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.
Improvisation is the foundation of jazz! Many educators have come up through the educational system having never experienced first hand improvising in a jazz setting. Thus, many jazz choir directors avoid including any kind of improvisation with their own groups. This session will explore strategies and techniques to successfully integrate vocal improvisation into your rehearsals/performances.
Seattle WA.The role of a choral conductor is, at its basest level, to show singers when and how to breathe, release sound, and breathe again. One might consider us Air Port Controllers. There is, however, an oft-overlooked resource with great and immediate musical results: the singers’ own hands. This session will explore a series of exercises […]
Seattle WA.Since their discovery, mirror neurons have been linked to everything from contagious yawning to emotional empathy. More recently, their role in conducting and the choral rehearsal has been featured as a part of various conferences and publications. This session will address current research in the areas of mirroring and empathy while attempting to clarify the […]
Seattle WA.Circle singing, a form of vocal improvisation devised by Bobby McFerrin, has the potential to transform choral music education and school choral performances. Living somewhere between notated choral music and purely improvised sounds, this process can lead students toward improvisation using elements of a more “traditional” choral experience. Circle singing presents a new possibility for […]
Chicago IL.Takadimi rhythm syllables, developed by Hoffman, Pelto, and White of Ithaca College, present a viable alternative to more traditional methods of teaching rhythmic literacy. This session will include an introduction to the syllables, step-by-step methods for incorporating them into a choral rehearsal, and hands-on practice with the syllables.
Pasadena CA.
