Say hi to us in Milwaukee at the Michigan ACDA Social Hour on Thursday, February 25 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Cocktail Lounge!
On September 3 I began my 13th year as Director of the Jackson, MI CHORALE and I love the 100 people who come every week to rehearsal just because they love to sing. They come from all walks of life and all ages. Their diversity is one of their qualities that make them so wonderful….
Thank you to all ACDA Michigan members who voted in our recent State President election. ACDA Michigan offers its congratulations to the 2019-2021 President-Elect Erin Colwitz! Erin Colwitz has been the Director of Choral Activities at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan since August 2015, where she conducts the Arts Chorale and the University Choir. Under…
Choral Music–A Matter of Life and Death . . . ? by Clayton Parr ACDA-Michigan President Elect I have a cousin who lives in a rural area not far away. We’ve never been particularly close — he’s somewhat older than I am, grew up on a farm, didn’t go to college, worked as an electrician,…
Simple Depth by Jonathan Lunneberg ACDA-Michigan South-Central Lower Peninsula Representative Sometimes the biggest challenge we can give our singers is to sing a simple melody beautifully. Unfortunately, a simple melody written well and with more substance than a satisfying accompaniment isn’t always easy to find. Set in a single edition that can be sung by…
The Value of ACDA Conferences to the Young Music Major by Erin Kurtz ACDA-MI Student Representative (Undergraduate) This past October I attended my first ACDA Conference at Western Michigan University as a sophomore music major. Being inexperienced in the choir world outside of my high school and college, I did not know exactly what to…
Michigan Male Chorus Network by Matthew Packer ACDA-Michigan Male Chorus R&R Chair “Those who wish to sing always find a song.” ― Swedish Proverb I write this having recently returned from Western Michigan University and the 2017 Fall Conference of the Michigan Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. There was much singing and songs to be…
Sing for Justice at EMU by Liza Calisesi Maidens ACDA-MIchigan Women’s Choirs R&R Chair Greetings, Michigan Choral Musicians! My name is Liza Calisesi Maidens and I am new to the Board as of August 2017. I served as Concerts Chair this past fall at the ACDA-MI Conference and was pleased to get to know many…
Advice for Better Conducting and Rehearsing by Noah Horn, ACDA-Michigan Co-Representiative for College & University R&R The following advice comes from the instruction of many students whom I have taught at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University since 2014, including M.M. choral conducting students and undergraduate assistant conductors for various ensembles. I share these…
Gender Specific Choirs for 5th and 6th Grade Singers by Garth Starr, Northeastern Lower Michigan Area Representative For the last two years I have been given the privilege to isolate my vocal music classes by gender. I teach eight classes of fifth and sixth grade students every day for nine weeks and then I get a…
My ACDA Moments by Jed Scott, ACDA-Michigan Webmaster/Editor I was not a music education or conducting student as an undergraduate or in graduate school. At Western Michigan University, I effectively majored in Gold Company; my masters degree is in Studio Jazz Writing. It wasn’t until my professional organization, the International Association for Jazz Education, went bankrupt that I…
