From President André Thomas's Column "A Time of Questioning"

. . . As you start your year, ask yourself, “Am I creating a rehearsal that is engaging and inspiring? Does the music I select have a message and is it musically fulfilling?” We are a nation with a great choral tradition. Can we truly say, I Hear America Singing and can we Lift Every Voice and Sing? The pandemic has brought more than our share of frustrations with trying to simply do our jobs. We have all had to learn a new way of doing and being. Remember that even throughout these intense times, other eyes are watching you. Ask yourself, “How can I not let frustrations get the best of me, but help solve the problem with kindness and love?” As Yehudi Menuhin once stated, “All learning is but a bridge from the known to the unknown.” Enjoy the journey and have a wonderful school year.

Read complete column in the Sep. 2021 Choral Journal

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I believe that the building of a choral community is one of the most radical acts of resilience during the era of COVID-19. We used to rely on the passing interactions with our singers/students, and, at times, planned in-person activities outside of the rehearsal to create community with each other. However, in the era of social-distancing and technological platforms of rehearsing, radical community building is still possible but must be met with much more intention. One can consider encouraging our singers/students to check up on each other within a choral framework. Veteran and more junior members could pair up to do choral peer reviews, where singers/students could multitask by singing assigned components of the repertoire to their partners, provide feedback to each other, and check-in with each other using assigned prompts that evoke connection, for example— How are you holding up? What are you needing in our community this week? What is one thing that brought you joy this week? This practice could be embedded within a rehearsal and serve both the further repertoire goals through peer assessment and peer to peer community building, positioning the singer as a learner, a teacher, and a crucial component to the community.

Read complete article in Hawai'i ACDA's May 2021 newsletter Ka Lama

There are lots of ways to take advantage of the last days of summer in order to prepare you for the coming school year! Check these out:

New Webinar: Lifelong Singing: The Aging Voice

Karen Brunssen, Professor of Music at Northwestern University and author of The Evolving Singing Voice: Change Across the Life Span

Michael O'Neal, Founder and Artistic Director of The Michael O'Neal Singers, an auditioned community chorus, and Kaleidoscope, a chamber chorus

Matt Hill, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Peru State University and ACDA National R&R Chair for Community Choirs

Moderated by Terre Johnson, Chair of Visual and Performing Arts at Clayton University and ACDA National R&R Chair for Lifelong Choirs. Professional development certificate available for those attending the Zoom webinar. The session will be recorded, and will be livestreamed on ACDA's Facebook page.

Call for Proposals: ACDA Third International Symposium for Research in Choral Singing (Apr. 29-30, 2022). Learn more. Deadline: Nov. 20.

2021 ACDA National Conference. Access the recordings of 2021 national conference sessions and performances through December. $149 ACDA members ($79 Student members). Learn more.

Visit our State Chapter Events page for a comprehensive list of events.

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