Being a choral musician in the twenty-first century requires a fluid rather than fixed practice suitable for the social and cultural conditions of the world today. Historically, singing in a choir has been linked with the traditional values of uniformity rather than diversity, exclusivity rather than inclusion, and perfection over social responsibility, contrasting values of […]
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Sight-Singing from Step One
In community children/youth choirs and school elementary choirs, time is at a premium. It is imperative, both for the musical development of our students and the growth of our programs, that our singers start to become musically literate right from the beginning. Using an active three-step process rooted in Orff, Kodály, and Dalcroze philosophies, this […]
Show Choir vs. Jazz Choirs: Why Can’t We Be Friends?
This sessions is designed for choral directors, regardless of level. Steve Zegree will discuss these two contemporary and popular idioms and illustrate and compare the differences and similarities. The Singing Hoosiers of Indiana University will serve as the demonstration group.
Scholarship and Practice in the Performance of Early Choral Repertoire
This session focuses on the collaboration between a conductor and a scholar in the preparation of a program of medieval choral music. We discuss the creation of historically informed performance materials of chant and medieval polyphony and demonstrate how primary source material can inform the performance of medieval music for small choral ensembles. This session […]
Raising the Bar: Striving for Authenticity in Performing Multicultural Music Using Multi-Media Resources
This hands-on session is designed to inform and empower choral directors to teach music from other cultures with a greater sense of confidence using multi-media resources. Mollie Stone and Patty Cuyler will teach participants repertoire from their Raising the Bar teaching book/DVD series, which includes music from South Africa, the Republic of Georgia, and Bulgaria. […]
Masters in Miniature: Singing the Great Composers with a Smaller Choir
As conductors, we are aware of the canon of historical composers whose works are worthy of remembrance and performance with our choirs. However, it can be challenging to find authentic pieces by these composers that are appropriate for smaller ensembles. Drawing upon recent and older publications and internet-based resources, this session will highlight little-known sacred […]
