This session will include a multimedia presentation of the history, composers, songs, and performance practices of the Negro Spiritual with a comparison to Gospel and the likenesses and differences of the two styles. The Palmetto Voices, directed by Sonja Sepúlveda, will demonstrate by singing arrangements, old and new, that the Spiritual is an unique American […]
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Sixty-Minute Miracles: Producing Music of Quality for Every Sunday
Sunday mornings come 52 weeks a year, and usually, church music directors have only one hour of preparation time each of those weeks, much less preparing a seasonal long-form work. By combining my own experience with that of other church directors, I have developed a method by which my choir sings a piece of musical […]
Serious Worship or Serious Worship: Moving Well Beyond the Worship Wars or Why We Should Have Listened to John Cage
The purpose of this session is to examine the role music plays in Christian worship. The presenter will discuss the limitations of worship styles (both new and old) and consider the role Christian education plays in how we understand music in worship. Additionally, the diminished role of the traditional church choir, particularly in smaller churches, […]
Save Your Voice and Your Sanity: Classroom Management in the Choral Rehearsal Setting
This session will present rehearsal management in a positive light by focusing on understanding the inherent problems and finding a solution that does not complicate a busy rehearsal so that choral music directors can devote their energy to the music. The topic will be presented in four main parts: (1) Understanding why rehearsal management is […]
Sacred Songs for Sacred Time: A Survey of Church Music by the Late Glenn Edward Burleigh
The primary goal of this session is to expose church musicians and other conference attendees to the choral music of the late Glenn Edward Burleigh. Most widely known for his internationally acclaimed composition titled Order My Steps, this session is intended to introduce the significant sacred/gospel music Burleigh composed for worship. A survey of Burleigh’s […]
Rehearsal Technique According to the Twelve Commandments
This session will explore rehearsal techniques for the choral conductor, drawing from William Dehning’s “12 Commandments” as the primary basis of the session; (excerpted from Dehning’s Chorus Confidential: Decoding the Secret of the Choral Art (2003: Pavane). The session will also explore less familiar techniques such as “thesis-antithesis-synthesis”; “macro-micro-macro”; and “stimulus variation.” All of the […]
