For many of us, our singers are with us for more than just a year or two. We watch them grow up while they watch us grow old. While they are passionate about singing and love being part of our choir, we continually strive for ways to keep the experience fresh for them—and us—over many […]
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Bridging Vocal Science and the Choral Rehearsal
Demonstrating a series of healthy exercises, the clinicians will focus on practical applications of vocal technique that will quickly create positive changes with your singers of all ages. Grounded in recent voice science research, the clinicians will discuss semi-occluded vocal tract postures, explore how and why these exercises work, and when to use them. By […]
Bridge Over Troubled Uvulas
Teaching resonance to a choir involves many words and sometimes many fewer results. This session will explore how to do this easily and quickly with a choir of any age using inexpensive materials and lots of laughter. This session will provide exercises and demonstrations that will release laryngeal tension, relax the vocal folds, improve breath […]
Bridge-Building: Fostering Safe Spaces in the Secondary Choral Classroom
Conceptions of safe space have gained greater momentum and importance in schools. Our session will address the questions: (1) How are safe spaces built and upheld in choral classrooms to facilitate psychological growth and well-being? (2) What roles can safe spaces play in the longevity of adolescent involvement in music making? (3) How does a […]
Beyond Elijah Rock: The Non-Idiomatic Choral Music of Black Composers
The spirituals and gospel music of black composers are quite familiar to most choral conductors, as evidenced by concert programs a cross the country. However, non-idiomatic choral music is lacking in the repertoire of many choirs. This session will include the music of familiar and lesser-known black composers. Major contributions include anthems, motets, part songs, […]
America’s First Musical Treatise and First Female Composers: A Presentation on the Rich Choral Treasures of Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata (located near Lancaster) was settled in the eighteenth century by German-speaking religious fundamentalists. The small, celibate community produced a remarkable number of printed and music manuscript hymnals and America’s first musical treatise. Some of the solitary sisters of the community also wrote music, making them the first known female composers in America.
