Some conductors consider the performance of music in translation a form of blasphemy; others approach such performance with modest consent or out of sheer resignation. This session will demonstrate that the performance of choral music in translation need not be merely satisfactory; it should and can be satisfying. Several different English versions of Bach’s St. […]
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Vulnerability : A Hidden Gift of Music
Teaching Your Singers to Fish: How Diction Frees Us to Sing around the World
Since the creation of the National Standards for Music Education in 1994, choral music educators have been distinctly responsible for singing varied repertoire (Standard 1) and for studying the relationships between music and world/historical cultures (Standard 9). Concurrently we have enjoyed an influx of great choral repertoire for school, community, and church choirs from around […]
Teach Phrasing First: Practical Considerations for Teaching Artistry at the Beginning of the Rehearsal Process
Choirs learn, internalize, and repeat in performance what they do most often in rehearsal. Good choral pedagogy includes the separation and integration of the technical aspects of the music and the articulation of the music’s artistic and expressive content. If, however, music learning is completely separated from musical expression and artistry, or artistic concerns are […]
Teaching Jazz Concepts in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal
This clinic will provide directors with possible ways to efficiently incorporate important aspects of jazz styles—rhythmic feel, song form, improvisation, and harmony—into the rehearsal by showing connections between these concepts and the literature the ensemble is learning.
Teaching Harmonic Context through Solfeggio
Improve your singer’s ear for intonation and sight-reading skills by teaching solfeggio from a harmonic perspective. This session outlines a process developed by the presenter in response to frustration with unsuccessful attempts to improve intonation and sight-singing ability through other methods. By teaching solfege syllables as part of traditional harmonic progressions, students are able to […]
