In a recent survey of music performed at ACDA National Conferences from 1960 to 2017, less than 20% of compositions were from the Romantic period or earlier. With so many new choral titles available to-day, it can be easy to neglect music from earlier historical periods. Selling “old” music to young people can be a […]
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What a Coach Can Teach a Conductor: the Work of Master Teacher John Wooden
Coaches have to run efficient practices (rehearsals), teach individual skills, and combine those skills into great performance in games (concerts). John Wooden, who won a record ten NCAA championships at UCLA, has long been known for his innovative and disciplined practices. This session explores aspects of his approach and how it directly applies to what […]
Sharpening the Knife: Daily Conducting Exercises to Keep Your Skills Sharp
How often do you practice conducting? If conducting is the heart of what we do, why isn’t it a part of our daily routine? This session will explore how we as conductors can practice daily in a manner that maintains dexterity in our gesture and develops new skills that can directly impact the next rehearsal […]
Reimagining the Multi-Generational Church Choral Program
One doesn’t have to look very far to see that the state of the church choral program is in flux and in some places steep decline. Many choirs in worship reflect an aging population and risk ceasing to exist. So how do we infuse new life into our aging church choirs? How do we draw […]
Performance Practice of Latin American Choral Music
This session explores aspects of performance practice of Latin American choral music, focusing on style, tone production, articulation, instrumentation, and rhythm. This session addresses issues of diversity as it targets two goals: 1) it explores the music from many regions of Latin America, and 2) it empowers our colleagues to work with a diverse membership.
Making it Plain: Transcribing Contemporary Gospel for the Mixed Chorus
This session seeks to enlighten its audience on transcribing/scoring gospel music for the mixed (SATB) chorus in various formats, including choral octavos and hymnals. The presenters will share their insight on maintaining cultural integrity within the score through various elements, including accessible piano accompaniments, non-doubling bass/baritone vocal lines, and otherwise, while reading though several published […]
