October 2020
Monthly Member Update: Your ACDA News
PUBLICATIONS

Here is the complete Nov. issue in PDF. This is a focus issue on racial harmony, guest edited by Brandon Boyd. Following is a sampling of articles:

Other articles in this issue:

International Journal of Research in Choral Singing - The Scientific Research Journal of ACDA. Patrick K. Freer, editor. Click here to see the current issue! Included:

ChorTeach - Practical Teaching Ideas for Today's Music Educator. Terry Barham, editor. Click here for the fall 2020 issue! Included: Teaching Healthy Singing in the Choral and Applied Studio, by Derrick L. Thompson:

EVENTS AND WEBINARS

State Events
Chapter virtual conferences and webinars open to members in other states:

Is your state offering a virtual conference or webinar open to other ACDA members? Please ask your president to submit it to us using this form.

National
The ACDA 2021 national conference is going virtual! To ensure that we keep members and choirs safe, ACDA has determined that a pivot from the traditional onsite ACDA national conference to a virtual one is necessary during this time of COVID-19. Read full announcement.
Equitable Recruiting in Choral Communities (Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET)
A presentation and panel discussing the challenges, opportunities, and best practices in building and sustaining diverse and inclusive communities. Moderator and presenter: Arreon A. Harley Emerson, chair, ACDA Diversity Initiatives Standing Committee. Panelists: Noël Archambeault, Penelope Cruz, Francisco J. Núñez, Amanda Quist & Brandon Williams. Click here for more and to register
International
Webinar Recording: Choral Canada. Choral Canada Executive Director Meghan Hila surveys the choral landscape in Canada, specifically about the results of a survey from 2017 that showed the broad extent to which Canadians participate in choirs, as well as the countrywide responses to COVID-19 and singing. The presentation is part of Carleton University's fall masterclass series, which is freely available to all.
  • Results of the Canadian choral census presented beginning at 31:41 min.
  • The Canadian choral COVID response is discussed at 46:10 min.
PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

ACDA Composers
Have you composed a piece of choral music during this time of pandemic that you would like to share with choral conductors and singers as a gift? Please email a PDF score along with a shareable web link for the piece to CompositionCommittee@acda.org. Scores will be vetted for quality and professionalism, then shared on our Resources for Choral Professionals page. Here's the first offering:
  • fermata (Dan Forrest). Two canons in 5 for SATB or SSAA choir, expressing sorrow yet hope for singers waiting to sing again.

Anyone teaching singing, including choral directors and K-12 music educators, and who contracted COVID-19 is urged to complete the anonymous survey. The goal of the survey is to begin to identify the long-term impacts of the virus on the physical and vocal performance of singing teachers. Click here to access the survey.

Do you teach choral music in grades 7-12? A Ph.D. candidate from the University of Iowa requests your help by completing a 10- to 12-minute survey related to why 8th-grade choral singers may or may not enroll in choir in 9th grade. Learn more and access the survey.
CONTESTS & AWARDS

Do you have a partner choir, or would you like to find one? INTERKULTURE has opened of a call for submissions for their video award, which honors the best video cooperation between two choirs. This is an opportunity to make new friends, perform virtually in the homes of thousands of choir lovers around the world, and be ready to meet in real life as soon as we are back on a real stage. Learn more. Deadline for submissions: Nov. 25, 2020.
TOOLS

ACDA member Dr. Rebecca Lord has developed a living database of artists willing to make online guest appearances for choirs and music classes. It is an amazing list of diverse professionals offering to appear for choir classes, events, community and church choirs - about any choral situation. Explore the directory.

The Church Music Institute's (CMI) Sacred Music Library - a library of 20,000 choral titles searchable on 17 criteria, and 16,000 organ titles searchable by hymn tune - is one of the prinicipal benefits of CMI membership. Because of ACDA's partnership with CMI, ACDA members receive a $35 discount on CMI membership (reg. $75; ACDA members $40). To access the discount, sign in at https://acda.org and click on "My Offers" in the upper right of the screen.

My Choral Coach is a simple guided practice and choral management system that will keep congregational, community, and university choirs engaged and reaching their goals during this time of physical distancing and isolation. The cost is $50 for access, and free for all choral singers in your choirs through December. As of today, you must purchase this app via Match My Sound, and the K-12 version through one of their licensed partners - SoundCheck or PracticeFirst. Learn more.
JOBS

The ACDA Career Center is the place where employers go to find choral professionals. A selection of current postings:

Westminster Presbyterian Church (West Hartford, CT)

Sound Company (Oak Ridge, TN)

Our Lady of Good Counsel (Kansas City, MO)

Saint Mark United Methodist Church (Senecca, SC)

First Presbyterian Church of Austin (Austin, TX)
ACDA APP

The ACDA mobile app provides the opportunity to catch up on the latest news, read recent thought leadership, message individual members or groups of members, and share insights using the forums.

You can click here to download the iPhone/iOS app and here for the Android app. Already a user? Update the app and log-in again. Hint: Your log-in information is the same on the app as it is on https://acda.org!
American Choral Directors Association | 405.232.8161 | membership@acda.org | www.acda.org | PO Box 1705, Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1705