• Sign In
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
American Choral Directors Association

American Choral Directors Association

Your artistic resource

  • Home
  • Conferences
    • National Conference
    • Region Conferences
    • State Chapter Events
    • Children’s Choir Conductor Retreat
    • NextDirection
    • Symposium for Research in Choral Singing
    • Auditions & Interest Sessions
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Repertoire
    • Repertoire
    • Virtual Concert Halls
    • Children and Community Youth
    • Boychoir
    • Junior High / Middle School
    • Senior High School
    • College and University
    • Community
    • Music in Worship
    • Contemporary / Commercial
    • World Musics and Cultures
    • Men’s / TTBB
    • Vocal Jazz / Show Choir
    • Women’s / SSAA
  • Publications
    • Choral Journal
    • ChorTeach
    • International Journal of Research in Choral Singing
    • Hinshaw Music Series
  • Resources
    • Advocacy
    • Resources for Choral Professionals During the Pandemic
    • Career Center
    • ChoralNet
    • Mentoring
    • Fund for Tomorrow
    • My Choral Coach
    • K-12 Choral Educators
    • Students
    • Archive Collections
  • About
    • About ACDA
    • ACDA Leadership
    • Advertising & Exhibiting
    • Awards & Competitions
    • Chapters and Regions
    • History
    • Leadership Tools
    • National Office & Staff
  • Membership
You are here: Home / Resources for Student Members / Student Chapters

Student Chapters

ACDA student chapters are active on dozens of campuses nationwide, and even in a few high schools and conservatories. Are you interested?

Is there an existing chapter? First look to see if the chapter at your school is active. Below is the list of active student chapters, current as of March 12, 2021. If your school is listed, find out when meetings are!

Was there once a chapter that you can reactive? If you don’t see your school listed as having a chapter, contact Trina Kopacka, ACDA membership & communications coordinator, to see if there ever was one. If yes, you can easily reactivate the chapter by submitting a Reactivation Form. Establish a chapter! If there is not and has not ever been, a student chapter at your institution, it’s a straight forward process to establish one. We offer you a variety of resources and suggestions:

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About ACDA Student Chapters
Checklist for Chartering an ACDA Student Chapter
Application for ACDA Student Chapter Status
Student Chapter Sample Constitution

2021-2022 ACDA Student Chapter annual report

If you want to establish a brand new student chapter, once you lay the groundwork on campus, please submit:

  1. a completed application form (see link above)
  2. a copy of your student chapter constitution

We require that your chapter adviser be a current ACDA member, as well as your student chapter president. Of course, we encourage all of the student chapter members to be ACDA members, and for the 2020-2021 school year, all new and renewing student memberships are $5.

Kudos!

University of Southern California ACDA Student Chapter

Outstanding Student Chapter. University of Southern California (Dr. Cristian Grases, faculty advisor) was recently named the 2021 Outstanding Student Chapter. The Outstanding Student Chapter Award recognizes an ACDA student chapter that, through its activities, best supports the advancement of choral music. ACDA Student Activities Chair Dr. David Edmonds noted that “The USC chapter stood out in many ways, including how they have championed diversity and social justice by supporting and raising money for many local movements, in the valuable presentations and collaborations they hosted to enrich their student members, and in the wonderful opportunities — including their Choral Collective Choir — which they have provided to their campus community in order to prepare future teachers for their careers ahead.”

The Outstanding Student Chapter Award is made biennially at the national ACDA conference. The USC Student Chapter will have a representative at the virtual ACDA national conference (March 18-20, 2021), where the award will be officially made. Previous award winners include student chapters at Ithaca College, Northern Arizona University, and Michigan State.

Do you Lead an Active Chapter?

  • Submit your annual report by May 15 in order to keep it active for the following school year, and help us stay in touch so that you receive news of student and chapter opportunities.
  • Share news about your chapter! We want to highlight your success. Send photos of your group to Trina Kopacka so we can feature you on our Instagram Highlights (@acda_nation)! Additionally, Choral Journal regularly includes “Student Chapter Updates.” Email news updates and photos to Trina Kopacka. (Updates should be 250 words or fewer and include your institution’s name and your contact information.)
  • Looking for ideas? Successful collegiate ACDA chapters tend to use the following guidelines in planning their year:
    • Encourage and stimulate student membership and involvement in ACDA at the state, division, and national levels.
    • Promote and recognize the involvement of ACDA student chapters on college campuses.
    • Sponsor activities and sessions at the local level that engage the training and experience of student choral musicians.
    • Encourage student attendance and involvement at ACDA region and national conferences through scholarship projects.
  • Chapter activities can include events like the following:
    • Student symposia and workshops
    • Conducting masterclasses
    • Reading sessions
    • Sponsorship of activities and sessions at ACDA conferences that directly relate to the training and experience of student choral musicians

Ready for a bigger adventure? ChorTransform is a new program for chapters structured around the tenets of service-learning and takes students out of their usual settings into underserved choral programs and populations. More here.

For additional information and ideas for student chapters, please email David Edmonds, national repertoire and resources chair for student activities.

Active Student Chapters

Student Chapter StateAdvisorAdvisor E-mail address
Appalachian State University NCMeg Stohlmann
Baylor University, ACDA Student Chapter at TXDr. Lynne Gackle
Belmont University TNDr. Lesley Mann
California State University-East Bay CADr. Buddy James
Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley CAElena Sharkova
Castleton University VTSherrill Blodget
College of Idaho, The IDGrant Farmer
Concordia College MNDr. Michael Culloton
DePaul University ILEric Esparza
Eastern Michigan University MIBrandon Johnson
Florida State University FLKevin Fenton
Georgia Southern University GAShannon Jeffreys
Georgia State University GADr. Deanna Joseph
Gonzaga University WADr. TImothy Westerhaus
Ithaca College NYSean Linfors
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania PADr. Peggy Dettwiler
McGill University — Schulich School of Music QCDCA Jean-Sébastien Vallée
Millersville University PAJeffrey S Gemmell
Northwest Missouri State University MOBrian Lanier
Pacific Lutheran University WABrian Galante
Radford University VADr. Meredith Bowen
Southeast Missouri State University MODr. Barbara Lamont
Southern Utah University UTKrystal McCoy
Southwestern University TXDr. Beth Everett
University of Akron OHDr. Marie Bucoy-Calavan
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa ALDr. Andrew Minear
University of Florida FLDr. Cory Alexander
University of Georgia GADaniel Bara
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ILAndrea Solya
University of Minnesota-Duluth MNDr. Richard Robbins
University of Missouri-Columbia MODr. Brandon Boyd
University of Nebraska at Omaha NEDr. Derrick Fox
University of Nevada – Las Vegas NVDavid B. Weiller
University of Nevada – Reno NVCatherine Pollard
University of North Texas TXDr. Jessica Napoles
University of Northern Iowa IADr. Amy Kotsonis
University of Redlands CADr. Nicholle Andrews
University of Tennessee-Knoxville TNDr. Angela Batey
University of Washington WADr. Giselle Wyers
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire WIFrank Watkins
Utah State University UTDr. Craig Jessop
Valdosta State University GADr. Clell E Wright

Primary Sidebar

Search the Archives

Categories

  • Choral Journal
  • ChorTeach
  • IJRCS
  • Interest Session

Recent Posts

  • May 2021
  • ChorTeach Spring 2021 (Vol 13 Issue 3)
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • IJRCS Volume 9

Footer

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
AppStore Google Play Store

Privacy Policy

 
American Choral Directors Association

PO Box 1705
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1705
(405)232-8161

© 2021 American Choral Directors Association · All Rights Reserved.