Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is a nonprofit music-education organization whose expressed purposes outline the associations dedication to the advancement of choral music.
The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
Membership
ACDA membership consists of choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private schools - kindergarten through senior high school - and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boychoirs, children's choirs, men's and women's choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal-jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in their places of worship. Membership is established by submitting a membership application and annual dues.
Organizational Structure
ACDA is divided into seven geographic regions/divisions, as well as fifty state chapters, each with its own conferences, newsletters, festivals, clinics, and workshops. Whether at the National, Division, or State level, ACDA is structured so that its members can easily involve themselves in the organization's activities.
Conferences
ACDA offers conferences at the state, division, and national levels. National conferences are offered in March of odd-numbered years; the seven division conferences take place in February and March of even-numbered years. Through concert performances by accomplished choirs, educational clinics by leading experts, and exhibits by music-industry representatives, ACDA offers its members a diverse and practical forum in which to develop their skills and professional knowledge.
Choral Journal
The official publication of the American Choral Directors Association is Choral Journal. This national publication, issued monthly, contains articles and columns of a scholarly and practical nature in addition to reviews of newly released CD recordings, books, and printed music. Choral Journal is a benefit of membership in the American Choral Directors Association. Subscriptions are available to libraries. Advertising space is available as well.
Committees
ACDA has numerous national committees engaged in advancing the choral profession in its many facets. The committees work in several areas of the choral profession, whether through establishing high performance standards, recommending quality choral literature, encouraging research in choral studies, or advocating the importance of choral music in our society.
Repertoire and Resources
ACDA establishes and maintains the highest of choral standards and recommends quality choral literature through the Repertoire and Resources (R&R) Committees. This national structure is the foundation for growth in every Division and State chapter through the organization.
Research and Publications Committee
ACDA is committed to the field of research as applied to choral music and publishes monographs and a composer series in both traditional and digital formats. The committee therefore manages several ongoing projects that both support and generate research and publications.
Publications
ACDA has several publications including Choral Journal, ChorTeach, International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS), division newsletters, state newsletters, and the ACDA-Hinshaw book, music, and archives.
Online Communities
The Association also maintains dozens of internet sites providing up-to-the minute information to its members, including a Facebook page, a Facebook group, a YouTube site with several hundred videos, and ACDA's professional networking site, ChoralNet. All of these publications are intended to connect members, and encourage peer learning and exchange.
ACDA Advocacy Statement
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 the country; Be it resolved that all citizens of the United States of America actively voice 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 for this and future generations.
The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
Membership
ACDA membership consists of choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private schools - kindergarten through senior high school - and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boychoirs, children's choirs, men's and women's choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal-jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in their places of worship. Membership is established by submitting a membership application and annual dues.
Organizational Structure
ACDA is divided into seven geographic regions/divisions, as well as fifty state chapters, each with its own conferences, newsletters, festivals, clinics, and workshops. Whether at the National, Division, or State level, ACDA is structured so that its members can easily involve themselves in the organization's activities.
Conferences
ACDA offers conferences at the state, division, and national levels. National conferences are offered in March of odd-numbered years; the seven division conferences take place in February and March of even-numbered years. Through concert performances by accomplished choirs, educational clinics by leading experts, and exhibits by music-industry representatives, ACDA offers its members a diverse and practical forum in which to develop their skills and professional knowledge.
Choral Journal
The official publication of the American Choral Directors Association is Choral Journal. This national publication, issued monthly, contains articles and columns of a scholarly and practical nature in addition to reviews of newly released CD recordings, books, and printed music. Choral Journal is a benefit of membership in the American Choral Directors Association. Subscriptions are available to libraries. Advertising space is available as well.
Committees
ACDA has numerous national committees engaged in advancing the choral profession in its many facets. The committees work in several areas of the choral profession, whether through establishing high performance standards, recommending quality choral literature, encouraging research in choral studies, or advocating the importance of choral music in our society.
Repertoire and Resources
ACDA establishes and maintains the highest of choral standards and recommends quality choral literature through the Repertoire and Resources (R&R) Committees. This national structure is the foundation for growth in every Division and State chapter through the organization.
Research and Publications Committee
ACDA is committed to the field of research as applied to choral music and publishes monographs and a composer series in both traditional and digital formats. The committee therefore manages several ongoing projects that both support and generate research and publications.
Publications
ACDA has several publications including Choral Journal, ChorTeach, International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS), division newsletters, state newsletters, and the ACDA-Hinshaw book, music, and archives.
Online Communities
The Association also maintains dozens of internet sites providing up-to-the minute information to its members, including a Facebook page, a Facebook group, a YouTube site with several hundred videos, and ACDA's professional networking site, ChoralNet. All of these publications are intended to connect members, and encourage peer learning and exchange.
ACDA Advocacy Statement
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 the country; Be it resolved that all citizens of the United States of America actively voice 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 for this and future generations.