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.

Interest Session





The Successful Collegiate ACDA Student Organization

There are countless benefits for a college music student to be a member of ACDA. This session is designed for college students and for anyone who works with college students to help institute or resurrect student ACDA chapters at universities. We will celebrate successful ACDA student chapters in the SWACDA division and their stories. Strategies […]

Dallas, TX
Julie Yu



Show Choir in the Age of Glee

This session will explore the benefits and challenges of adding and maintaining a show choir program to bolster one’s traditional choral program. We will explore topics such as general recruitment, choreographers, competitions, and appropriate literature choices. Also being addressed is the topic of arrangements and legal copyright permissions for custom charts.

Dallas, TX
Andrew Drinkall



Respecting Artistry: Practical Suggestions For Taking It to the Next Level

This session, will examine decisions we can make to enhance our own rehearsal and conducting technique in an effort to inspire the level of artistry that our students, the music, the listener, and we as conductors all deserve. Topics covered will include: respecting the gesture, respecting musicianship, respecting the repertoire, respecting composer intent, respecting our […]

Dallas, TX
Jill Burleson



Preparing for the Orchestra Rehearsal

This session will explore the following questions: What should I expect at an orchestra rehearsal? How can I best prepare for the experience? What does the orchestra need from the conductor? We will also explore strategies for score preparation, effective rehearsal techniques and principles of baton technique that will allow for clear communication between conductor […]

Dallas, TX
Robert H. Bode