Cantate v20 n2 - Winter 2008 - FINALcalcda.org/.../2012/10/cantate_vol20_no2_winter2008.pdf ·...

Published by the California Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association • Volume 20, Number 2 • Winter 2008

The members of the 2008 All-State Honor Choirs will gather in Sacramento under the direction of

Dr. Geoffrey Boers and Professor Jing Ling-Tam…See page 7

Your Board is developing Regional Conferences that will be held the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and run concurrently with the

Regional Honor Choirs…See page 3

Each candidate has served well in his or her local and regional area, and each would make a fine addition to our state board.

Your vote counts! See page 8

All-State Honor Choirs March 15-18

California Elections 2008

Statewide Regional Conferences

2 California ACDA • Winter 2008

Official Publication of the California Chapter

American Choral Directors Association

Editor Douglas Lynn [email protected] c/o 1450 South Melrose Drive, Oceanside CA 92056 760-758-4100 ext 140 Cantate is published three times each year.

Submission Deadlines Fall Issue — August 1 (published September 1) Winter Issue — December 1 (published January 1) Spring Issue — April 1 (published May 1)

Guidelines for Submissions The Editor welcomes the submission of articles, announcements, reports, music and book reviews, job vacancies, and any other item of interest to the California ACDA membership. Articles should reach the Editor no later than the established deadline and should include the following information:

1. Title 2. Author’s name and phone/email address 3. Name of school, church, or organization 4. Author biography (50 words) 5. A good full-face photo

The manuscript should be limited to a maximum of two typewritten pages. Electronic text is preferred and may be emailed to the Editor at the above address. California ACDA reserves the right to edit submissions.

Guidelines for Advertising Charges listed are for camera-ready copy only, submitted electronically by PDF, JPEG, GIF, or TIFF. Cantate is produced in black ink. A check made payable to “California ACDA” must be postmarked by the submission deadline. You will not be billed. Invoices can be prepared upon request. No copy will run without advance payment. If you would like an ad to run in more than one issue, please include full payment at the time of the initial ad. Advertising copy is subject to editorial approval. The Editor reserves the right to head and/or box any advertisement bearing confusing resemblance to editorial content. Advertisement dimensions listed below are examples; rates are charged by actual dimensions. For example, 1/3 page is listed at 2.5”x10” but can be any simple rectangle with total area equal to 25 square inches.

Advertising Rates Size ..................................................... Single Annual 1/6 page (2.5”x5”) ................................... $55 $110 1/4 page (3.75”x5”) ................................. $75 $150 1/3 page (2.5”x10” or 3.33”x7.5”) .......... $95 $190 1/2 page (3.75”x10” or 5”x7.5”) ........... $140 $280 2/3 page (5”x10” or 6.67”x7.5”) ........... $190 $380 Full page (7.5”x10”) ............................. $275 $550

In This Issue… CHANGE IS IN THE AIR! ......................................................................................... 3 UPCOMING EVENTS ................................................................................................ 3 CALL FOR SUMMER FESTIVALS & WORKSHOPS .................................................... 4 THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! ....................................................... 5 ALL-STATE HONOR CHOIRS 2008 .......................................................................... 7 CALIFORNIA ACDA ELECTIONS 2008 ................................................................... 8

FROM YOUR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES THE CHORAL DIRECTOR: A HEART THAT DARES MIGHTY THINGS .................... 10 CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR REHEARSALS ............................................................. 12 CHERISHING OUR MUSIC ..................................................................................... 14 A MYSTICAL PHENOMENON ................................................................................ 15

ACDA ADVOCACY RESOLUTION ......................................................................... 15

VOICES FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE CHORAL WORLD THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE, ESPECIALLY CHORAL MUSIC ................... 16

FROM YOUR REPERTOIRE & STANDARDS CHAIRPERSONS LIFE’S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR CHORAL DIRECTORS ............................. 18 THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE DILEMMA .................................................................. 20 USING THE IPA IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR .................................................. 21

BOARD MEMBERS LISTING AND OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION ....................... 27

Advertisers Index ACDA Western Division Convention ................................................................. 13 California State University Fresno ........................................................................ 4 California State University Fullerton ................................................................... 11 California State University Long Beach ................................................. back cover California State University Los Angeles ............................................................. 22 Central Coast Children’s Choir Festival .............................................................. 12 The Choral Project ................................................................................................. 6 The Monson-Sultana School Concert Choirs....................................................... 16 The San Francisco Concert Chorale .................................................................... 18 San Francisco State University ............................................................................ 20

There are two kinds of music — Good music, and the other kind.

— Duke Ellington

California ACDA • Winter 2008 3

The California ACDA State Board has been busy implementing new ways to meet the needs of our members. The major issues we have addressed pertain to the locations and dates of all the events that we host. The Spring 2007 Member Survey demonstrated that people have a clear desire to attend workshops, reading sessions, and conferences closer to their home, and that the dates vary throughout the year. To meet these requests, we are developing Regional Conferences that will be held the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and run concurrently with the California Regional Honor Choirs. These conferences will be open to all ACDA members and will feature sessions and topics that would be applicable to all levels of choral instruction. Because the event parallels the Regional Honor Choirs, which shift to various locations year-to-year within each region (coastal, central, and southern), these conferences will move accordingly.

Thus, more of our events will be open to a larger population of our membership and, depending on the year and the location, travel distances will vary, also. These Regional Conferences will replace both the Mid-Winter Workshop, which had been held in January, and the traditional Fall Reading Sessions held exclusively in Hayward and Long Beach. Both of these have seen a gradual drop in attendance over the past several years for various reasons.

Another major change for California ACDA beginning in 2009: We will be hosting the All-State Honor Choir independent from our past partnership with CMEA. This event will also now rotate between our three regions, allowing more members greater access to this event. There are more changes regarding the coordination of the All-State Honor Choir, and they are outlined in event chair Shirley Nute’s article in this newsletter (see page 7). And if that weren’t enough change, the Regional Honor Choirs have also undergone some slight modifications: the judging process will now require two judges for each singer, each of the judges must be ACDA members, and the scoring matrix was adjusted. All of these changes were piloted at this year’s events with great success.

What will remain the same for California ACDA? Our State Summer Conference at ECCO will be held in Oakhurst each summer. This event gives us the opportunity to bring in big headliners like Henry Leck (2007) and Z. Randall Stroope (2008), and for our members to experience an adult summer camp in the beautiful foothills outside of Yosemite. We will also

Change Is in the Air!

Upcoming Events January 12, 2008

CA ACDA FULL BOARD MEETING

January 31, 2008 CA ACDA ALL-STATE HONOR CHOIR SIGNED FORM AND FEE DEADLINE

February 27 – March 1, 2008 ACDA WESTERN REGIONAL CONVENTION, ANAHEIM

March 13-15, 2008 ALL-STATE HONOR CHOIR & CMEA STATE CONVENTION, SACRAMENTO

Geoffrey Boers and Jing Ling-Tam, Conductors

July 27-30, 2008 CA ACDA SUMMER CONFERENCE, ECCO, OAKHURST

Z. Randall Stroope, Headliner

March 4-7, 2009 ACDA NATIONAL CONVENTION, OKLAHOMA CITY 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION

July 26-29, 2009 CA ACDA SUMMER CONFERENCE, ECCO, OAKHURST

Rodney Eichenberger, Headliner

continue to bring you our outstanding newsletter, Cantate. Finally, the board will continue to serve with and support you. Our most valuable feedback is from you to help us better direct our activities by providing constructive comments after attending events and participating in learning sessions.

We can all work together to implement these changes and contribute to the success of the California ACDA. ♦

KEN ABRAMS [email protected]

PRESIDENT www.acdacal.org


Call for Summer Festivals & Workshops

DOUGLAS LYNN [email protected]

EDITOR www.acdacal.org

In the Spring 2008 issue of Cantate, we will publish a listing of summer choral events taking place in California between May 15 and September 15, 2008. Events may include festivals, workshops, clinics, seminars, masterclasses, conferences, and summer courses. We hope the listing will prove helpful in planning your summer choral activities.

To have your event listed, please send it to me at the email address above, and include the following information. I look forward to the deluge! ♦

• Dates • Title of event and Sponsoring

Organization • Location • Clinicians / Leaders • Contact person with numbers and addresses • Web site • Additional information, e.g. registration dates


I am impressed again, as I have been for the past several years as a member of the California ACDA Board, with how very seriously the Board takes input from the membership. The survey filled out several months ago by over 30% of the state membership indicated that we could perhaps more efficiently allocate our resources and get more for our $$ by creating this new event during a different time of the year. We’re hopeful that the regional conferences can fill the musical needs for a larger percentage of our membership than the reading sessions and skills workshop have been serving these past several years.

Board members contact numbers and email addresses are a part of this Cantate (see inside back cover). Contact one or more of us to give your ideas on what a short, two-day November conference could look like for directors in your part of the state.

We’re listening! ♦

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I am sitting here at the computer terminal on the Monday after Thanksgiving literally on the first day of the three-week marathon known affectionately by my Chamber Choir kids at Napa High School as “Chamber Season”—over thirty concerts and gigs in a wide variety of acoustic and social settings over sixteen days beginning December 1.

It seems that everybody wants a choir to sing at their December function. We’ve sung for some of these organizations every year for over twenty years. Why am I almost giddy with excitement on a Monday after a great (and quiet) five-day vacation?

The busiest and the craziest time of the year? Certainly! It’s also the most wonderful time of the year! Consider the taking of a group of students who have dressed and groomed themselves beautifully to sing for people who are generally older to present to many in attendance their one-time-for-the-entire-year experience seeing teenagers do something good! The music literally becomes a living gift that enriches the lives of both singers and listeners. All of the hours of rehearsal become worth it as one sees the music transform and enlighten everyone in the room!

How fortunate we are, as conductors, to get to live our passion and get paid for it too! Isn’t it wonderful that every December millions around the world gather to hear choirs sing?! I’m glad a few of those millions are around my area and that they invite our high school kids to sing for them. Many of these performances become lifelong memories for both the performers and the listeners.

While this newsletter won’t reach the California ACDA membership until well after the holiday season, take a moment to reflect and revel in the joys of the season. Savor those special moments when it all came together! You might take the time too to write down “what worked” and “what didn’t” to increase the chances for even more joy next season!

On another note (no pun intended!), your California ACDA Board will be spending a long Saturday in January planning the activities for the calendar year 2008. Our Summer Conference at ECCO again features a national name, Z. Randall Stroope, as the headlining clinician. Several of the interest session topics and schedule issues will be decided. But, perhaps most exciting, will be the beginning planning for the three regional conferences set to coincide with the three regional honor choirs on the weekend before Thanksgiving that are taking the place of the fall reading sessions and winter skills workshops.

TRAVIS ROGERS [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECT www.acdacal.org

October 16, 2007 Dear Mr. Lynn,

Thank you for the excellent

Fall edition of Cantate. All the

articles were interesting and

inspiring. It was almost enough to

give up retirement and go back to

the choral rehearsal room.

The organization has progressed

so much since I began teaching in

1969. Since retirement I am still

active in CMEA (I am in charge of

the exhibit hall each year).

Sometimes I wish I were still

teaching but no district would

hire me at 77!!

Keep up the good work.

Lois Vidt

LETTER TO THE EDITOR


www.acdacal.org The California ACDA Website

Hundreds of Resources

Event Dates ● Registration Forms

SHIRLEY NUTE [email protected]

ALL-STATE HONOR CHOIRS www.acdacal.org/honorchoirs.htm

On Saturday, May 19, 2007, the Regional Honor Choir chairpersons, All-State Honor Choir chairperson, California ACDA President, and President-Elect met to discuss ways in which the three honor choir regions could unify the audition and selection process for singers wishing to be considered for Regional and All-State Honor Choirs.

The result of the meeting was a unanimous decision by those present to begin a two-year pilot program with all three regions abiding by the following procedures, which were in place for the honor choir audition process this past September: 1. Each singer auditioning will be heard by two

ACDA choral directors who will agree upon the scores in each area of the audition process. The judges will not be limited to hearing just one individual voice part.

2. Singers will be selected for the Regional Honor Choirs on the basis of raw scores received in the audition process.

3. The singers selected for the All-State Honor Choir will be selected competitively on the basis of raw scores. The requirement for each region to have a specific percentage of singers in the All-State Honor Choir has been dropped.

4. The audition form has been adjusted slightly so that the Theory, Tonal Memory, and Sight Singing sections receive a total maximum score of 60 points while the Interpretation, Musicality, Preparation, and Tone Quality receive a total maximum score of 40 points. This scoring procedure slightly increases the maximum score that the singers can receive in the Theory sections.

We selected 297 singers for the All-State Mixed and Women’s Honor Choirs. Of that number 108 singers are from the Central region, 105 singers are from the SCVA region, and 85 singers are from the Coastal region. Singers selected for the All-State Honor Choirs represent 43 schools in Central region, 24 schools in Coastal region, and 43 schools in SCVA/Southern region.

The members of the 2008 All-State Honor Choirs will gather in Sacramento on Thursday, March 13, to begin rehearsals under the direction of Dr. Geoffrey Boers, University of Washington, and Professor Jing Ling-Tam, University of Texas at Arlington. Heather Bishop and Dr. Daniel Kerr will accompany the choirs. The honor choirs concert will be in the

All-State Honor Choirs 2008

Sacramento Convention Center at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, 2008.

REPERTOIRE LISTS Dr. Boers has chosen the following literature for

the Mixed Honor Choir singers: • All That Hath Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord!

René Clausen; Mark Foster MF0223 • Jauchzet dem Herrn Alle Welt

Felix Mendelssohn; CPDL • Lux Arumque

Eric Whitacre; Walton HL08501418 • Afternoon on a Hill

Eric Barnum; Walton Manuscript • Sure on This Shining Night

Z. Randall Stroope; Mark Foster MF3057 • Muié Rendêra

C. A. Pinto Fonseca; earthsongs • Let Every Thing That Hath Breath

Jeffrey Ames; earthsongs Professor Ling-Tam has chosen the following

literature for the Women’s Honor Choir singers: • Rise Up My Love

Imant Raminsh; Boosey & Hawkes OCTB7066 • What Sweeter Music

Eleanor Daley; Alliance AMP0443 • Jasmine Flower

Chinese Folk Song, arr. Ling-Tam; Manuscript • Flower Drum Song

Chinese Folk Song, arr. Ling-Tam; Alliance AMP 0323

• Yo Le Canto Todo el Dia David Brunner; Boosey & Hawkes OCTB6932

• Go Down Moses arr. Mark Hayes; Hinshaw Music HMC1302 ♦


NANCY GRAY Nancy Gray received a

B.M.Ed. and M.M. in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has been teaching public school since 1975 and the director of choral music at Poway High School in the Poway Unified School District since 2001.

Nancy has taught in Colorado and California at all levels from elementary to college. She has been a member of several professional organizations including ACDA, CMEA, and SCVA. On the CMEA board she held several positions including section president and on the California ACDA board as Honor Choir chairperson and Repertoire & Standards chairperson for High School.

Some of her awards and recognitions include teacher of the year in 1997, CMEA state Choral Educator Award for 2002, National Board Certification 2003, music staff member for Grammy Signature Gold School Award 2001, and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. ♦

LISA FRIEDRICHS Lisa Friedrichs is in her

fourteenth year as Choral Director at Rancho Bernardo High School. Her experience ranges from educating in high schools to the college level and from church music to professional choral organizations. Her choirs have consistently received superior ratings from adjudicators around the country.

Lisa received the bachelor of music degree from San Diego State University and is currently completing the master of music degree in Choral Conducting at California State University Los Angeles under the tutelage of Donald Brinegar and Dr. William Belan.

From 2000 to 2003 Lisa was the alto coach at the Idyllwild Summer Arts camp. In the fall of 2004, Lisa conducted the North Coast Chorale at Mira Costa College in Oceanside.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Crystal Apple Award and the Palomar College Apple Award. Lisa also presently serves as Director of Music for La Jolla United Methodist Church. ♦

FOR FAR SOUTH REPRESENTATIVE A two-year term.

California ACDA’s annual elections are upon us! The 2008 elections include our regional representatives from the Far South, Central Coast, and Northern regions. Candidate bios and photos follow. A separate mailing with ballots, bios, and photos will be sent to California ACDA members in the spring. Please acquaint yourself with our candidates. Each has served well in his or her local and regional area, and each would make a fine addition to our state board. Your vote counts! Let us hear from you in 2008! ♦

JULIE DANA [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT www.acdacal.org

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JOHN KNUTSON John Knutson is Director

of Choral Studies at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. He is also a member of the professional vocal jazz ensemble Vocalogy. Previously, John taught at community colleges in Oregon and Iowa. Prior to that John lived in New York, where he taught vocal music at JHS #263 in Brooklyn and performed with the a cappella group, the QuintEssentials.

Under his direction, Cuesta Voce performed at the 2005 ACDA National Convention in Los Angeles, the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival, and the 2003 International Association for Jazz Education Convention in Toronto. He directed the California All-State Vocal Jazz Choir in 2006. John has served as a clinician at jazz and choral festivals in many states and Canada. His vocal jazz arrangements are available through UNC Jazz Press. John holds a master’s degree in conducting from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Minnesota. ♦

JO ANNE STODDARD Since its inception, the

choral music department for the Templeton Unified School District (TUSD) has been under the leadership of vocal director Jo Anne Stoddard. Jo Anne’s career as a vocal music educator began 24 years ago in north central Nevada and has blossomed in the last 20 years on the central coast of California.

Currently, Ms. Stoddard directs a 75-member elementary school choir, three middle school choirs, and three unique high school choral ensembles. Choirs under her direction have achieved numerous local awards and have performed in many major venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Jo Anne is devoted to her shared passions of music and education and has inspired many students to pursue successful careers in both arenas.

Recognized by her peers as Teacher of the Year for the TUSD, she has served California ACDA as the Children’s Choir Repertoire & Standards chairperson and Central Coast Regional Representative. She currently serves as the state’s Summer Conference Chairperson. ♦

SUZIE PETERSON Suzie Peterson has been

teaching on the Travis Unified School District in Fairfield for the past eight years. She teaches all levels from first grade through twelfth grade. Her choral students at Vanden High School have won many awards at CMEA and Heritage Festivals.

She is an elected board member of the California ACDA, representing choral directors in all genres in Northern California.

Besides teaching, Suzie sits on the Vallejo Symphony Association board as chairperson of the Music Committee. She recently retired as church organist/choir director, but enjoys subbing from time to time.

One her most enjoyable memories was being invited to Lagos, Nigeria to work with teenagers and teaching all kinds of music and learning from them music from Nigeria. ♦

GAVIN SPENCER Gavin Spencer became

musical director of the Shasta High School Choir in 2002, conducting a program that consists of almost 200 students in five choirs. His three advanced ensembles consistently receive “Superior” ratings at festivals.

In the past two years, 30 of Gavin’s students participated in the Central Region Honor Choir; and four choir students have been accepted into the 2008 Western Division Honor Choir. Most recently, he was invited to be the guest conductor at the CMEA Northern Section Junior High Honor Choir in January 2007.

Mr. Spencer also directs two productions each year: a “Madrigal Dinner” in December and a full-scale Broadway musical in May with orchestra in seven performances. The revenue generated from these productions enable the choir to do a performance tour in Europe every three years.

Prior to his current position, Gavin was a high school choral director for three years in Tillamook, Oregon where he was born and raised. ♦

FOR CENTRAL COAST REPRESENTATIVE A two-year term.

FOR NORTHERN REPRESENTATIVE A two-year term.


REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

The Choral Director: A Heart That Dares Mighty Things

JOHN TEBAY [email protected]

SOUTHERN www.acdacal.org/south.htm

It takes no strength of courage or daring to succumb to a lesser thing, a nearer goal, or a cheaper bliss. How often we give in and sell out by adhering to the voices that say, “It’s good enough; it’s the best it’s gonna get; I just don’t have the singers this year; my singers are not capable of rich musicality; my choir could never sing that level of literature.” Teddy Roosevelt said that “far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” The choice remains ever before us to jump in and sail with the inspiring, invigorating current of the choral art, or stay on the bank and only watch the beauty go by. It takes a mighty heart to dare mighty things.

Here are four vital components for a vibrant choral program: tone, musicality, literature, and recruitment. The following tools are suggestions that will hopefully be useful in the goal of reaching higher and jumping into new depths.

TONE To achieve a vibrant, well-blended, velvet

pianissimo, try beginning with a five-note descending vocal exercise, slowly, on “oo.” Lips should be almost closed, with the space inside the mouth and throat expanded. With no vibrato, work to imitate the purity of tone produced by a wet crystal goblet when your finger rubs around the rim. All vowels should match exactly as should the space inside the mouth and throat. Now transfer this tone to a simple four-part section in a piece, still singing only on “oo.” Next, put in text, with all vowels maintaining an oo-ish-ness, never leaving the original goal of imitating the crystal goblet. Work to maintain this tone through dynamic changes and all registers.

MUSICALITY The musicality of the choir is limited to the

musicality of the director. Start by having your choir speak the text. Does the love song communicate love? Can you speak joy into the text on joy? If the piece deals with anger, can you sound angry? Can you insert human emotion into the spoken text? Put this element into your singing.

Give special attention to syllabic stress. A well-written song will match poetic rhythm with the rhythm of the songs. Emphasize important or strong-beat

syllables and de-emphasize the unaccented syllables. Sing BEAU-ty, not beau-TY.

Shape all phrases appropriately to the style and intention of the song. This would include specifically mapping out dynamics throughout the entire piece along with crescendos, decrescendos, diminuendos, accelerandos, ritards, rallantandos, rubatos, legatos, marcatos, accents, etc. Where is the peak of the piece? What is the most important line of text? How should the listener feel when the song finishes? Make sure the finished product achieves the goal of the song.

LITERATURE What a challenge! We must find multiple

selections, all containing the following criteria: • Enjoyable to the singers • Enjoyable to the director • Enjoyable to the audience • Appropriate subject matter for all • Level of difficulty appropriate for singers • High artistic value

Keep your standards high. Great literature is food for the soul, the life of a choral program, and the success of a concert. Resources for great literature are choral festivals, conventions, reading sessions, workshops, music publisher’s websites, music stores, Choral Public Domain Library (www.cpdl.org), and your ACDA Repertoire & Standards Chairperson. Great literature takes time to find, so take the time to find great literature.

RECRUITMENT Work to develop a specific recruitment plan. Here

are some suggestions for you bag of tricks: • Run your program with high standards, discipline,

and excellence. This will cause your singers to get excited about your program and recruit for you.

• Share your recruitment goals with your students, and solicit their help in reaching those goals.

• Create a festival that includes your feeder schools. Be sure to have your choir close the festival and sing brilliantly.

• Target the best feeder schools and offer to go to their rehearsal and work with them. Plan your time with them to be so effective that they can hardly wait to come and study with you.

(Continued on page 11)


Through Art Be Transformed

2008 ACDA Western Division

Convention

Anaheim, California

February 27 – March 1, 2008

• Plan retreats, tours and parties. A choir that plays together and has great experiences together grows together.

• Perform great literature. The music you choose can be one of the most powerful recruitment tools you have.

The mountains that inclose the vale With walls of granite, steep and high,

Invite the fearless foot to scale Their stairway toward the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea That flows and foams from shore to shore,

Calls to its sunburned chivalry, “Push out, set sail, explore!”

The bars of life at which we fret, That seem to prison and control

Are but the doors of daring, set Ajar before the soul.

Say not, “Too poor,” but freely give; Sigh not, “Too weak,” but boldly try;

You never can begin to live Until you dare to die.

— Henry Van Dyke

So keep reaching high. Dare mighty things. Look again…that mountain is not too high, the water, not too deep…try the door again, you will find it opens easier that you thought. ♦

(Continued from page 10)

A Heart That Dares Mighty Things



Greetings, California Conducting Comrades! I hope your holiday season went smashingly well. As I thought about what to write for this article, I decided to draw on some rehearsal technique ideas I have used with my groups the last few years. Both of my ensembles are basically community choruses that only meet once a week. It often means that creative solutions need to be found in order to keep musical momentum up between rehearsals—as well as facilitate the learning process for the singers. Here are a few ideas that have helped me. If they work for a group that only meets once a week, they are sure to go far in a group that meets more than that.

REHEARSAL PLAN There is an old adage that says, “If you fail to plan,

you plan to fail.” I always had a personal plan in place from week to week for my groups. But I found that the

entire feeling of the rehearsal process changed when I actually created a rehearsal plan/schedule for the entire season. By making this plan public to my singers, it helped each singer manage their own practice time. It let them know specifically which parts of each pieces would be covered before the next rehearsal. Doing this has made the entire rehearsal process smoother, producing much calmer, relaxed results at concert time. The singers all feel totally prepared for their performances, and, although it requires more effort at the beginning of my rehearsal preparation, it makes each week much simpler. I highly encourage you to plan out as much of your season’s rehearsals ahead of time.



Creative Solutions for Rehearsals

DANIEL HUGHES [email protected]

BAY AREA www.acdacal.org/bay.htm

CHERYL ANDERSON CLINICIAN

ACDA Western-Division President Elect Director of Choral Activities, Cabrillo College

Director, Cabrillo Youth Chorus

CABRILLO COLLEGE MUSICIANS & STAFF INTEREST SESSION LEADERS

CHILDREN’S CHOIR FESTIVAL

SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2008 SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Cost: $250 per choir Snack provided

Central Coast Children’s Choir PO Box 15757 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 phone: 805/541-5323 fax: 805/481-3211 email: [email protected] web: www.centralcoastchildrenschoir.org

HOSTED BY THE CENTRAL COAST CHILDREN’S CHOIR Artistic Director, Beth Klemm

• Each choir will sing and have clinic time with Mrs. Anderson. • The session will be structured to be engaging to both the choir

on stage and the listener in the audience. • Singers will be placed in smaller groups for the interest sessions

which will focus on increasing musicianship and musicality through diction games, phrase shaping, tone improvement, and teaching form through body movement.


Creative Solutions…

SECTION LEADERS & SMALL ENSEMBLES

Ownership is key to the success of any organization. One very effective way to achieve this is to implement section leaders and other musical leaders in your choirs. 1. Section Leaders

Section leaders are the key to any thriving musical organization. It doesn’t matter what your choir’s skill level may be. Having these positions in place will ensure the rapid musical growth you are seeking for your ensemble. Moreover, it offers the singers a chance to learn from their peers, as well as from you. It also gives you a break from having to field a lot of information that could be covered by a section leader. Obviously, from a musical standpoint, the sectional offers a place for each singer within that section to drill notes, work on memorization, craft phrasing, work on vocal issues unique to their voice type, and refine the section’s unified tone quality. But most importantly, and perhaps the least considered, is that the sectional creates a chance for the section to establish its identity and personality in a way that can never occur in a full group rehearsal—and this is key to creating a unified sound within each section.

You may feel like you don’t have any full group rehearsal time to free up for sectionals. But sectionals actually save rehearsal time. They give you a chance to have more efficient full group rehearsals because so many details specific to a section can be solved outside of the full rehearsal. 2. Small ensembles

While sectionals prove valuable for the reasons listed above, they cannot facilitate the singers’ independence of part. To the contrary, the one thing they can do is to keep a weak musician weak, by providing a situation in which that

(Continued from page 12) singer can only “get their part” if they hear other singers singing it.

A solution to this challenge is to break your choir out into small ensembles, each consisting of eight singers: one SI, one SII, one AI, one AII, one TI, one TII, one BI, one BII. The idea is that if the music breaks into eight parts, each part is still covered. Depending on your numbers, you might have an extra part covered here or there in a group or two.

In my choirs, I name each group by color, rather than number or letter, so as to avoid any sense of hierarchy. I also try to establish groups in which the voices will work most effectively with each other. I also look at trying to put singers together who can improve from singing with one another, be it vocally or musically. Each of these groups is assigned a leader to keep the small ensemble’s rehearsals on track.

The goal of these groups is to establish confidence in each singer to be able get through each piece, or sections of each piece (depending on the rehearsal schedule), without any other singers “covering” their part for them. When this


practice is implemented in parallel with sectionals, the outcome is very effective. The combination of the two offers a chance for each singer to become a polished, independent singer who can meld seamlessly with his or her section. I have also found using these small groups to model or demonstrate in full group rehearsals to be rewarding and effective (not to mention that it keeps every one on their toes). By utilizing the small groups in this fashion, they can provide an opportunity for the other singers in the choir to hear and analyze problems, as well as recognize what is working well in the choir—something that is often not possible since while a singer is singing, he or she doesn’t always have a clear “global” sense of what is working and what needs to be fixed.

These are a few simple ideas that I hope you might find useful. Best wishes in this New Year! See you at the convention! ♦


AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT

SOLI DEO GLORIA Soli Deo Gloria will hold auditions for its

upcoming spring season. Rehearsals are Monday nights in Alameda beginning January 7. Experienced singers are encouraged to join this 40-voice chorus. Call 650-424-1242 for audition information.

The program will be accompanied by a professional orchestra and includes the U.S. premiere of Canadian composer Allan Bevan’s Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode. Also on the program, Faure’s Requiem, one of the most beautiful written, not to remember the dead, but to celebrate life.

Performances are: Saturday, March 8, 2008, 5:00 p.m. St. Mark’s Lutheran, San Francisco Sunday, March 9, 2008, 3:30 p.m. St. Joseph’s Parish, Alameda

When I was in that small high school choir in central Nebraska, peak experiences in music were hard to come by. Our repertoire was appropriately varied, but seemed to center on music of quality. For whatever reasons our director considered sensible, we did not sing the latest pop song arrangements. I’m sure that our performances were relatively common, given our lack of talent—but we grew from those experiences. He clearly cared for us, but more importantly cherished the mystery and power of the music. When something special or uplifting occurred, he would pause and gaze at the ceiling with that far-off look. Something unusual had happened.

If there is a core to this musing, it is that we are not just directors of music—though that is an amazing challenge—but that we can give new vision to our singers’ lives.

“Singing in the Brain,” a recent article by Scott LaFee in the San Diego Union-Tribune (November 15, 2007), delved into current studies in neuroscience dealing with our affinity for music. Mr. LaFee reported that studies suggest that music is hard-wired into our brains. As most of us can attest, we are capable of recalling a favorite song (or not so favorite) and can sing it many years afterwards. In fact, we

Cherishing Our Music

often get a song stuck in our heads. It plays over and over again, as if in an endless loop—sometimes called an “earworm” or a “cognitive itch.” Apparently this is because music is not stored in only one section of the brain but is interrelated in a kind of “cerebral ensemble” related to our life experiences.

It has also been found that our favorite, most memorable music is likely to be something from our teens when everything is emotional and hormonal. The songs are nontransferable; they belong to our generation, their shelf life is limitless—and part of what makes us brothers and sisters to everyone else our age. Later we learn to know and perhaps love other, new kinds of music, but they will take more conscious effort.

So? What influence can we have upon our children, our grandchildren, and our students when they are young? Please don’t respond that it is “too late” or that music has already succumbed to the lowest level. I believe that we care too much for our music, our family, our students, and our culture to give in.

Beyond a birth, a death, a marriage or divorce, there are relatively few experiences that qualify as changing or peak experiences in our lives. As for music, those moments of something sublime and unexplained are rare and fascinating—and especially so to the young singer whose experience is limited and probably dulled with the “now” music of the media. As directors, we too may be dulled by the daily challenges of class discipline, tuning, rehearsing, and the like. Nevertheless, we can’t help but be aware of the transcendent power of music and text upon our young or inexperienced singers, however accidental or serendipitous it may appear. Music has great “soul” but also has great literary value. It is simply too important to ignore or denigrate. As Mr. LaFee wrote, it can teach, plunge us into grief, or elevate us to joy. ♦

BILL HATCHER [email protected]

FAR SOUTH www.acdacal.org/farsouth.htm


www.acdacal.org The California ACDA Website

Hundreds of Resources

Event Dates ● Registration Forms


ACDA ADVOCACY RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding of itself

through study and performance in the aesthetic arts, and

WHEREAS, serious cutbacks in funding and support have steadily eroded state institutions and their programs throughout our country,

BE IT RESOLVED that all citizens of the United States actively voice their affirmative and collective support for necessary funding

at the local, state, and national levels of education and government, to ensure the survival of arts programs.

ACDA members are encouraged to print the ACDA Advocacy Resolution in all programs.


Following the Coastal Region Honor Choir weekend, I have realized (once again) the value of choral music in my life and the lives of my students. How lucky we are to be involved in this incredible profession as choral directors!

As I’m sure is true in the Central and Southern Regions, this year’s Coastal Region Honor Choir was more fulfilling than those of years past. I’m not sure what made our experience that much “better.” (Part of it might have been my own, healthier frame of mind.) I’ve heard some say it was due to the changes in scoring during the audition process, with less weight placed on the performance of the Italian aria and more points given to the ear-training portion. Along with the changes in audition points, the use of Z-Scores (or standard deviations) has ended. Students in all regions are now selected solely upon the raw score of their audition. All of these changes are positive and will help ensure that the Regional and All-State Honor Choir experience continues to be enriching, educational, and inspiring to all involved.

I was inspired by the amazing organizational skills of Genevieve Sagi-Tep, our regional chairperson. The countless hours she selflessly poured into this event was evident in every aspect of the occasion. Dr. Jonathan Talberg (Mixed Choir) and Dr. Anna Hamre (Women’s Choir) are both incredibly gifted as

A Mystical Phenomenon

choral directors. I was mesmerized just watching them rehearse and share themselves and their musicianship with students they didn’t really even know. Within two or three hours of rehearsal they were able to bring those honor choirs to a level of music-making rarely experienced by those of such a young age. How thankful I am that I am in a profession flooded with people like this!

Many of you reading this article have spent countless hours each year preparing your students for ACDA Division or National Honor Choirs, High School Regional and All-State Honor Choirs, festivals, organizing choir exchanges, planning and organizing trips, and typing programs for concerts. The list is endless, and at times I feel totally exhausted. But my passion for choral music and the love and sense of responsibility I feel for my students is never-ending. I feel cursed and blessed at the same time! I am tremendously grateful to be a part of a profession where people give of themselves solely for the joy of sharing the choral art.

The experiences we provide for our students, and all the time and energy spent planning and organizing these events, do make a difference. It is almost a “mystical” phenomenon…through our choral art form, we are able to touch the human soul. ♦

JO ANNE STODDARD [email protected]

CENTRAL COAST www.acdacal.org/coastal.htm


The Best Things in Life Are Free, Especially Choral Music

JAMES A. JOHN [email protected]

ACDA EASTERN DIVISION

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY CHOIRS www.acdaeast.org

VOICES FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE CHORAL WORLD

The Choral Public Domain Library, or CPDL (www.cpdl.org), has been in existence almost nine years. It is currently one of the largest free sheet music websites in the world, making access to choral scores easier and more economical than ever before. If you are familiar with CPDL you have probably found it very helpful. You may also have discovered—as I have—that the quality of what’s available varies widely. The sheer volume of material can be overwhelming, requiring time and effort to sort out editions and make intelligent choices. Learning to get the most out of this formidable resource is a challenge, so I decided to explore CPDL in greater depth.

Rafael Ornes, Minister of Music at Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, California, founded CPDL in December 1998. Ornes is a graduate of Stanford University, where he received an M.A. in choral conducting as well as a B.S. in electrical engineering. The site began with six scores (edited by

Ornes), and since then has grown to contain over 9,200 works edited by approximately 320 contributors. More than 6,000 files are downloaded daily from all over the world. In 2005 CPDL was transferred to “wiki format” (“wiki” is a Hawaiian word meaning “quick”), which made it more versatile by connecting it to the family of Wikipedia websites, allowing for quick access to additional information such as texts and translations, composer biographies, and extensive cross indexing.

When I began using CPDL, I thought of it primarily as a resource for editions of Renaissance music. Though this is still one of the site’s strengths, CPDL now contains a vast array of works from all time periods—including contemporary pieces by composers who are willing to share their compositions



James A. John, ACDA Eastern Division Repertoire & Standards chairperson for College and University Choirs, is Assistant Professor at

Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2007 issue of Troubadour, the ACDA Eastern Division

newsletter, Judith Nicosia, editor.

VOICES FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE CHORAL WORLD

The Best Things in Life Are Free…

for free. A quick click on “Music Subcategories” reveals the following breakdown by musical era: Chant (200 scores), Medieval (55 scores), Renaissance (3,758 scores), Baroque (1,315 scores), Classical (448 scores), Romantic (1,276 scores), Early 20th-century (247 scores), and Modern (993 scores). A deeper look uncovers astonishing breadth: choral music in every conceivable voicing for two to ten (or more) voice-parts; nearly complete editions of the works of Byrd and Victoria; a full score and orchestral parts for Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas; numerous Bach cantatas (many including orchestral parts), all of Bach’s motets, and a full score of the B Minor Mass; vocal scores of major works including all of Haydn’s late masses; several editions of the Mozart Requiem, one of which is an urtext fragment of “Mozart’s incomplete manuscript full score with original clefs and notation”; an edition of Brahms’ Requiem for chorus and organ; a vocal score of the Fauré Requiem; and the list goes on.

To put such an extraordinary compilation of material in perspective, it is important to keep in mind CPDL’s main purposes (as stated on the website): 1) To make sheet music available for free; 2) To create a website for public domain music that includes only legally downloadable scores; 3) To allow/develop a viable collaborative model for sheet music distribution; 4) To publish scores that are not otherwise commercially viable; and 5) To create a website that catalogs a large number of free sheet music websites. Notice there is nothing that mentions editorial criteria or guarantees a certain standard. Keep in mind that CPDL belongs to a new generation of websites (such as YouTube and MySpace) where content is user-generated and democratically produced. Anyone can upload a score or make editorial changes to the site. This accounts for the unevenness in quality, and in fact, is a key to using CPDL effectively.

(Continued from page 16) After downloading a score, for

example, proofread it carefully. Some editors are very meticulous; others are not. Each editor’s name is linked to an information page where they can post information about their background and provide contact information. If you have a question, try contacting the editor. If there is no contact information provided, CPDL has online discussion forums where questions can be answered. Requests can even be made for editions of scores not currently available on the site.

Be prepared that using material from CPDL is almost always more time-consuming than buying a commercially available edition (despite the immediacy of viewing and printing PDF files). Occasionally I have found things in a pinch that have saved both time and money (!); though even in the case of something as straightforward as Rheinberger’s Abendlied (of which CPDL has two good editions) there are minor discrepancies to be resolved and other small details to be cleaned-up before duplicating and distributing the music. Of course, purchasing a score is no guarantee that you will be spared these same tasks.

CPDL is an excellent alternative if you can’t find an existing edition that you like. Last year I searched extensively for a score of Monteverdi’s Lagrime d’Amante al Sepolcro dell’Amata (or “Sestina”), but all the available versions were heavily edited. The one I found on CPDL, in my opinion, turned out to be the best. It was carefully transcribed with few errors, and served as an excellent clean copy to which I could add my own editorial indications. I spent countless hours, however, marking the music.

The fact that CPDL’s content is controlled and maintained by its users means that anyone using the site has the power to contribute and make it better. The first step towards this end is to sign up for an account (a very short and easy process), which allows you to correct errors found on the site. Corrections cannot be made in the scores themselves, but there is a space under each edition for

“editorial comments,” where notes can be added. I used a very good CPDL edition of Weelkes’ “As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending,” but discovered a measure in the SII part that was incorrect. I went back to the website, and though I was unable to contact the editor (no contact information was provided), I posted a brief note so that the next person using the edition would know to look for the error.

Another obvious way of contributing is by uploading your own editions. If you have transcribed a score, strive to apply the highest editorial standards to your work, and consider sharing it with the choral community. Much gratitude is due to CPDL’s 320 volunteer editors for the wealth of material they have made available to all of us, and for their tremendous donation of time and energy. Special thanks as well should go to Rafael Ornes for founding and overseeing the site’s day-to-day workings.

Finally, I was surprised to find out that although CPDL is a free sheet music site, running it costs about two thousand dollars per year, paid out of pocket by Ornes. Consider getting involved by making a donation (details are on the site), or by purchasing music through Sheet Music Plus. If you click the link to Sheet Music Plus at the bottom of the main page, eight percent of your purchase will go towards offsetting the site’s expenses.

CPDL is an exceptional resource. The more that we, as choral conductors, take responsibility for its quality and content, the more it will continue to flourish and improve over time. By using the site interactively in the ways described above, we can take advantage of our collective expertise and gradually make CPDL even more valuable for everyone. ♦


Life’s Little Instruction Book for Choral Directors

DR. JONATHAN TALBERG [email protected]

YOUTH & STUDENT ACTIVITIES www.acdacal.org/student.htm

As a graduation from college present 16 years ago, one of my friends gave me a paperback copy of Life’s Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. A long-time New York Times best seller, Life’s Little Instruction Book was filled with little bits of wisdom like “always wear polished shoes” and “feed a stranger’s parking meter.” When I began teaching high school the next year, I kept a journal by my desk where I jotted down observations that I had about teaching music, theater, and ESL in the inner-city. I’ve added to it over the years as the choral director of an arts magnet, as a graduate assistant at a great conservatory, and as a university professor at CSU Long Beach. Someday, I may publish “Life’s Little Instruction Book for Choral Directors.” But, in the meantime, I’ll share with you some of my favorite quotes from my now 16-year-old teaching journal. I’ve freely stolen from friends and mentors, so if something sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard it before. Experienced teachers may find the observations of a 22-38 year old redundant; new teachers, I suggest you pay attention: 1. Always be consistent—in grading, discipline,

audition procedures, and high expectations. 2. If the whole class does poorly on an assignment, it

was poorly presented and the teacher is to blame.

3. The secret to discipline is keeping the kids engaged.

4. The way you set up your classroom has a huge effect on the learning process.

5. If you’re never gonna graduate from school, you need to think about the room you’re gonna live in—your classroom—and make it look nice.

6. Expect your students to help keep the choir room or classroom clean.

7. A good teacher is a supporter of dreams. 8. Photocopy staff paper; it’s much cheaper than

buying the real stuff. 9. Thou shalt always maintain a good calendar. 10. The teacher should use inclusive and multi-cultural

references and examples whenever possible. 11. Use Post-Its on scores between rehearsals to

remind yourself what you want to work on. They also work great while grading papers.

12. Sometimes you must get rid of polluting elements from within your program. “A teaspoon of sewage will ruin a barrel of wine, but a teaspoon of wine will do nothing to a barrel of sewage.”

13. Be a scholar. Look up words you don’t understand! Be the best student you can be; otherwise the hypocrisy of your actions will make itself known to your students, whatever their ages.

14. Always return assignments and tests as soon as possible after correcting them. Unless you’re teaching an advanced literature class, there’s no excuse for any assignment or paper taking longer than a week to return to your students.

15. If the teacher’s lunchroom is a pit of poisonous, negative energy—don’t eat there! Open your classroom and give the students a safe place to hang out, study, and practice.

16. Involve the parents in the educational process. 17. Take a real vacation once a year. No phones, no

computers, no scores, no email. Just get away. And, let yourself daydream about where you’re going next year when necessary.


REPERTOIRE & STANDARDS

Repertoire & Standards? The fourteen national Repertoire & Standards

(R&S) Committees provide support, vision, and resources for every major area of choral work in ACDA.

R&S Chairs, appointed at the national, division, and state levels, serve members who share similar interests, by providing resources that promote excellence in the performance of choral music: • Leadership, information, and networking • Excellence among colleagues • Professional growth • Choral music in the lives of people

These are the people you should call if you have questions about your particular area of music. (See the inside back cover or www.acdacal.org.) ♦


Life’s Little Instruction Book…

18. Tell the students what’s going on in your life. Students in the arts need to see you as a whole person.

19. Teach the importance of all subjects—especially the one you’re teaching.

20. Use positive reinforcement. Watch a group of kids perk up when you tell another group how excellent they are.

21. Keep organized! 22. Vary the order that you do things in

the classroom. “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

23. If planning a field trip, retreat, or tour, talk to the kids who don’t return the permission slips. Find out why they’re not going. Money, religion, parents, can all play a factor. They may not be able to go, but they will definitely appreciate your asking.

24. Whenever possible, teach to all three kinds of learners—visual, kinesthetic, and tactile.

25. Don’t miss teachable moments. Take the time to bring current events and cultural moments into the classroom.

26. Share stories, fables and “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” as needed, in every rehearsal.

27. Let your students know your values. Share with them the big ideas. But, be careful of preaching that your way is the only way.

28. Field trips and tours are always worth it. Even if you have to fundraise for 24 months…

29. Know the national and state standards in your subject area. They are important, but they are not all-important. Use them to guide your teaching, but not to dictate your daily life.

30. “Stop teaching music to kids and start teaching kids through music.” ♦

(Continued from page 18)


A Puzzle Canon from Sebastian to You


This is my 30th year of teaching choral music and my tenth year at College of the Sequoias. Why do I feel like I’m still trying to figure out this crazy, frustrating, yet incredibly satisfying world of choral music?


The title two-year college is very misleading, as the majority of students here take three years to complete transfer requirements, some longer. There are those who think of us as just a continuation high school

(with ash trays), meant to be a remedial school, and yet we are expected to produce college level results and focus on purely university transfer.

The fact is that our curriculum meets all the same requirements as the CSU and UC lower division courses. Yet 70% of our students cannot qualify for English I or Algebra II upon entry. We must accept ALL students, so very often we have brilliant and talented students side by side with low achievers, some who are merely here to collect their government aide. Some students come with four years’ experience in a fine high school program and for some it is their first choral experience. Some are re-entry students and some are home-schooled high schoolers. It is always a challenge to know how to meet the needs of this eclectic mix and still put forth a quality product.

Here are some of the things I do regularly which has helped generate ownership amongst the students and, I think, a positive effect on the overwhelming attendance and attrition rates at the community college level. • High School Festival: We sponsor a local high school festival each year and my concert choir and chamber singers perform for them—this is great motivation: singing in front of your alma mater. • Guest clinicians: I bring in university conductors to clinic my students often. • Exchange concerts: We have hosted both university and high school choirs on tour a couple times a year. • Real Men Sing: Each year we host the Visalia Real Men Sing for Junior High. I have my choir men sing for the almost 300 middle school boys.


The Two-Year College Dilemma

JEFF SEAWARD [email protected]

TWO-YEAR COLLEGE CHOIRS www.acdacal.org/twoyear.htm



The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation based on the Latin alphabet, devised by the International Phonetic Association as a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language (International Phonetic Association, Handbook).

In college diction classes I learned a great deal about how to pronounce Latin, Italian, French, German, and Spanish using IPA. Beyond learning useful rules of the languages, I also studied the direct application of correct phonetic pronunciations to singing. Knowing how to correctly enunciate the text of a piece, especially one in a language not your own, is of vital importance. Often a mispronounced word can change the meaning of the text entirely.

I recently started using IPA in my high school classes. We use mostly the vowel symbols and sometimes consonants if there might be confusion. By teaching my students basic IPA, and using it consistently, I am assured that we will all be singing the same words, hopefully correctly and the students are learning a skill that will help them a great deal in future choirs. I have found in a short time that the results are well worth the time it takes me.

Below are some quick and easy steps to start using IPA in your choral classroom. • Visit the International Phonetic Association

website. They have a chart of all sounds, sound

Using the IPA in Your High School Choir

recordings, and fonts if you choose to type the pronunciations for your students. www.arts.gla.ac.uk/ipa/ipachart.html

• Choose one piece for each of your choirs for the next concert to begin. Latin or Italian will be easiest for you as well as them.

• Write out the text to your chosen piece, leaving ample room between lines. Below each line of regular text, write out the IPA pronunciation. Many songs are repetitive, and you do not need to write out text that repeats.

• Copy the text/IPA sheets for all of your students. As you pronounce the text for them, have them follow along with the IPA (not the regular text). Have them repeat it back to you. Eventually they will be able to read basic IPA without your help.

• Put up basic IPA vowel and consonant posters in your classroom. Make them yourself or purchase them. I got my set from www.pattidewitt.com. A small amount of time in the beginning will

provide huge returns for you and your choirs. My students no longer ask me how to pronounce Latin, Italian, or German. We are still working on other languages, but we now spend more time on the meaning of our words rather than how to say them.

Happy singing! ♦

TAMMI ALDERMAN [email protected]

SENIOR HIGH CHOIRS www.acdacal.org/high.htm

The Two-Year College Dilemma

• Major works with the local symphony: We have done several works with the symphony—Beethoven’s Ninth, Carmina Burana, the Verdi and Mozart Requiems)

• Joint Concerts: We have a University and/or high school choir perform jointly with us on our February concert.

• Post-concert exam: I usually give a exam the day after a concert or festival. This has helped the usual mass exodus in attendance and gives us time to evaluate and critique our performance. I always include having

(Continued from page 20) students give positive affirmations to their fellow choir students who have done well or showed a great deal of improvement.

• Honor choir host: We provide facilities for county and ACDA auditions and rehearsals.

• Connecting with colleagues: Often-times I just call a colleague on the phone and we in essence cry on each others shoulders, figuring out how to deal with whatever is thrown our way. I don’t claim ownership on any of

these ideas, since I gleaned them all from many of my friends. That’s the great thing

about ACDA: everyone is willing to share their experiences and how they handle the ongoing crises of our profession.

In closing, I love my job and try to treat each student with love and respect. It is my responsibility to create an environment and avenue to successful and gratifying performance of great choral literature. Choral music has a way of touching the soul and crossing all cultural, ethnic, and social boundaries, and thus is a constant source of energy, excitement, and lifting of the human spirit. ♦


President Ken Abrams 41 Picardy Court Walnut Creek CA 94597 925-939-7562 home 925-552-3041 office [email protected] [email protected]

President-Elect Travis Rogers 112 Moss Lane Napa CA 94558 707-256-3488 home 707-253-3705 office [email protected] [email protected]

Vice President Julie Dana 610 East Pine Avenue Fresno CA 93728 559-233-3887 559-442-4600 x8465 [email protected]

Executive Secretary California ACDA Office Jan Lanterman 2348 Clay Street Napa CA 94559 707-255-4662 home 707-255-8012 ACDA office [email protected]

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Bay Area Daniel Hughes 6023 Joaquin Murieta Ave Apt A Newark CA 94560 415-596-6594 [email protected]

Central Heather Bishop 10283 North Sterling Lane Fresno CA 93720 559-434-6136 home 559-327-2042 office [email protected]

Central Coast Jo Anne Stoddard 2295 Alice Place Paso Robles CA 93446 805-237-8042 home 805-434-5845 office [email protected] [email protected]

Far South William Hatcher 3095 Colley Lane Escondido CA 92025 760-747-1471 [email protected]

Northern Suzie Peterson 513 Walnut Court Fairfield CA 94534 707-864-1916 [email protected] [email protected]

Southern John Tebay 543 Loyola Drive Placentia CA 92870 714-996-9991 home 714-992-7303 office [email protected]

Middle School & Junior High School Choirs Linda Lovaas 707 South Emerald Avenue Modesto CA 95351 209-522-6115 [email protected]

Music in Worship Doug Albertson 2380 Murdock Drive Santa Rosa CA 95404 707-544-3002 home 707-545-3863 office [email protected]

Show Choirs Tony Atienza 1748 Bristol Court Bonita CA 91902 619-788-7167 [email protected]

Senior High School Choirs Tammi Alderman 2630 Huntington Drive Unit F Duarte CA 91010 970-988-5193 home 818-249-5871 x3105 office [email protected]

Two-Year College Choirs Jeff Seaward 20800 Avenue 352 Woodlake CA 93286 559-564-6149 home 559-730-3871 [email protected]

Women’s Choirs Karen Garrett 4130 Strandberg Street Corona CA 92881 951-272-3432 home 951-739-5600 x2109 office [email protected] [email protected]

Youth & Student Activities Dr. Jonathan Talberg CSULB - Music 1250 Bellflower Blvd Long Beach CA 90840 562-985-5112 [email protected]

Boys’ Choirs OPEN

Children’s Choirs Beth Klemm 1008 Acorn Drive Arroyo Grande CA 93420 805-481-1189 home 805-460-2500 office [email protected]

College & University Choirs Anna Hamre 34279 Old Mill Road Auberry CA 93602 559-855-8747 home 559-278-2539 office [email protected]

Community Choirs Elena Sharkova 845 Calero Avenue San Jose CA 95123 408-363-1992 home 408-230-2232 office [email protected] esharkova@

symphonysiliconvalley.org

Ethnic & Multicultural Choirs OPEN

Jazz Choirs John Hamilton 825 North Alfred Street Apt 2 Los Angeles CA 90069 323-445-7183 home 310-836-1602 office [email protected]

Men’s Choirs Lori Marie Rios 2850 Montrose Avenue #22 La Crescenta CA 91214 818-248-2803 home 818-952-4205 office [email protected]

EXECUTIVE BOARD

REPERTOIRE & STANDARDS CHAIRS

CMEA Liaison Mary Purdy 23705 Sarda Road Valencia CA 91355 661-254-3410 home 661-252-6110 x445 office [email protected]

All-State Honor Choir Chair Shirley Nute 937 Cornell Drive Burbank CA 91504 818-845-2683 [email protected]

Summer Conference Chair Jo Anne Stoddard 2295 Alice Place Paso Robles CA 93446 805-237-8042 home 805-434-5845 office [email protected] [email protected]

EVENTS CHAIRS

COMMUNICATIONS

Newsletter Editor (Cantate) Douglas Lynn 1450 South Melrose Drive Oceanside CA 92056 760-758-4100 x140 [email protected]

Website Coordinator Mark Alberstein 332 East Ashland Avenue Visalia CA 93277 559-623-1149 [email protected]

California Chapter American Choral Directors Association c/o Douglas Lynn, Editor 1450 South Melrose Drive Oceanside, CA 92056

PRSRT STD AUTO

US Postage Paid Riverside, CA Permit 1645

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