American Choral Directors Association

The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition and advocacy.

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Interest Session

(Re)Imagining Relevance through New Music and Social Consciousness

The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide thoughtfulness on the importance of new music and social advocacy as we reconceive the impact of the choral art in our various communities. The panelists will speak from the depth and breadth of their own experiences, and broader trends in the field, to provide practical ways […]

Portland OR.
Jeremiah Selvey, Wendy K. Moy, Justin Raffa, Reginald Unterseher



Preach What You Practice— Vocal Jazz Techniques with Last Call

Come join the members of Last Call as they discuss the different techniques they have learned from performing in this ensemble and how they have implemented these techniques in their own vocal jazz ensembles. This session will be part Q&A and part demonstration.

Portland OR.
Kelly Kunz



The Race Against Time: Productive Strategies that Maximize Limited Time in the Choral Rehearsal

Research into the area of how to structure a choral rehearsal, how to manage rehearsal time, and how to plan a rehearsal is abundant. What seems to be missing in the literature is how choral directors could be more efficient in the way they deliver their own instructions within the context of each rehearsal. To […]

Portland OR.
Ryan Hebert



Music Literacy: Using CPDL to Promote Sight- Singing in the Choral Classroom

This session features a sight-singing curriculum that utilizes choral scores from various time periods found exclusively in the Choral Public Domain Library. Available for students to access online at school or at home, this program is designed to support music literacy and promote independent learning in the developing mixed chorus. It includes quality repertoire that […]

Portland OR.
Lauren Whitham



Liberating Singers with Choral Improvisation

Musical improvisation can heighten the joy of music making, increase self-confidence, develop creativity, improve aural skills, reduce performance anxiety, relieve stress, and strengthen community in all ages and abilities. In choral music, improvisation is traditionally linked to specific arenas: scat-singing, Gospel solos, harmonizing folk songs, and aleatoric sections of notated repertoire. However, crossing these boundaries […]

Portland OR.
Sarah Riskind



Employing Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Choral Classroom

Educators are teaching an increasingly diverse student population whose cultural backgrounds differ from their own. These differences may result in challenges in engaging with students and in finding ways of teaching that are culturally relevant. This session explores culturally responsive pedagogy and the ways in which teachers incorporate this pedagogy to create a more inclusive […]

Portland OR.
Andrea VanDeusen