Effective choral conductors are artistic communicators with the ability to empower their singers. Body Mapping is a self-inquiry somatic (mind-body) education technique designed to teach musicians skills of self-evaluation and change for performing with sensory-motor integrity. The underlying premise of Body Mapping is the importance of understanding the neuro-physiological connections in the human body that […]
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The Creative Process of Programming: Giving Voice to Community
If the choral art is to continue being a vital part of our culture, we must focus on ways to respond to current society. What does it take to reach a modern audience? Many of the ways that we have been taught to program no longer resonate with audiences that live their lives looking at […]
Creating Safe People: Honoring LGBTQ Singers in the Choral Classroom
Though they are not always openly acknowledged, singers bring their gender and sexual/affectional identities to the process of rehearsing, interpreting, and performing choral music. More can be done to explicitly value, honor, and respect singers’experiences and identities. This session will introduce practical tools for how choral conductor-teachers can become such people by providing research-based findings […]
A Conductor, High Atop the Hill
This session will consider a synthesis of three ideas: 1. self-understanding and realization, 2. issues of ownership, 3. shepherding and vulnerability. We will explore whether these ideas can be used in tandem to redefine our ensemble paradigm, what it means to be a conductor in the day-to-day grind of rehearsals, and whether there are ways […]
Collegiate Vocal Jazz: Learning from Our Legacy
Vocal jazz came into existence in the 1930s and expanded with professional groups such as the The Four Freshmen, the Hi-Lo’s, the Singers Unlimited, The Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, and New York Voices. It was woven into collegiate choral programs and exploded in the 1970s and ’80s under the direction of legendary educators. This session […]
The Choral Music of J.A.C. Redford and His Commissioned Work, “Homing,” for the 2017 National Conference
J.A.C. Redford is a television and film composer who has composed music for over three dozen film and hundreds of television episodes including seasons of St. Elsewhere and Coach. He has orchestrated movie scores, working closely with James Horner and others, and orchestrated the last two Bond films. He has arranged for Grammy Award-winning artists […]
