Skip to toolbar

American Choral Directors Association

Your artistic resource

The ACDA 2021 National Conference Goes Virtual! Click here for details.

You are here: Home / Resources for Choral Professionals During the Pandemic

Resources for Choral Professionals During the Pandemic

During this challenging time, we are seeing the creativity, ingenuity, and leadership of choral professionals as they create and share resources to help themselves and others respond proactively! This page is an attempt to collect many of these ideas and suggestions together. Do you know of other resources that are particularly relevant for choral professionals? Please email Sundra Flansburg ([email protected]) with your suggestions.

For updates on the research that ACDA is helping to sponsor, please visit our advocacy page.

***Guest Artist Directory (by Dr. Rebecca Lord)
ACDA member Dr. Rebecca Lord has developed a living database of artists willing to make online guest appearances for choirs and music classes. There are separate lists in the directory for conductors, composers, vocalists, instrumentalists, and music technology professionals. Included are biographical information, areas of expertise, willingness to make presentations and/or appear as interview guests, types of groups they will visit, contact information, and fee information (optional). It is an amazing list of diverse professionals offering to appear for choir classes, events, community and church choirs – about any choral situation. Visit the directory.

Would you like to join the directory? Please fill out this form.

Featured Planning Tools

COVID-19 Response Committee Report (Jun. 15, 2020, by the ACDA COVID-19 Response Committee). On Jun. 15, ACDA released guidance and a statement of support for choral singing and study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Included are protocols for MS/JH upper elementary schools, senior high schools, collegiate choirs, community: youth and adult choirs, and music in worship. An important appendix contains guidance and ideas for establishing instructional models. The report was developed by a team of choral professionals from across the country, and with expertise and experience in choral education and conducting in a variety of choral settings including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, community choirs, and places of worship.
Recording of webinar that summarized and discussed the report’s contents
List of Response Committee members

Choral Music in the Time of COVID-19 (Jul. 3, 2020, by the Western ACDA Task for for Innovation). Western ACDA’s 90-person task force has produced folders of resources, as well as video discussion and how-to’s. They suggest reading the Introduction, reviewing the folder in your specific area, reviewing other folders of interest, then finish with the Technology Resources (including side-by-side comparisons of platforms and software. This collection of resources is being continually expanded and updated.

Top 2020 Choral Solutions During the Pandemic: A Fast Track to Success (Aug. 19, 2020), by Rebecca Lord. The recommendations in this ChoralNet post are collected from conductors who have blazed the trails with their choirs through the early days of the pandemic.

California Choral Directors Association latest issue of Cantate includes more than 40 pages of lesson plans and projects that you can use with your choirs this fall.

NH Music Education: Return to School 2020 (Jul. 31, 2020), by NH American Choral Directors Association, NH American Strings Teachers Association, NH Band Directors Association, and NH Music Educators Association.

COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool (by Georgie Tech College of Sciences). An interactive dashboard that estimates COVID-19 incidence at gatherings in the U.S. has added a new feature: the ability to calculate county-level risk of attending an event with someone actively infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Planning for Your Choir in Uncertain Times – A Framework (by Canada’s Provincial Choral Organizations and Choral Canada members)

Webinar Recordings

International Coalition of Performing Arts Aerosol Study Round 2: Preliminary Results – organized by the researchers. Aug. 6, 2020. Moderator: James Weaver. This webinar was organized by the researchers of the aerosol study, and featured the co-chairs, Dr. James Weaver, NFHS Director of Performing Arts and Sports, and Dr. Mark Spede, CBDNA President, Director of Bands, Clemson University, as well as lead researchers and others.
Recording of webinar
Response from ACDA, BHS, Chorus America, and NATS on the preliminary results
International Coalition main website for full information
Aerosol Study FAQs

A webinar series, co-hosted by ACDA, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Chorus America, Barbershop Harmony Society, and Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA), was started in May 2020. Recordings of those sessions are below.

Preliminary Results (Round 2) of Performing Arts Aerosol Research Study – organized by ACDA et al. Aug. 10, 2020. Moderator: Allen Henderson, NATS
ACDA, NATS, PAMA, Chorus America, and the Barbershop Harmony Society presented a joint Q&A-style webinar with study researcher Dr. Jelena Srebric (reviewing the preliminary findings for singers), otolaryngologist Dr. Lucinda Halstead (with a review of mask options), and soprano Olivia Lerwick (describing her participation in the research study) on Monday, August 10.
Recording of the webinar
Resources
Webinar Powerpoint 
Personal Risk Tolerance Assessment
What does the data say in my locale?
GA Tech Event Risk Assessment Tool 
What about my studio/building?
The University of Colorado Boulder risk assessment tool
Harvard-UC Boulder Portable Air Cleaner Calculator for Schools.v1.1
ASHRAE Resources 

What Do Science and Data Say About the Near-Term Future of Singing? May 5, 2020. Please note: ACDA did not make a statement coming out of this webinar. The goal of this webinar was to listen to leading scientists on the facts of the virus, allowing us to formulate potential next steps amidst much uncertainty.
Resources & Handouts from the webinar
Unedited recording of the webinar

Singing: What We CAN Do. May 26, 2020. Moderator: Brian Newhouse, Minnesota Public Radio. Watch the recording.

Copyright Guidance for Singing in a Virtual World. June 9, 2020. Moderator: Janice Bane, copyright & licensing manager at Barbershop Harmony Society. Watch the recording.

Mental Health and Inspiration

The Arts Are Essential to Public Infrastructure (by Michael McGaghie)
“We will come out of this period even stronger than we were before”: Interview with Tim Sharp (by Interkultur)
Thoughts on Leadership (produced by KI Concerts) includes powerful perspectives from choral leaders Tim Sharp, Heather J. Buchanan, Eric Stark, and Pearl Shangkuan. In this four-minute video, they share pearls of wisdom on leadership during trying times.
Living in the Wilderness (By Bruce Becker)
The Pandemic Shut Down Choirs. We’re Finding New Ways to Sing Together (by Tim Sharp, The Washington Post)
Let’s Find Solutions (By Amanda Quist)
What Are We Going to Do About This? (by Gary Packwood)
How to Salvage a Disastrous Day in Your Covid-19 House Arrest (by Aisha S. Ahmad, The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Cantate: Choral Music in the Time of Coronavirus (published by California Choral Directors Association)
My Journey with COVID-19 (by Tim Sharp)
Grief and Gratitude Coexist (by Joy Fritz Paffenroth)
Working Together While Living Apart (by Alice Parker)
My Rubric for Innovation (by Tim Sharp)
A Note to My Church Choir (by Randall Bradley)
How Do We Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land? (by Tim Sharp)
On Loss, Community, and Taking a Breath (by Jennie Weyman, in California Choral Directors Association’s Cantate)
Crowdsourcing: CCDA Board Members and Friends Share Inspiration for Surviving the Crisis (compiled by Polly Vasche, in California Choral Directors Assocation’s Cantate)
It’s Okay to Suck at Being an Online Choir Teacher (by Chris Munce)

Professional Development & Learning Opportunities

During COVID-19, Protecting Our Voices in a Virtual World, an episode from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s podcast ASHA Voices. This episode discusses how videoconferences are leading to voice strain!
Transform Your Choir’s Sound: Exceptional Choral Singing with Bel Canto Principles (by Laurier Fagnan) is available free right now, and is a learning program based on bel canto pedagogy applied to choral singing, with innovative 3D acoustical analyses highlighting “before” and “after” bel canto difference.
SFGMC TV (San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus) has launched a free online platform showcasing performances, dynamic interviews, singer spotlights, and more. The site offers content previously scheduled at the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts in digital format.

Copyrights and Permissions

GIA Publications, Inc., Statement on Permissions During the Pandemic
Hal Leonard Statement on Permissions During the Pandemic
J. W. Pepper Statement on Sharing Sheet Music Digital
Lorenz Corporation Statement on Permissions and Licensing

Please contact other publishers directly for their policies during the crisis.

Copyright Guidance for Distance Learning (by NFHS & NAfME)
TEACH Act summary and FAQs on copyrights in distance learning.

Online and Distance Learning Tools

The SPiN Network
SPiN is the first fully licensed video site created specifically for school-related music performances. Schools and associations can film and upload videos of their music performances – subscribers can view and enjoy the performances. SPiN is offering free student accounts that allow them to watch content and lessons from their teachers. Educators and directors can set up a free channel and send the link to their students. Directions for doing this are here. More information here.
Harmony Helper is an app that works to help singers improve their accuracy and build their confidence by providing real-time visual feedback on pitch and rhythm. The app download is free, and comes with access to free songs including five choral songs. There is a subscription charge if you wish to upload your music.

Event Management

Reflection on the Texas Choral Directors Association 2020 Virtual Conference (by Thomas Rinn, president, TCDA)
AnywhereSeat
ACDA has partnered with AnywhereSeat.com, a new way to raise money by selling digital tickets to your virtual concerts (videos, live streams, and Zoom events). If you plan on doing a virtual concert, consider using AnywhereSeat’s “Name your own price” feature to allow your patrons to watch by donating. Setup takes less than 10 minutes and AnywhereSeat’s top notch support is there to help along the way. As a bonus, every time you sell a ticket, ACDA gets a small percentage, so it’s a great way to support our organization!
FeelitLIVE.com
A ticketed, live streaming platform that allows choirs and other musicians to create online live streaming experiences for both pre-recorded and live music content, allowing for audience outreach and engagement while earning through ticket sales. All the creator has to do is enter the event and ticket details, and FeelitLIVE does the rest. Click here to create your experience or event or contact [email protected] or (646) 221-8406 with any questions.
How Is COVID-19 Affecting Choral Events (managed by Chorus America)
This is a crowdsourced resource for choruses in the U.S. and Canada to share information about how their events (concerts, rehearsals, tours, fundraisers, etc.) are being impacted by COVID-19, and the plans they are putting into place as a result.
What to Do When Your Choral Concert Gets Canceled (by Tori Cook, Choral Connection)
Transforming Your Chorus’s Live Fundraising Event into a Virtual Event (by Tori Cook, Choral Connection)
Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Choruses: Host a Non-Event (by Tori Cook, Choral Connection)

Technology Ideas & Best Practices

Setting Up a Realtime Physically Distant Rehearsal (by David Newman)
SoundJack: The Unofficial Guide to Low Latency Online Music Making (by Ian Howell)
Distance Learning Resources (compiled by Washington ACDA)
A resource as choral educators are facing the challenge of distance-learning in the choral classroom.
Guide to Remote Music Education (compiled by Christopher Bill)
A quick go-to list of software/apps you can use to stay connected with your students remotely and encourage progress without the luxury of in-person teaching.
Continuing to Rehearse During the COVID-19 Situation with Tech Tools (by Kathryn E. Schneider, New York City Bar Chorus)

Complimentary Music

Many Hills Songbook. For their 20th anniversary, the Manhattan Choral Ensemble invited contemporary composers connected to New York City to contribute to a choral songbook – which you can download for free. The composers allowed the ensemble to share their work with you through a Creative Commons license for free non-commercial use.
Oxford University Press is offering some free online versions of songs and vocal activities in the form of extracts from two series, Oxford Solo Songs: Sacred (Volume 1 and Volume 2) and Voiceworks (Junior Voiceworks: 33 Songs for Children, Voicelinks: Songs and Activities across the Curriculum, and Folk Voiceworks: 30 Traditional Songs). They also have a Spotify playlist.

Virtual and Online Choir Tools and Resources

***Beauty from Ashes: Celebrating Choral Victories (by Rebecca Lord)
Cyber Solutions for Quarantined Choirs: A Guide to Virtual Rehearsals & Performances (by Rebecca Lord)
Virtual Choirs: Student Thoughts on Taking Performance Online (by Bobby Olson and Scott N. Edgar for NAfME)
Tech Tips for Virtual Ensembles (by Stanton’s Sheet Music)
Here I Am (composed by Karen Siegel) is a “gift to the choral community, and is dedicated to all who are quarantined or isolated during this pandemic.” Siegel says that it was composed to embrace the latency of online singing. The page also contains suggestions for creating remote choirs, including live streaming.
Virtual Choir Rehearsals (by GALA Choruses)
Local Homegrown Virtual Choir Launches Today (by Bronwyn Edwards)
Fauntleroy Virtual Choir Webpage (by Bronwyn Edwards)
A webpage for the choir, which contains scores and recordings for people to sing along in their virtual choir.
Executive Summary: Virtual Choirs (by David Carroll)
High School Choir Online Learning Options: Growing as Musicians (by Doreen Fryling)
10 Ideas to Stay Connected to Your Choirs (by Arizona ACDA)
Coronavirus and Community Choruses: What Can You Do to Prepare (by Tori Cook, Choral Connection)

Music in Worship Ideas

Webinar: Interim Guidance: Navigating Music and Worship Safely (by Hawai’i ACDA).
ChoralNet – Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Choral Music Will Survive Only If We All Help (by Marie Grass Amenta)
JewishChoralMusic.com is a resource center (repertoire, articles, educational pieces, videos, podcasts, and more) for anyone interested in choral music from a wide variety of Jewish traditions and experiences. They have just added a new “Podcasts in a Time of Corona.”

Member Emails

View the member emails with highlights & tips!

**Newly added resource. This page last updated Sep. 16, 2020.

© 2020 American Choral Directors Association · All Rights Reserved.