Session Information
ROUND TABLE SESSIONS
Round Table Discussions focus on the American Choral Directors Association in the 21st Century. Topics are carefully crafted to look to the future as the American Choral Directors Association continues the visioning process begun at the 2008 Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City. Attend your Repertoire and Standards Round Table to help create the future.
Roundtable 1
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
4:00 pm
Select from the following simultaneous sessions:
Vocal Jazz – Williford C
Title: Programming….Choosing What’s Best for BOTH the Ensemble and the Audience
Presiding: Kirk Marcy, National Chair
Guest Panelists: Linda Vanderpool, North Central Division Chair; Frank DeMiero, Northwestern Division Chair; Jim McCullough, Central Division Chair, Bill McIntosh, Western Division Chair; Stephen Futrell, Southern Division Chair
Description: Topics to be addressed include the following: 1) Choosing age-appropriate arrangements. 2) Creating ‘sets’ of arrangements that incorporate a common theme. 3) Identifying elements necessary to truly be considered a jazz piece. 4) Identifying teachable moments in arrangements. 5) Participant-led discussions.
Boychoirs – Astoria
Title: Building a Better Boy
Presiding: Julian Ackerley, National Chair
Description: This open discussion with all participants will explore the numerous aspects of dealing with boy singers including the psychology of boys, recruitment and retention, changing voice, group management, developing music literacy and nurturing young gentlemen. The focal point of the session will be the sharing of ideas, experiences and strategies for success.
Male Choirs – Williford B
Title: Starting a Male Chorus at Your School….Recruiting/Retaining Male Singers in Your Choral Program
Presiding: Ethan Sperry, National Chair
Description: Panel discussion with national and division chairs concerning creative ways to recruit and retain male singers in choral programs.
Colleges & Universities – Williford A
Title: What Do We Wish They Knew?
Presiding: William McConnell, National Chair
Guest Panel: William Hall, Chapman University; Robert Ward, Ohio State University; Betsy Cook Weber, University of Houston
Description: A panel discussion concerning tools, techniques, secrets and sage advice our new graduates should have in their tool kits as they enter that first college/university position.
Junior High/Middle School – Waldorf
Title: Assessment in the Choral Ensemble: How Do You Know They Know More than the Song?
Presiding: Gretchen Harrison, National Chair
Leader: Lynn Corbin
Description: Choral directors are proficient producers of quality performance, literature selection and rehearsal management. In this age of accountability, however, documentation of achievement is a critical component in today’s educational climate. This interactive session will assist choral directors in developing appropriate learning outcomes based on literature and repertoire as student learning is documented and results are shared.
SESSIOIN HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Roundtable 2
Thursday, March 10, 2011
12:00 pm
Select from the following simultaneous sessions:
Children’s and Community Youth Choirs - Williford A
Title: Music Education…..My Way: A Glimpse at Children’s Choir Curriculums
Presiding: Robyn Lana, National Chair
Leader: Michele Adams, Boston Children’s Chorus
Description: The education directors of leading children’s choir programs will discuss their various approaches to music education. A staff member of each organization will give an overview of their curriculum, highlighting unique components of their method. Small group discussions and a time for questions will follow.
Music in Worship – Waldorf
Title: Common Ground: Similarities and Differences in the Roles of Choral Music within Predominantly African-American and Caucasian Houses of Worship
Presiding: Terre Johnson, National Chair
Leader: Anthony T. Leech, Penn State University
Description: ACDA has sought to incorporate understanding and performance of the choral music of many cultures from around the world. Tony Leach will lead a discussion of the choral music styles of the African-American church and offer an opportunity for all ACDA congregational musicians to grow in their understanding of this important part of the choral tapestry.
Senior High Choirs - Williford C
Title: Examining Adolescent Choral Singers’ Social Development within School Music Ensembles: Suggestions & Implications for Choral Educators
Presiding: Amy Blosser, National Chair
Leader: Elizabeth Cassidy Parker
Description: Adolescents develop socially through the choral experience, forming important ties to peers as well as their choral teacher. This roundtable will focus on discussing the results of several choral studies which address adolescent social development. The goal is to offer suggestions and inspire dialogue within the choral community.
Women’s Choirs - Williford B
Title: The Body and It’s Strength in Singing
Presiding: Iris Levine, National Chair
Guest Panelists: Katherine FitzGibbon, Northwestern Division Chair; Lori Hetzel, Southern Division Chair; Janice Vlahos, Southwestern Division Chair
Description: Discussion and hands-on activities that will help to create a vibrant, evocative women’s chorus sound that is powerful and connected to the body.
Roundtable 3
Saturday, March 12, 2011
11:45 pm
Select from the following simultaneous sessions:
Ethnic & Multicultural Perspectives - Waldorf
Title: Brazilian Choral Repertoire: The FUNARTE Database for Portugese Language Material
Presiding: Sharon Davis-Gratto
Leader: Elisa Macedo Dekaney
Description: Dr.Dekaney will present information and lead a discussion about Brazilian choral repertoire in the Portuguese language and her work with the National Arts Foundation (FUNARTE) in Brazil to help generate a database of Brazilian music available to conductors who are not knowledgeable about Portuguese.
Show Choirs - Williford A
Title: Copyright issues for Our Arrangements: To Comply or Not to Comply – What are the Ramifications?
Presiding: Robert Lawrence, National Chair
Description: Rob Lawrence will lead the discussion and Anita Cracauer, professional arranger, will participate via Skype. Emily Crocker from Hal Leonard will present a corporate viewpoint. Valuable information will be discussed concerning copyright issues for showchoir arrangements. Following will be a Q&A from audience participants.
Community Choirs - Williford C
Title: Building a Community for the Future
Presiding: Ron Sayer, National Chair
Description: As Bob Dylan wrote, “the times they are a-changing.” How will community choirs adapt to change and the demands of the 21st century in order to survive? Participants will be asked to identify their needs and goals and then focus on how ACDA can facilitate the acquisition of skills so that its community choir members will be ready for this next century of music.
Two Year Colleges - Williford B
Title: Standards of Success for a Two-Year College Program
Presiding: Dianne Campbell, National Chair
Guest Panelists: John Byun, Riverside Community College; Art LaPierre, American River College; Dennis Richardson, Del Mar College
Description The two-year college program serves a variety of people in many diverse ways. We will strive to define “success” beginning with the national standards for accreditation as set by the National Association of Schools of Music. There are currently only 38 schools accredited by NASM. Dennis Richardson will discuss what the process is like and what it has done for the music program. The directors whose choirs were chosen to perform here at the national convention will also be sharing their program standards. A group Q&A will follow.
Interest Session 1
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
1:00 – 2:00pm
Jazz Styles andImprovisation for Choirs! Russell Robinson, presenter
Continental Ballroom, Hilton
Dr. Robinson presents a unique, stimulating and pedagogical way of getting singers to quickly be comfortable improvising. From students to veteran teachers, through simple scales, motives and scat syllables, everyone will be improvising and more importantly having fun while doing it in a short amount of time. In addition to improvisation, Robinson will also demonstrate jazz ballad style with techniques that all choral teachers can utilize with their respective choirs. Complimentary teaching materials and music will be provided for all participants.
View Session Handout (see attachment at the bottom of this page)
Breaking the Code:Small Ensemble Rehearsal Techniques for Choirs of all sizes, Simon Carrington,presenter, The Universityof Louisville,demonstration choir
Grand Ballroom, Hilton
Some personal rehearsal prioritiesdeveloped over 15 years of teaching in the US to help singers of all ages blossominto complete musicians, with emphasis on aural and ensemble skills and theimportance of returning the art of Rhetoric to the performance of choral musicfrom the Renaissance to the present day.
HANDOUT AVAILABLE CLICK HERE
It’s a Good Thing!Embracing Technology in the Choral Classroom, Marie Palmer, presenter
International Ballroom South, Hilton
This session will demonstrate how one choral director usesthe internet, interactive whiteboard, laptops, ipods, iphones and itoughtechnology to help with classroomo management and increase rehearsalproductivity. These tools help with incorporating history and theory,composition, sectional/part learning, sightreading, eartraining and rhythmicdevelopment, while leaving time in class for traditional choral rehearsal.
TransformingConducting: Conducting for Transformation, Weston Noble and Geoffrey Boers,presenters
International Ballroom North, Hilton
Thissession will focus on the evolutionary nature of conducting pattern andgesture, and will consider changes to technique and process based upon recentresearch in brain science, particularly our understanding of mirror neurons.Mirror neurons are an important and relatively undeveloped part of the brainthat leads to empathy, expressiveness, and connectedness. Singing is a processthat can unlock, fire, and develop these neurons leading to momentarytranscendent experiences. Session leaders Geoffrey Boers and Weston Noble willexplore gestures and rehearsal style that will encourage this type of brainaction to become a consistent experience in rehearsal and performance, so thattranscendent experience becomes a part of our technique, and ultimately,transformational for the choir.SESSION HANDOUT AVAILABLE (CLICK HERE)
Expanding the Repertoire: Uncovering a NeglectedAmerican Music Genre: Black composers writing for Women's Voices, Mary Hopper,presenter
Waldorf Room, Hilton
White therehas been a good deal of research about choral music by Black American Composersthere has been little work done in the area of music for Women’s voicesspecifically. Conductors of women’s Choirs are always searching for new andinteresting literature and there is a body of music by Black composers that canexpand our repertoire.
First Iwill explore some of the composers and their music by grouping them in threecategories: composers writing for Historical Black colleges (Work, Dett,Dawson, Moore, Johnson), composers involved in the Black Renaissance in theearly part of the 20th Century (Burleigh, Still, Price, Bond, Kay,King) and recent composers writing for choirs (Hailsork, Harris, Dilworth,Barnwell, Powell, Lane, Ames). This is certainly not a definitive or exhaustivelist but I have chosen some composers who have written for women’s voices andothers who have contributed a great deal to choral music.
Secondly Iwill provide some tools to help in repertoire research. I will show a fewwebsites an dideas for the unending music research (Center for Black MusicResearch, ShomburgCenter for Research inBlack Culture, Musicians of African Descent). SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Beyond Singing:Blueprint for the Exceptional Choral Program, Stan McGill, presenter
Empire Room, Palmer House
Excellence is not something stumbled upon by accident. Youwon’t achieve great things while flailing about in paperwork nor partake oftrue musical artistry by folly. Success requires a concrete plan of action: abig-picture plan followed by all the little details that, together, create acomplex mosaic that forms a beautiful and intricate picture of choralexcellence. This practical text offers a wealth of information for running achoral program. This successful veteran teacher offers advice for dozens ofsolutions to issues facing the choral director.
Session Handout (CLICK HERE)
The Margaret Hillis Collection in the Rosenthal Archives
CherylFrazes Hill and Frank Villella, co-presenters
Ganz Hall, ChicagoCollege of PerformingArts, RooseveltUniversity
430 Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60605-1394
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
2:30 – 3:30 pm
Masterclass, Chanticleer, presenter
Empire Room, Palmer House
Interest Session 2
Thursday, March 10, 2011
8:00 – 9:00 am
Boys' Changing Voice:Tips and Techniques, Dan Davison, presenter
Continental Ballroom, Hilton
With 31years of teaching boys to sing at the junior high level, Dan Davison offerstips on how to work with middle-level male singers who are experiencing choirfor the first time. Dan will discusstechniques for voice placement, pitch matching, development of head voice andfalsetto, appropriate vocal exercises, improving tone, and tips on how to tunechords. This interest session will offer techniques that female directors canuse when working with young male voices, and also techniques that maledirectors can use when working with young female voices.
SESSION HANDOUT PAGES 1-3 (CLICK HERE) PAGE 4 (CLICK HERE)
Performance Practicesin the Classical Era, Dennis Shrock, presenter
Demonstration Choir: University of Missouri,Paul Crabb, conductor
Grand Ballroom, Hilton
This session will be a presentation of information drawnfrom primary sources about conventions of performance that were prevalentthroughout the latter half of the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenthcentury.
Topicsof performance will include tempo, articulation and phrasing, metricaccentuation, rhythmic alteration (e.g., overdotting), vibrato, and pitch.
Quotationsfrom primary sources will come from instruction books (such as treatises,primers, and tutorial methods), diaries that comment on performances of thetime, prefaces to compositions by composers of the era, and dictionaries,letters, biographies, and essays.
Referenceswill be made to compositions by Joseph Haydn, W.A. Mozart, and Franz Schubert,with inclusion of Mendelssohn’s Elijah,since this work will be featured at the ACDA conference.
Choral Directors are from Mars and Voice Teachers are from Venus: Sing from the Diaphragm and other Vocal Misstructions, Allen Henderson, Sharon Hansen, Brenda Smith, Donald Simonson, Scott McCoy presenters
International Ballroom South, Hilton
What specific voice knowledge is important when teaching beginning singers? How can middle and high school and college choral conductors interact with independent and academic voice teachers in their area to develop a successful team? Is the voice teacher-choral conductor conflict in higher education fantasy or fact? What comprises a successful voice teaching team? Exploring answers to these questions we will delve into commonly used mis-instructions and their implications.POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE HERE: http://acda.nats.org
Comprehensive Choral Musicianship, David Conte, presenter
International Ballroom North, Hilton
This interest session will be led from the triple perspective of the clinician’s experience as composer, choral conductor, and long-time teacher of Musicianship and Form and Analysis. The session is designed to help choral conductors, teachers, and choral singers at all levels, from teachers at elementary school through college and university, and from undergraduate students through working professionals, learn music with greater thoroughness and speed, and to conduct and sing with greater expression and meaning. Special attention will be paid to developing a method of score analysis to aid conductors and singers in arriving at a deeper understanding of the formal architecture and content and their relation to text of the choral music they are performing, through practical application of tools of analysis and sight-singing, and applying those tools in the choral rehearsal. The session will also give guidance to choral musicians interested in designing a life-long program of study in the areas ofmusicianship and analysis.
SESSION HANDOUT PGS 1-5 (CLICK HERE)
SESSION HANDOUT PGS 6-10 (CLICK HERE)
SESSION HANDOUT PGS 11-15 (CLICK HERE)
SESSION HANDOUT PGS 16-20 (CLICK HERE)
Hear Ye: Announcing aNational Symposium on American Choral Music, Washington, D.C.,2012, John Silantien, presenter
Marquette Room, Hilton
AmericanChoral Directors Association and the Library of Congress will host a landmarkNational Symposium on American choral music during the spring of 2012. Thiswill be the capstone event of a four-year project that uncovered some onehundred choral treasures from the vaults of the Library of Congress. Thesepublic-domain works by turn-of-the-century American composers appear on thelibrary’s Performing Arts website. They can be downloaded free of charge, alongwith composers’ biographies and other background information. Dr. JohnSiliantien, project chair, will navigate interest session participants throughthe website, exploring the wide variety of choral music available there. Hewill also outline plans for the National Symposium and invite participation byscholars, conductors, and choirs. The two-day symposium will offer a series ofpapers, panels, poster presentations, reading sessions, and concerts focusingon the repertoire contained on the Library of Congress website. Performanceswill feature children’s, women’s, men’s, and mixed choirs singing in some ofour capital’s most beautiful and historic venues.
The Interpretation ofLatin American Music, Oscar Escalada, presenter
Waldorf Room, Hilton
Investigatecommon music patterns of the varied indigenous cultures the Americas.Yuxta-position and over-position of rhythms. Indiana Culture. The blend of Spanish, Blackand Aboriginal cultures. Learn how to sing and prepare your choir. Accents,phrasing and tips. Let’s sing together. Reading Latin American Choral Musicselections.
Interest Session 3
Thursday, March 10, 2011
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Resources for ChoralDirectors at the Center for Black Music Research, Sharon Gratto and SharonFlandreau, presenters
Continental Ballroom, Hilton
Participantswill be introduced to the Center for Black Music Research’s resources and theCenter’s unique collection of choral music by Black composers and will read andlisten to selected choral works by lesser-known and well-known Black composers.(TOURS OF THE CENTER FOR BLACK MUSIC RESEARCH ARE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK UPONREQUEST )SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Explore the Chinese Cultural Treasures Through Choral Music:Chinese Choral Repertoire and Interpretation, Karl Chang, presenter, TheCrystal Children’s Chorus, demonstration choir
Grand Ballroom, Hilton
5,000 yearsof rich Chinese culture can be brought to the western world through choralmusic. The session takes the attendees on a Chinese cultural journey withtraditional and contemporary Chinese choral repertories. It presents themultiplicity of musical styles which reflected the diversity of more than fiftyethnic groups in China.Inspired to synthesize the eastern and western elements in music, Chinese andAmerican musicians collaborate to develop new works. The world premiere of “Allthroughout My Life,” a newly collaborated work between current Chinese poet andAmerican composer, will be presented.
Choral Directors arefrom Mars and Voice Teachers are from Venus Top 10 List - Complaints from BothSides of the Aisle, Allen Henderson, presenter
International Ballroom South, Hilton
A historyof complaints from both sides of the aisle regarding the teaching of singersabounds. Are these complaints substantiated? Are we actually approaching thesame ideas with different language? How are NATS and ACDA working together tobuild a common language that reflects our common goal of providing excellencein instruction and performance? Join us in this lively discussion and bringyour top ten list.
Conversation withHelmuth Rilling about "Elijah", Helmuth Rilling, presenter
Demonstration choir, Texas StateUniversity, Joey Martin,director
International Ballroom North, Hilton
What Makes ResearchValuable? James John, presenter
Marquette Room, Hilton
This session brings together the editors of four prominentchoral publications to discuss the nature and current state of research in thechoral field. It is intended for college/university professors, musiceducators, masters and doctoral students, or anyone who is interested in choralresearch. SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Carrollgonzo, Editor of the Choral Journal(MN)
L.Brett Scott, Editor of The ChoralResearch Memorandum Series (OH)
DennisShrock, Editor of The Choral Scholar(CT)
WilliamWeinert, Editor of The American ChoralReview (NY)
Conducting Technique,Breath and Center as Rehearsal Technique, James Jordan, presenter
Waldorf Room, Hilton
Thissession will explore the use of efficient conducting technique as a way to moreefficient rehearsals, and a way to immediately improve vocal technique,intonation and vowel color. Participants will also learn how to use breath toinfluence not only color, dynamic and tempo, but how to use breath to carryhuman and emotional intent into their musicing, Recent research concerningconducting technique using state-of-the-art animation will be shared. The mostrecent research applying Alexander Technique and the science of Somatics toconducting will also be shared in this session. Conductors at all levels ofdevelopment will benefit from the techniques and approaches shared in thissession. Practical application and demonstration using the participants in thesession will provide conducting technique tools for immediate use by allparticipants.
SpecificTopics to be covered in this conference session:
- The use of the Understanding of Body Architecture to immediately influence the sound of the ensemble
- The power of the breath to carry human messages contained in the score
- The importance of Center within the conductor to influence sound
- Use of Hard and Soft Focus
- Helping Choirs to stay “on the breath:” using gesture
- Conducting Gesture that will help choral intonation
- The Importance of Acceleration and Deceleration to impel musical line
Choral Music in Germany,1928-1948, Nick Strimple, presenter
Spertus Institute ofJewish Studies, 610 South MichiganAve.
Choral musicians and composers in Germany found themselves under enormouspolitical pressure from the final days of the Weimar Republicto the immediate aftermath of World War II. Still, composers such as RichardStrauss and Carl Orff solidified their international reputations throughout the1930s. Until November, 1938, Jewish composers such as Chaim Hugo Adlercontinued to present the great standards of German synagogue literature bySolomon Sulzer, Luis Lewandowski and others, while adding a steady stream ofnew pieces to the repertoire (including large concert works). Also in 1938,reform-minded composers in the Evangelical (Lutheran Church),such as Hugo Distler and Ernst Pepping, found themselves in the internationalspotlight for the first time. All had to come to terms with the Nazigovernment, either through emigration, cooperation or, as in the case ofGottfired von Einem and Boris Blacher, through subtle and even dangerous meansof resistance. This session will explore the practical and moral delimmas eachfaced, as reflected in their choral music, and offer suggestions forprogramming.
Friday, March 11. 2011
7:00 -7:45 am
Singing Tiger,Expressive Dragon: Tai Chi for Conductors, Amelia Nagoski, presenter
International Ballroom North
Conductingand Tai Chi both use energy and intention to produce gesture that is complex,beautiful, and meaningful. In master practitioners, the purposefulness of eachis a result of conscious and unconscious awareness and will. Both areinexorably connected to breath. This foundation of similarities means the studyof Tai chi can reinforce the best kinesthetic habits in conducting.
In thissession, participants will learn a set of movements derived from Tai chi forms.Each slow movement will provide a tool for examining the placement of weight,the motion of arms, and – most importantly – the source of the energy which isthe genesis of all movement. This examination has the potential to create animmediate sense of buoyancy and balance, leaving participants calm and vibrantat the end of the session. Beyond the conference, regular practice naturallyguides the body towards centering, grounding, and freeing. SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Interest Session 4
Friday, March 11, 2011
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Writing for the Choral Journal, Carroll Gonzo, presenter
Williford Room, Hilton
Problems in Conducting: Recitative, Ann Howard Jones andScott Jarrett, presenters
Continental Ballroom, Hilton
Thissession is designed to help the conductor consider and resolve the issuesinvolved in conducting and coaching recitative. The various styles ofrecitative – secco recitative,accompanied recitative and arioso – will all be discussed with the basicprinciples demonstrated. Suggestions will be made about duration of thecontinuo notes, the conductor’s role in the guiding and shaping of therecitative, and the accepted performance style. Cadential telescoping, pacing,tempo, and expressive delivery of the text will be demonstrated and discussed.Examples from frequently performed masterworks will be chosen and will includeBach, St. John Passion; Handel, Messiah; Haydn, The Creation; and Mendelssohn, Elijah.
GOT CHORALOGRAPHY?,Yvonne and Larry Farrow, presenters
Grand Ballroom, Hilton
Featuring choralographer, Yvonne Farrow and composer/arranger Larry Farrow, this session will demystify the use of movement for classic concert choral compositions. Choral directors will vocally review the section of the octavo that will be used for movement, learn the choralography and then perform it! This is a perfect introduction to choralography if you desire visual enhancement of your concert choral programming or want to create new marketing and touring possibilities for your choir. To best prepare, download and memorize the excerpt and MP3 file, Who’ll Be A Witness, provided by Play My Piano Music at www.gotchoralography.com. 50 copies will be available on site.
Implementing a SMARTChoral Rehearsal: Enhancing Instruction Using SMARTtm Technology, Ryan Fisher,presenter
International Ballroom South, Hilton
Are youinterested in using a SMART Board and other SMARTTM technologies inyour choral rehearsal but don’t know where to begin? This session willdemonstrate ways in which you can enhance your rehearsal through the use ofSMART technologies. You will walk away with a “how to” guide for setting upinteractive lessons using SMART Notebook software so you can begin implementingthese activities at your school. SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Singing withIntention: Bringing Vitality and Beauty to Choral Tone, Sandra Snow, presenter
International Ballroom North, Hilton
SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
This session is designed to be broadly appealing to choirsat all levels of development, amateur and auditioned, young and old. Thepremise is to take choirs where they are vocally and advance the beauty ofchoral tone by examining important but subtle vocal considerations forconductors that elevate the quality of singing in individual choral settings.
Sessionattendees will actively participate in the session by singing and conductingexamples of a variety of choral music. Principles introduced, among others,include:
- Articulation choices as vocal color
- Quality of vocal release/conducting considerations
- Subtle vowel modifications to improve tuning
- Use of the “baby” words (of, and, the)
- Voiced and unvoiced consonants
- Sirening
- Planing
- Micro and macro levels of phrasing
The ACDAInternational Archives for Choral Music: A Dynamic Choral Research Resource,Marvin Latimer and Christina Prucha, presenters
Marquetteroom, Hilton
After a number of years in transition, theACDA International Archives for Choral Music is once again a dynamic andintegral part of ACDA operations. Recently, William Belan, Chair of the ACDA Research and PublicationsCommittee appointed an Organizational History Subcommittee, in part, to assistarchivist Christina Prucha with the continued development and expansion of theArchives. This interest session, presented byMarvin Latimer, Chair of the Organizational History Subcommittee, and ACDAArchivist Christina Prucha, will discussthe Archives’ history, current condition, and future challenges. It will also inform attendees of currentArchives initiatives specifically designed to provide impetus for utilizationof the collection as a historical data source. According to Prucha, “TheArchives’ contents, previously stored at several sites, guard the remarkablestory of our first fifty years, often related in the words of choral music’smost distinguished choral artists and scholars.” A number of ACDA’s mostsignificant historical documents and artifacts, normally housed in the Archivesand in the McMahonInternational ChoralMusic Museum,will be on display. The goal of this session is to promote an awareness of theArchives with an eye toward stimulating research purposely focused on ACDA andits broader relationship to the choral art.
Teaching throughRepertoire: A Choral Conductor's Guide, Heather J. Buchanan and Matthew W.Mehaffey, presenters Waldorf Room, Hilton
Programmingquality repertoire is at the core of a quality choral program. This sessionwill be co-presented by Heather J. Buchanan (MontclairState University)and Matthew W. Mehaffey (Universityof Minnesota), editorsand compilers of the highly acclaimed book series Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. Their discussion willfocus on the critical elements for successfully preparing to teach choralrepertoire, and teaching musicianship through repertoire, at the high schooland college level. Their presentation will also include a detailed explanationof the tonal and rhythmic criteria for their unique and highly effective ratingsystem for determining the appropriate level of repertoire for one’s choir.
UndergraduateConducting Masterclass, Rodney Eichenberger, presenter
Empire Room, Palmer House
Saturday, March 12, 2011
9:00 – 10:00 am
Helping Seniors Sing Well,Michael Kemp, presenter
First United Methodist Churchat the Chicago Temple
Reconsidering “TOO OLD TO SING”: Can Singing Skills Be Revived?
There is apoignant movie called “Christmas without Snow” in which John Houseman plays thepart of a recently retired college choral director who has taken on a smallvolunteer church choir. The story line follows rehearsals for the choir’sfirst performance of a major work, Handel’s “Messiah”. Intriguingly, italso follows the behind the scenes drama that is always a part of ourwork. The script writer must have had first-hand knowledge of volunteerchoirs, because all the personalities in our own choirs are right there,including the dedicated older alto with a heart of gold and love of singing,but also diminishing vocal skills. One scene in the movie portraysHouseman giving her the “too old to sing” talk which we all dread. But isthe problem purely one of age, or can singing skills be revived oradjusted?
We arefacing a dilemma. Volunteer choirs are aging at a momentous rate. Singers70 and older, who used to be a rarity in our choirs, now constitute asignificant proportion of our singers, not to mention the phenomenon ofretirement home choirs which are springing up throughout the country. Wecan no longer afford to say “you are too old to sing”. Besides,philosophically, we shouldn’t.
On theother hand, some of those old singers are ruining our sound, which frustratesother singers and diminishes the experience for our audiences(congregations). What to do?
Esteemedotolaryngologist Dr. Robert Sataloff wrote, “These aesthetically undesirableeffects of aging can often be reversed.” Physical aging is a fact, butthe good news is that many of the most noticeable vocal problems typicallyblamed on aging are in reality due to a lack of conditioning and skillbuilding. This interest session will help conductors approach thefollowing senior singer concerns: wobbles, flat singing, sharp singing,inability to blend, spread vowels, scooping, lack of agility, breathiness, nohead tone, inability to project, and helping senior singers who must sing froma seated position. It will also discuss pitch range changes for seniorsingers, how to choose appropriate music, and choosing the most effectivechoral warm-ups for aging singers.
Interest Session 5
Saturday, March 12, 2011
10:30 – 11:30 am
National Guidelinesfor Promotion and Tenure for Collegiate Choral Conductors, Bonnie Sneed,presenter
Marquette Room
The Promotion and Tenure Guidelines Committee of the National Collegiate Choral Organization has completed a document based on discussions and research concerning what constitutes appropriate activities for collegiate choral professionals to achieve promotion and tenure. These national guidelines are supported by NCCO and should be used to aid collegiate choral conductors in a justification and explanation of their various activities and how they are appropriate forpromotion and tenure. After substantial study and reflection, the National Collegiate Choral Organization has issued these guidelines in order to show not only the many kinds of scholarly activities conductorsregularly undertake, but also how those disparate activities should be assessed and evaluated.
Nutrition for theVoice and Soul, Timothy Seelig, presenter
Continental Ballroom, Hilton
Are your singers suffering hunger pangs because the samevocal fast food rehearsal after rehearsal? Are you starved for something new,exciting and nutritious? Start feeding them a Five Course Meal of Warm-upsevery time they sit down at the rehearsal table and see how healthy they grow!You already have all the necessary ingredients right in your choral kitchencabinet. Nutrition for the voice and soul provides new recipes for how to putvocal technique ingredients together in new, delectable, irresistible ways. Formany of your singers, you are the only voice teacher they will ever have. Assuch, you are the chef in charge of creating the perfect meal of vocal trainingand inspiration to last a lifetime. NUTRITION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Melodies thatSing: "We love to sing thissong" with Joyful Noise, Allison Fromm and Alice Parker, presenters,Joyful Noise, demonstration choir
Grand Ballroom, Hilton
Making music with singers who have intellectual and physical disabilities offers great rewards and significant challenges. One key to success is choosing repertoire that matches the singers’ cognitive level, rhythmic skill, ability to enunciate, and life experiences. With a well-chosen melody and a thoughtful teaching technique, these singers will begin to experience a sense ofaccomplishment very quickly and will be motivated to sing well.
In this interest session, Alice Parker will introduce the members of Joyful Noise to an unfamiliar melody and will teach them to sing it. With help from Alice and their director, Allison Fromm, the members of Joyful Noise will also demonstrate their methods for working toward attentiveness, focus, ensemble, diction, rhythmic and pitch accuracy, head voice, vocal tone, and expression. They will share their thoughts on what their songs are about, and what singing with friends and performing mean to them. They will also invite the audience to participate in singing with them.
Alice Parker has now composed two works for Joyful Noise. She and Allison will discuss the parameters for commissioning and composing new works for singers with disabilities, and the singers will share commissioned pieces by Alice, Steven Sametz, Edie Hill, Nick Page, and John Washburn.
Using Music Selectionto Drive Artistic Growth, Anthony Trecek-King, presenter
International Ballroom South, Hilton
One of the most important jobs we tackle as choral conductorsis the selection of repertoire. For many, this is a slow, time-consumingpractice that has such a big impact on the performance season. Thisresponsibility takes on added weight, particularly for youth and children’schoruses, as the music is our greatest avenue for teaching the skill of readingmusic. In this session, we will investigate the benefits of programmingchallenging repertoire, examine how our music selections align with oureducational goals, and explore how this process of selecting music aids oursingers to grow as musicians and performers. SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Revitalizing MiddleSchool Choral Programs, Judy Bowers, presenter
International Ballroom North, Hilton
This session will detail the WHAT, WHY and HOW of a program model designed torevitalize middle school choral programs through collaboration between auniversity choral music education faculty and teachers within a local schooldistrict. Key ingredients for success include retraining for pedagogy andrehearsal skill, literature projects, mentor teachers, and development of aleadership team that assumes responsibility for new teacher orientation,teacher mentoring, program development, and special project collaborations.
Vocal Health: Fromthe Choir Classroom to the Voice Clinic – Sarah Blakeslee, Kevin Blakeslee, and Maia Braden presenters
Waldorf Room, Hilton
SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Facilitatingvocal health in the choral classroom is a unique and important challengepresented to choral teachers. The is particularly the case for choirs whoinclude younger students whose vocal mechanisms are rapidly changing, and forolder students whose busy and varied scholastic and extracurricular activitiescan interfere with maintenance of vocal health. This panel, which includes a6-12 grade choral teacher and two speech pathologists who specialize in workingwith young singers, will address the following area:
- Basic review of the developing vocal mechanism across childhood and young adulthood, and its effects on the singing voice
- Appropriate education of choral students on normal anatomy of their vocal instruments
- General and singer-specific recommendations for good vocal health and hygiene, beyond the usual encouragement of vocal conservation and hydration
- Concrete strategies for implementation of vocal health practices into the choral classroom
- The role of the speech-language pathologist in collaborating with local choir teachers and in providing evaluation and voice therapy when necessary
- Guidelines for determining when referral to a voice clinic is warranted
Saturday, March 12, 2011
10:15 – 11:15 am
I'm a traditional church musician, and I've been asked tostart a contemporary service, Jonathan Rodgers, presenter First United MethodistChurch at the Chicago Temple SESSIOIN HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
10:30 – 11:30
Choral Orchestral Masterworks, Duaine Wolfe, presenter
Empire Room, Palmer House
Saturday, March 12, 2011
11:30 – 12:30
Pillars of Professionalism: A Fresh Look at ProfessionalDisciplines for Collegiate Music Students, Bruce Southard, presenter
Empire Room, Palmer House
Pillars of Professionalism is designed to help collegiatemusic students start thinking professionally before they reach graduation andtheir first job interviews. The presentation will facilitate students in theirunderstanding of what it means to be a choral professional with a look at someof the disciplines that they can begin to incorporate into their daily lives asstudents.
Thoughthere are many disciplines for the professional, this session will specificallylook at life long education/professional development, practice, maintaining acommitment to professional organizations, services, and becoming anentrepreneur. The session will be interactive, as students discuss theprofessional footprints they want to leaveand as they work together brainstorming ways in which their student chapters(or future student chapters) can serve and promote the choral art in theircommunities and regions. SESSION HANDOUT (CLICK HERE)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
1:00 - 2:00 pm
First United Methodist Churchat the Chicago Temple
Music in Worship Panel Discussion
Lorraine Brugh, Tom Matrone, David Bone, Jim Larrabee, Tim Studstill, Alicia Walker, Alan Barthel, Bryan Mock
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Topics to cover: (Please come back with tweaks to these, or other issues you think must be on this list.)
1. Issues raised by increasing complexities of congregations, their varied expectations for music in worship and the plethora of music available. |
Saturday, March 12, 2011
2:45 – 3:45 pm
Have We Had This Conversation?,John Yarrington, presenter
First United Methodist Churchat the Chicago Temple
With humor and insight, Dr. John Yarrington offers a freshapproach to the unique challenges of communicating with community and churchchoirs. The focus of the session will be on the practical and philosophicalaspects of working with volunteer singers.
Participantswill explore these topics:
- The conversation begins with Text: an exploration of how text guides all our work
- The conversation Continues with Careful Score Study: Approaches to understanding and marking the score
- Without Appropriate Gesture, the Conversation is Impaired: Techniques to quiet the body and improve the effectiveness of gesture
- Preparing the Ensemble for the conversation: Building and nurturing the ensemble with effective warmup and tune up procedures
- Rehearsal is the Lifeblood of the Conversation. Strategies for planning and structuring the rehearsal
- The Human Element: What do “they” need for the conversation? What do “I” need for the conversation?
The nurturing and developing of acommunity of music making will center on caring for those singing withoutsacrificing musical standards or excellence of performance.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Major Works withMinor Resources, Greg Hobbs,presenter
First United Methodist Churchat the Chicago Temple
The strategy necessary for choral musicians to properlyprepare and perform multi-movement oratorios with orchestra is quite differentthan that of regular performance of brief choral works. That difference isheightened in church music, where seasonal performances of oratorios occursimultaneously with weekly performances of octavos.
Thisinterest session will present successful methods for the conductor’s scorepreparation of large works and offer rehearsal planning strategies gearedtoward seasonal performances of choral-orchestral works for the church choir.
SESSION MATERIALS (CLICK HERE)
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Jazz Style and Improvisation Handout - National ACDA.doc | 30 KB |
| beyond singing handout.pdf | 357.5 KB |
| ACDA National Convention 2011 Handout.doc | 33.5 KB |
| Dan Davison ACDA Pages 1-3.pdf | 138.76 KB |
| Dan Davison ACDA Page 4.pdf | 63.14 KB |
| nutrition handout.pdf | 1.6 MB |
| Hopper Handout.pdf | 39.53 KB |
| Noble-Transform Conducting-FINAL.pdf | 523.03 KB |
| Vocal Health ACDA 2011.PDF | 1.56 MB |
| A C D A Presentation - Greg Hobbs.pdf | 66.8 KB |
| Nagoski-TaiChi for Conductors.pdf | 1.05 MB |
| What Makes Research Valuable, ACDA Interest Session handout.pdf | 112.99 KB |
| Pillars of Professionalism Presentation.pdf | 458.27 KB |
| Singing With Intention ACDA NATL 2011.pdf | 6.26 MB |
| ACDA Session handout - 2011.pdf | 73.57 KB |
| ATK_ACDA.PDF | 14.43 MB |
| Corbin session.pdf | 852.72 KB |
| FlandreauACDA Handout.doc | 59 KB |
| FisherACDA Handout.pdf | 2.49 MB |
| Conte pgs 1-5.pdf | 4.18 MB |
| Conte pgs 6-10.pdf | 3.64 MB |
| Conte pgs 11-15.pdf | 6.79 MB |
| Conte pgs 16-20.pdf | 6.7 MB |
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