir meant to both myself and to them! During quarantine I realized that this upcoming year would be about fostering and maintaining the connections we have to one another within our choir family.

This year I have talked to my students about “stopping to smell the musical roses.” Yes, we still rehearse choral music, we still sight-read, we still learn good choral and vocal technique, but without the pressure of preparing for performances. I am able to dive very deep into things that I normally wouldn’t have as much time to do. For example, we have been talking a lot about music theory in choir. I often talk about theory during my rehearsals but this year I am really able to go into great depth about the chord structure of a piece or phrase or, perhaps, how the alto II’s have the 9th of the chord, which has to be treated differently. This has given the singers a greater understanding of the music that we sing. Another thing that I have been able to do is work quite a bit on text analysis whether it be poetry or the text to a piece of music. We have taken text and really gotten into the meaning of each section and, once again, it has given the singers great comprehension of how to interpret . . . we have to tell the story! Spending the extra time with this aspect of music making will surely pay dividends for years to come.

I know what you are thinking. Where is the “connection” piece you were talking about? All of the “stopping to smell the musical roses” is great, but how do we connect over Google Meet? How do we connect the kids who are in person to the kids who are at home? For me, the answer has been simple; just talk to them, have a conversation. Take the time to find out how they are, how they are handling all of this, and let them know that you will be there for them every step of the way. Early on in the school year I showed my choirs a video of my dear friend Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand and the Aeolians of Oakwood University doing a virtual performance of Robert T. Gibson’s “We Shall Overcome.” The in-person students cried, the virtual students cried, I cried. It was a moment. We were connected! We were apart, but we were doing the same thing and feeling the same feelings at the same time.

My colleague at Glen Cove and I work very closely with one another and a mission that we take on each and every day is to connect to every single student, be it in-person or online and we have noticed that it makes a difference. Maybe it’s a little story, a comment on their dog that’s on their lap, a comment about their LED lights on their ceiling (boy am I tired of seeing LED lights), a comment about their favorite sports team, a comment about how great that student did in their virtual lesson. With each comment comes a smile or a wave from them. So many of them tell us that it makes a difference to them, and equally as important; it makes a difference to us! It makes us feel closer to them!

A few weeks ago, I was taking virtual attendance and said “Hey Kevin, it is so great to see you with us today!” He unmuted and responded “Hey Mr. Norris, thank you for being so cheery today. I need it because I am having a really tough time mentally and emotionally.” I couldn’t let that comment go. I had to talk to him, but I couldn’t pull him into the hallway, as he was a virtual student. So, I talked to Kevin and the entire class about how it’s okay to feel these feelings and the best thing that you can do is talk about it. We talked about how the choir is a safe space and that’s why Kevin chose to say what he said. With Kevin and the group, I shared some of my personal struggles since the pandemic started, as well as with the civil unrest that has been happening. The chat was filled with comments to pick Kevin up, as well as students saying how grateful they were to be in class that day to hear what they heard. I received several emails from students (and their parents) about how that particular session struck a chord and made a difference with themselves or with their child.

This year, it’s not about perfect intonation and phrasing. It is not about having a fantastic concert. For me and for my students it is about connecting with one another and doing our very best to impact each other’s lives. It is about continuing to learn great choral music, but taking time to smile and laugh each day. I would like to leave you with this video: it is the BYU singers directed by Andrew Crane performing Elaine Hagenberg’s “Alleluia.” Together with our students, we can stay connected and make music in the midst of all of this.

Stay safe my friends.

Edward Norris is the director of choral music at Glen Cove High School (Glen Cove, New York) where he conducts the 75-voice mixed chorus and the 40-voice Select Chorale. He also teaches music theory and AP music theory. Outside of Glen Cove, he is an adjunct professor at Long Island University Post Campus and at the Aaron Copland School of Music (Queens College). Ed serves as the Division V Choral Vice President for the Nassau Music Educators Association and is a proud member of the New York State School Music Association and the American Choral Directors Association. Lastly, Ed was a contributing author of Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand’s book Teaching with Heart.

Silver Linings: Purpose and Service

March 9, 2021 by ACDA 1 Comment

By Lulu Mwangi Mupfumbu

2020 was destined to be one of the best years for our music department yet. We busied ourselves with preparations for performances at the ACDA Eastern Region Conference, Carnegie Hall, and a summer tour to France/Belgium for the World Choir Games! However, COVID-19 happened and we went into a lockdown. Our spirits were crushed . . . and we were suddenly thrown into a world of virtual learning. How could there possibly be a silver lining in this?

In search of meaning and coping mechanisms for the sudden loss that came with our new reality, the students turned to what they know and do often. Service. The music department accepted the call to start a campaign to raise funds for an impoverished community in Diepsloot, South Africa, that we had formed bonds with when we visited in 2018. The funds raised enabled several individuals to receive a month’s worth of groceries at a time when their community was a COVID hotspot.

Another service opportunity came in the fall when we were able to participate in a virtual choir collaboration with bass-baritone Wintley Phipps and his foundation, the U.S. Dream Academy, an entity that provides enrichment programs for at risk youth. For the last five years we have held a music mentorship program at Takoma Academy for the Dream Academy students, in which our students have served as music mentors to the Dream Academy students and ultimately perform side by side at their annual gala. The students of both institutions were pleased to be able to collaborate even in a virtual space. These activities gave our music students a sense of purpose and relevance in the absence of live experiences.

Despite being fully virtual, we have 63 of our 200 students enrolled in choir. This is significant win because initially there was a very real fear of students not enrolling in virtual music classes. With the pressure of preparing two to three performances a month off the table this year, we have taken time to dig deeper into aspects like sight reading, proper singing/playing technique, and collaborations with other institutions. Virtual performance has provided an opportunity for students to be able to better self-assess, work for individual mastery of technique and repertoire, and build confidence. The students have taken a more intentional approach to practicing and learning music. This has been true of both new and experienced singers alike and will certainly be a benefit to hang on to when we are able to perform together again.

The strength, resilience, and adaptability of the human spirit is evident in how our students have taken on this new normal. Not every day is perfect, but we press on, one day at a time. We are choosing progress over perfection, process over product. We are focused on grace, kindness, and the other virtues that will help to preserve a genuine love for music and hope for a better tomorrow.

Lulu Mwangi Mupfumbu is a Maryland ACDA member and serves as Fine Arts Department Chair & Director of Choirs and Orchestra at the Takoma Academy (Takoma Park, Maryland).