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The July 5th announcement of the passing of Brazeal Dennard, esteemed choral conductor and educator, marked a significant event in the choral music history of Michigan. A lifelong resident of Detroit, Mr. Dennard excelled throughout his life as a music educator, a music supervisor, a church choir director and as the founder and director of…
Isn’t it strange that princes and kingsand clowns that caper in sawdust rings,and common people like you and me Are builders for eternity? Each is given a bag of tools, a shapelessmass, a book of rules, and each must make ‘ere life is flown a stumbling blockor a stepping-stone. Poem by R. Lee Sharpe…
“Why not take choir? It’s an easy A!” As choral educators we cringe when we hear those words, not only because we don’t like the stigma of our ensemble being an “easy A,” but also because we know how much work it takes for our students (and us) to put together a quality performance. And…
Today’s technology offers a wide variety of options to incorporate the use of digital recording in our classrooms and also to efficiently distribute these recordings to our students. Whether or not you have a recording setup in your classroom currently or if you teach in different classrooms or buildings there is a solution that can…
At a recent ACDA state meeting, our president, Richard Ingram, had us break into small groups and discuss the future of our state chapter and some visions we have. When it came around to me, I shared with the group how ACDA had impacted me in the last 20 years since I first became part…
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION In my experience, two of the most difficult aspects of running and maintaining a professional organization are recruitment and retention. It can take tremendous effort to inform prospective members on campus that your organization exists. Getting your name out there by using a student listserv, flyers, sidewalk chalk, or word of mouth…
New Web Address: ACDA.ORG In its surge of technology renovations, the American Choral Directors Association has adopted a new domain name: acda.org. The domain name was formerly owned by the Antique and Collectibles Dealers Association. ACDA obtained the name through a timely inquiry and recent ownership change of the antique association. The negotiation took place…
The focus for our Fall ACDA-MI conference was multicultural music. Our clinicians introduced us to some new and exciting titles. Although many of these pieces may sound complex, most are quite accessible. Please click on the link below to see the complete list: ACDA-MI Reading Sessions Lit 2009 »
“Where do you find all that interesting music?” I get this question a lot. In fact, as your Repertoire and Standards Chair for Ethnic and Multicultural Music I’m delighted to get this question. For a long time I’ve placed a priority on programming diverse, exciting literature from as many periods, cultures, and performance practices as…
Four undergraduate conductors and three graduate conductors from five different Michigan universities participated in masterclasses with clinicians Francisco Núñez and Jo-Michael Scheibe at ACDA Michigan’s state conference in October. Attendance at the masterclasses by participants, fellow students and ACDA members alike was high, and confirmed our great interest in this particular activity at our conference….
