Message from the President (Mar. 2026)
Dear Friends and Members of ACDA-MI,
This past month brought us to the MWACDA Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Michigan’s own Dr. Derrick Fox, MWACDA President, organized, along with his conference planning committee, a conference highlighted by…..these Michigan ACDA participants. Congratulations to all!
Interest Sessions
- Mas Que Ritmo: Heart and Heritage of Latinx Choral Music – Eric D. Reyes (Hope College)
- Evolving Landscapes: Choral Music Education in Underserved Areas – Panel: Erin Colwitz (Northern Michigan University); Gabriela Hristova (University of Michigan-Flint); Gerald Case-Blanchard (Kellogg Community College); & Steven Hankle (Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp/University of Dayton)
- Collective Wisdom: Reflections from Midwestern Prison Choirs – Panel: Laura Clapp, graduate student at the University of Michigan
Performing Choirs
- Detroit School of Arts Concert Choir – Julian J. Goods, conductor
- Central Michigan University Chamber Singers – Amon Eady, conductor
I traveled by train to Milwaukee for MWACDA and I took the train because riding the train allows me several hours for reading, writing, and reflection. I was able to read the book Braving the Wilderness by Dr. Brené Brown. I was struck by several quotes throughout the text and here is one that I feel pertains to my connection to ACDA:
True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with he world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.
Throughout the convention, I kept thinking about the word “belonging” and how it relates to each of us, our relationships, our choirs, and our organization. Choral music is one of those disciplines that demands our vulnerability as a singer, conductor, and choir. Our vulnerability, our openness, and our honesty create this “true belonging” and this sharing of our most “authentic self with the world” through our music. Many times it can feel sacred and yet at the same time “alone in the wilderness.” This authenticity cannot expect change but it must “require us to be who we are.”
At the beginning of March, I was invited to conduct the MMEA Region A Elementary Honors Choir. Elementary kids have a way of making you feel “like you belong.” Right away, I felt connected as if I had been with them since September. No pretenses, no inhibitions, just our authentic selves. They don’t care how long you have been teaching or how many degrees you have, they just want “you” and they just want to sing.
Regardless of what levels you teach, our students and our choirs and our music demands our true self and all of our experiences and stories. It commands us, it expects you.
It is for you, Michigan’s choral conductors, that we exist. So be encouraged and take the time to seek out ways to become involved and I hope that you will allow ACDA and ACDA-MI to help you on your quest to “becoming and belonging.”
Take advantage of the ACDA website, the ACDA-MI website and our monthly ACDA-MI newsletter, Bella Voce. We, the board, want to improve our reach to our membership and to meet your needs as a conductor, educator and performer. The Mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
ACDA-MI continues its plan for the “Where Great Lakes Meet, Voices Rise” ACDA-MI Fall Conference 2026! Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Derrick Fox will be our headliner clinicians for this conference. It is going to be wonderful and we are encouraging you to “come back home” and “belong.” This would be a great time for you to re-connect with colleagues, re-acquaint with friends, and introduce yourself to Michigan’s future choral conductors. We want to see you at our ACDA-MI Fall Conference as we welcome you!
It is a privilege to serve and be a part of ACDA-MI.
Sincerely,
Thomas Blue
President, ACDA-MI