Important News & Announcements
Posted 09-02-10
President-Elect Designate Named
The online voting period has ended, and after a very close race, the ACDA-PA Executive Board is pleased to announce the election of D. Jason Bishop as President-Elect Designate. Jason is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, where he also serves as conductor of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus. In 2008, he founded the Young People's Chorus of Erie, of which he serves as Artistic Director.
The official term as President-Elect begins July 1, 2011, though Jason will begin to attend board meetings to transition into the duties. Dr. Bishop will be responsible for the planning and execution of the 2012 and 2013 summer conferences, after which he will assume the role of state president for the 2013-2015 term, then as vice president for the following two years.
Thank-yous are extended to Peter de Mets, who made the commitment as a candidate to serve had he been elected, to the selection committee of Vice President Eileen Hower and Eastern Division Vice President Lynn Drafall, and to President Robert Drafall and Web Manager Shaun Cloonan for coordinating the online voting parameters. Additionally, thank you to the membership who took the time to read the candidate bios and vision statements and to vote. The leadership was pleased with the voter response rate.
Posted 08-12-10
ChoralNet Communities Summer Challenge!
Hey ACDA-PA Members!
You received a message from president Bob Drafall the other day about our new presence on the national website's ChoralNet Communities. So far, we've increased our members in the community to 25, but there are FAR more of you receiving this message than that number! We're having a friendly competition with ourselves to see if we can become the largest state chapter ChoralNet Community on the site. We only have two state chapters to beat, and another 25 or so members will put us on top. The satisfaction will be that if you click on "communities," we'll be the FIRST state chapter listed, as they're ranked by number of members.
So what are you waiting for? Go to http://www.choralnet.org/view/259751 and create your profile so you can "join" our ChoralNet community. Let's show the rest of the ACDA membership that Pennsylvania is a force to be reckoned with! Can we reach 100 members? Only if you do it now!!!
Posted 08-03-10
Elaine Brown and Outstanding Young Conductor Awards Presented
at Annual Summer Conference
Two individuals were honored at the banquet of the annual summer conference of the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania at Penn State University on August 2, 2010. Peggy Dettwiler, Director of Choral Activities at Mansfield University, was named the 2010 Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence winner. Christie McKinney, choral and general music teacher at Good Hope Middle School in the Cumberland Valley School District, was named the 2010 Outstanding Young Conductor. Congratulations to both deserving ladies!
Posted 07-17-10
INTERKULTUR Choir Competition & Festival and the World Choir Games 2012
A personal perspective on an INTERKULTUR Choir Competition and Festival, and a call to participation in the American International Choral festival (AICF) in St. Louis, Reno, and the World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012
As a member of the music advisory committee for WCG Cincinnati 2012, I was invited to attend Concorso Corale Internazionale in Riva del Garda, Italy. I was curious about the competition, judging, types and quality of participating choirs, the conduct of the participants, and the general spirit of the event.
All the choirs delivered respectable performances covering a wide range of competence and artistry. The best choirs were most excellent rivaling the finest university choruses in the United States. Each choir took its craft seriously and behaved with utmost decorum. Two choruses stood out among the rest: Danmarks Radio Pigekoret from Copenhagen, the Audience Prize Winner, was lovely to ear and eye as creative staging enhanced their musical performance. Grand Prize Winner Akustika Chamber Singers, from Pretoria, South Africa, was breathtaking in artistry and technical proficiency, especially with their rousing finale, "Karimanatu kuicha" by Ko Matsushita.
The competition, which spanned four days culminated in a celebratory Grand Prize Competition at which all participants were presented with diplomas, and the winner of each category announced. Choirs enthusiastically cheered for one another in supportive revelry before a very large audience. There was no negative behavior, and no grumblings about judges' decisions, just sharing of choral singing with mutual understanding. Indeed, support for one another was gleeful.
Sometimes, my experiences with competitions have not always felt this positive here in the United States, whether at my children's baseball tournaments, show choir contests, marching band competitions, or the many choral competitions I've participated in throughout my career. What, I wondered, made the positive difference in this INTERKULTUR Choir Competition? I may never know all the reasons, but here are a few I think are highly likely: the Musica Mundi Evaluation System, the philosophy that participation itself is the highest honor, the higher goal of helping choirs improve rather than providing only a numerical scoring with brief comments for their performance, the transparency of the judging, direct jury feedback for directors, and expert advice from jurors to choirs.
I believe the INTERKULTUR philosophy of adjudication is fair, compassionate, and common sense. Jurors not only give scores, but hold lively intellectual debate to fairly determine the best results. All judge's scores are revealed in a transparent system. Moreover, each director is given ample opportunity to meet with judges to discuss opinions and learn from their expertise. The aim of INTERKULTUR is to provide pedagogical guidance for all choirs involved, above and beyond the competition results of bronze, silver, and gold. This style of judging and coaching provides a positive environment for sharing music. The international participants from around the globe provide the opportunity to hear some of the best choirs in the world. This rich, cultural and artistic environment of an INTERKULTUR competition demands respect for the art of choral music, and for all the singers who make up the diverse choral ensembles that perform.
If you are a director who finds competition stimulating opportunity for growth, I urge you to register and participate in INTERKULTUR competitions in St. Louis, Reno and World Choir Games, Cincinnati 2012. If you are a director reticent to compete due to negative past experience, consider this a fresh opportunity for civil and positive reinforcement. I am proud to support World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012, and encourage my colleagues to celebrate choral music with singers around the world in a competition that seeks to promote artistry as it honors choirs of every level.
Submitted 4/20/10 by Kim Durr, 513-280-1960 kim@artskonnect.com
Kim Durr has been a music educator in public and private schools for thirty years. She currently teaches at Broadway Bound Academy in Loveland, Ohio, and co-chairs the music advisory committee for World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012.
Posted 04-27-10
Order Forms for PMEA Reading Sessions Available Online
The two reading sessions sponsored by ACDA-PA at the recent PMEA In-Service Conference held in Pittsburgh met with great success. In the event you were unable to attend, order forms from The Musical Source (High School session) and Musik Innovations (Middle School session) are available below. Click on the PDF and print out, then send to the appropriate music retailer to receive discounted rates on the reading session packets.
DOWNLOAD MIDDLE SCHOOL SESSION FORM (.pdf)
DOWNLOAD HIGH SCHOOL SESSION FORM (.pdf)
