CCDA Cantate (Fall 2022)

YAY,YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE START OF THE NEW MUSICAL YEAR! SEE PAGE 8 for a choral travelogue from CCDA’s president-elect!

CANTATE

Volume 35, Number 1

Official publication of the California Choral Directors Association, an Affiliate of the American Choral Directors Association

Eliza Rubenstein, editor cantate editor@gmail com

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

We welcome and encourage CCDA members to contribute articles, announcements, music and book reviews, job vacancy listings, photographs, and other items of interest to Cantate!

Please send queries and article ideas to cantate.editor@gmail.com. You are also welcome to submit completed articles, but please note that not all articles received will be published.

Deadlines for publication are as follows: August 15 (Fall issue); November 1 (Winter issue); March 1 (Spring issue). The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions.

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On the cover: The animals must have taken over ECCO during the two summers our CCDA Summer Conference couldn’t be there! Glad we made it back.

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 for this and future generations.

California Choral Directors Association empowers choral musicians to create transformative experiences for California’s diverse communities.

CCDAisa501(c)3 non-profit,tax-exempt corporation and an affiliate of the American Choral Directors Association.

UPCOMING EVENTS

CaSMeC

February 15-19, FreSno

aCDa national ConFerenCe

February 22-25, CinCinnati, oH

Christopher peterson is Professor of Choral MusiC eduCation at Csu fullerton and a teaCher, ConduCtor, Choral CliniCian, author, editor, CoMPoser, and Choral arranger of MusiC and books Published in the u.s. and around the world in his over

thirty years as a MusiC eduCator Chris has taught in eleMentary, Middle sChool, high sChool, ChurCh, CoMMunity, festival, and Collegiate settings he reCeived his bs in MusiC eduCation froM the university of southern Maine, the MM in Choral ConduCting

froM the university of Maine, and his doCtorate in Choral ConduCting/MusiC eduCation froM the florida state university

From The president’s pen: Returning to “Normal”

It’sbeen a gradual and interesting return to the “real world” post-COVID for many of us. I found myself traveling and touring this summer with my church choir to Hawaii, with the CSUF University Singers to Australia, and to several other places that made life feel a little more normal… more like it used to be. We still need to be managing our health choices carefully and consciously as the pandemic is not going away any time soon. Yet it does feel that we are finally to a point at which we can manage it and move ahead, with caution, and hope for the best as we rehearse and sing concerts togethers again.

Our benevolent art form, overall, seems to have been bruised but not broken, and I am very hopeful that you too are experiencing a safe return to your musical, performing, and teaching endeavors. I still believe that musical performances and singing will experience a renaissance as people search for deeper meaning and connection in their lives after the desperate isolation of the pandemic. I am feeling an increased sense of enthusiasm in my students so far this fall, and I sincerely hope that you will feel that too with your students.

I really enjoyed the face-to-face return to our CCDA Summer Conference/Retreat at ECCO (Episcopal Conference Center Oakhurst) recently. There are so many wonderful people changing lives through choral music all over our state, and I loved seeing so many of them as we came back together as a choral community. It really did have a sense of “normal” with all the sessions, the singing, the meals, and the silly costume party that caps off our last evening together. I especially want to thank Alissa Aune and our CCDA Board for all their time and organization leading up to and during the conference. We all thank you for your service.

Our theme at ECCO was “celebrating the richness of our diverse choral communities,” with our two national

headliners, Dr. Judy Bowers and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu. Each of these incredible teachers brought us a wealth of information to consider, and I know that I was moved quite differently by each of them: Judy made me laugh a lot while providing tons of specific techniques and pedagogy that I could use this fall with my choirs, while Tefsa challenged me to think about diversity, justice, and inclusion in very powerful ways that, honestly, I wasn’t expecting.

I think many of us were a little uncomfortable with the raw and direct way Tesfa communicated his teachings, and at the same time I know it had a profound effect on my whole being to be so close to his pain, honesty, humor, and mission of love and inclusion through music. Instead of simply talking about these difficult issues, he ushered us all into the middle of them with songs and stories and videos to glimpse a little of what it might feel like to be an underprivileged citizen in America. He did it by being true to who he is and by trusting us to hear and experience it without kid gloves or guardrails. I was changed and affected in deep and profound ways that I am still processing. I can say for sure that the next time I have an opportunity to make a difference I will recognize it more powerfully, and also that “black women know some stuff.”

I am grateful to both Judy and Tesfa for sharing their gifts with us, and I wish that every one of our members could have been there. It’s not too early to mark your calendar for July 23-26, 2023, for our next CCDA Summer Conference at ECCO. I hope to see you there. 

eliza rubenstein is the direCtor of Choral and voCal aCtivities at orange Coast College, and the artistiC direCtor of the orange County woMen’s Chorus she holds degrees froM oberlin College and uC irvine, and she is a forMer aniM al shelter suPervisor and the Co-author of a book about dog adoPtion

eliza’s fa Mily inCludes her Partner, Julie fisCher, and four dogs. she’s Passionate about gra MM ar, thai food, PhotograPhy, and the st louis Cardinals and st louis blues

letter from the editor: SomeTIMEs it rains

There’sa lingering scent of San Diegan elation and Angeleno horror in the air here in Southern California on this October night. Breathe deeply, and it’s got notes of San Franciscan schadenfreude, too, with a whiff of detached anguish from Orange County and the East Bay.

I’m talking about baseball. Baseball, the other love of my life, one-third of my personal Holy Trinity alongside music and dogs. Baseball, the keeper of my hopes and my hours for six months out of every year, the web of contradictions around which I schedule my days and my emotions. It’s a multi-billiondollar business that feels like a small family; it’s an utterly inconsequential hobby that triggers my bitterest pain and fiercest joy.

If you haven’t been keeping up, the San Diego Padres upset the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason this fall, dismissing the best regular-season team the sport has seen in years from the playoffs and cutting short their quest for the World Series ring that many felt they’d claim with ease. It’s shocking stuff, sports-wise. As the reliably melodramatic Bill Plaschke of the LA Times wrote, “Little brother has knocked out big brother. The nail has spiked the hammer. The shadow has eclipsed the sun.” As a certain Canadianborn, San Diego-based conductor and CCDA President-Elect texted to me the next morning, “Between Facebook and the TV news, I see that last night’s win was a very big deal.” Yep.

Fans and pundits have had no shortage of questions in the aftermath: Why didn’t a different pitcher start the game? What happened to the fearsome Dodgers offense when they needed it the most? Can we fire someone, just to make ourselves feel better?

But by necessity, a more interesting question has arisen, too: Does failing to win the whole thing retroactively negate a historically successful season? Is a year a failure if it doesn’t end in a World Series celebration as the last team standing?

Icantalk baseball all day and night, but this is a choral magazine, so here’s a tortured analogy for you: The 162-game regular season for a baseball team is to the playoffs as the

rehearsal process is to the concert for choral musicians. No, not entirely; choral singing isn’t (or, at least, wasn’t meant to be) a competitive sport, and you could argue that every baseball game at the professional level is its own “performance.” But in each case, there’s the long haul leading up to the big finish, and for choral directors and baseball fans alike, a great chunk of our emotional wellbeing lies in balancing our expectations of each.

California has five big-league baseball teams, and each entered the season with a different set of expectations, a different mixture of healthy ambitions and potentially toxic pressures. Nowhere were sights set higher than in LA. Though it’s considered somewhere between bad form and an outright jinx to say so out loud, the Dodgers expected to win it all this year, and for 162 games—111 of which they won—they seemed like the odds-on favorite to do so. When they fizzled fast in the postseason, it wasn’t just the loss itself that stung; it was the months of rising hopes suddenly deflated, the sense of all that work, for what

Two hours down the freeway, the Padres kicked off their year expecting to be good, but maybe still not good enough to triumph over their nemesis. The Dodgers had cuffed the Padres around for a few years, so with the crossed fingers (“maybe this year will be different”) came the old dread (“here we go again”). While the Dodgers mostly stood pat with their juggernaut team all season, the Padres’ mid-season shake-ups made their process interesting and unpredictable, and their ultimate “performance” seemed to validate their journey.

Between the two, Angels’ fans enjoyed and endured another season of watching two of the game’s most gifted players (five-tool phenom Mike Trout and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani) dazzle amid the muck of a dedicatedly mediocre team. Up north a bit, the up-and-down Giants split the difference and finished exactly at .500 (wait till next year!), and the Oakland A’s....well, as expected, they didn’t give their loyal fans much to cheer about, but they had a beautiful sentimental moment when their veteran catcher hit a home run in the last at-bat of his career, after being announced by his own kids on the PA.

You’vehad all these choirs, haven’t you? The ones who dazzled all year and then blew it at the big concert. The ones with a couple of vocal stars surrounded by beginners, and the ones who were really good last year and will be again before long. The ones who weren’t blessed with great “roster depth” but provided the poignant moments you’ll never forget. The ones who made adjustments and kept you on your toes and came out on top. Each time there was triumph, disappointment, passion, growth; each time they left you with plenty to contemplate in the off-season; each time, no matter how things came out in the end, there was another year ahead.

Personally, though I’ve followed all the West-Coast teams and rooted earnestly for several of them since I moved to California 27 years ago, my soul still belongs to my hometown St. Louis Cardinals, who had a different sort of year altogether. They played pretty well—well enough to win their unremarkable division, but not well enough to advance in the postseason—but the real story of their season was the return of future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to the team and the city where he spent the first decade of his career, and the impending retirement of at least one, and perhaps two, of the team’s greatest and most beloved players

for the last two decades.

Baseball, like music, is largely inseparable from nostalgia for many or most of us, so the Cardinals’ season was suffused with sentimentality, warmed by the homecoming of a superstar we never wanted to leave, lit from the inside by the knowledge that we were watching the end of an era and we’d all better pay attention. The team petered out in October, but who cares, really; they awed us with a six-month farewell tour that reminded us all why we fell in love with the sport.

So what’s the definition of a “successful” year, for a baseball team or for a chorus? It all depends on our expectations, and, crucially, on our ability to adjust those expectations on the fly or in the rear-view mirror. If the year is a failure because the team doesn’t win the World Series or the chorus doesn’t win the World Choir Games—well, most years are going to be failures. If we’re content to develop the talent we’ve got, make necessary changes even when they’re uncomfortable, and enjoy the journey while we work toward our long-term goals, most years are going to be winners.

And if we can remember, even on the difficult days, to treasure the moments we have pursuing ephemeral pleasures with the teammates we love, we’ll never lose. 

Study Music in L.A.

Dr. T. J. Harper, Director of Choral Activities

cfa.lmu.edu/music

SONGS OF TH

E O O PEN ROAD

BY ARLIE LANGAGER

One day in 2014, my friend John wiles called with an idea. A family friend who was an Episcopal priest had been leading pilgrimages through ancient sacred trails in Ireland. It got John thinking. What if, he asked, it was a choir that walked those same trails? What if it turned into a kind of singing pilgrimage?

I was instantly captivated. Even without really knowing what a pilgrimage might involve, this unique way of approaching choral music was exhilarating to imagine.

That early seed of an idea grew into Vox Peregrini, a pilgrimage choir; John is the Artistic Director. The choir made its first pilgrimage on the Wicklow Way in Ireland in 2015, and I became a pilgrim for the first time. The experience was so profound that I walked with Vox again for the next two pilgrimages in 2017 and 2019. When Vox adapted to the uncertainty of pandemic travel and made a pilgrimage through Estes Park in Colorado in 2021, I joined again. And just this past summer, Vox made its first pilgrimage walking the Camino in Spain.

When I tell people about Vox Peregrini and my experiences on these choral pilgrimages, I’m always a bit surprised at how many can instantly imagine what the experience must be like. Maybe that’s because the pilgrimage choir experience has so much of the same kind of music-making that we love, and it’s only a small leap to imagine the intangible, ephemeral experience of choral music in incredible settings.

The choral pilgrimages I have done so far have been a unique and invigorating way to work in choral music, and I hope many people will be able to experience something like this. The concept is uncomplicated: find a dozen or more singers, figure out a place to meet, rehearse a bit together while walking together all day for a week or two, and perform at the destination.

Meeting the pilgrims

The singers aren’t drawn from an existing ensemble, and the roster of singers is different for every pilgrimage. Singers are drawn from multiple states and countries. Some have known each other professionally before the journey, but the ensemble’s first experience together is at the beginning of the walk. By contrast,

for established choirs, going on tour is usually the culmination of their time together as an ensemble.

Vox Peregrini’s singers come from a broad range of life experiences. Our pilgrims are choral professionals, either singers or conductors, and almost all have had formal vocal training. We’ve had a Catholic priest, Presbyterian ministers, Anglican ministers, students, retired musicians, music teachers. We’ve had college students, and singers who are retired. We’ve had parents and spouses take the journey on their own, and partners who have walked and sung together. Our singers have been straight, gay, trans, Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, agnostic, and atheistadjacent.

The journey is the rehearsal

We all carried our music in our backpacks, and once the tuning fork was out, it was time to shift focus. Sometimes we rehearsed in a grove of trees, sometimes we sat on boulders, sometimes we sang in trail shelters. John often chose places to rehearse that would allow us to sing in a circle, and we might only rehearse a couple of pieces during a stop. During the process of rehearsing together, the ensemble begins to transform. The singers become much more attuned to each other, more responsive to each other—and as everyone gets to know the others, people trust each other more and dig deeper musically.

The physical quest....

The exhilaration of being in nature along with the

physical demands of the long walking days is similar to what one might experience on a hike. I’ll confess that before my first pilgrimage, I couldn’t really imagine running into issues just “walking.” However, I did both strength training and cardio in preparation, and I spent a lot of time worrying about footwear. I purchased really good hiking poles and boots (honestly, after bowing to some peer pressure!). It turned out to be a wise choice. After only our first day of walking, one of the other pilgrims who had not invested in hiking shoes experienced such major blistering and injury to her feet that she could not continue walking with us.

On the Wicklow way in Ireland, we walked over 100 kilometers from village to village through fields and over mountains. We had to walk until we got to our accommodations. And we had to walk at a pace that would ensure we got to our destination for dinner time.

....and the musical experience

There is something very special about walking with the people you sing with. Fatigue makes us more empathetic singers! The struggle with the physical demands seems much more manageable when engrossed in conversation with a fellow pilgrim who is also feeling the challenges. I enjoyed amazing conversations during those times, and connections made on those walks strengthened with each subsequent rehearsal.

All pilgrims have been humbled by blisters or other aches and pains. But perhaps it’s a combination of spending so much time together plus the physical toll on the body that seems to break down singers’ insecurities or false pride. Then, the singers’ concerns become more about the emotional/physical/spiritual wellbeing of the other singers than about someone’s vowel shape and resonance, for example.

As John described it, “...very few people are worried about singing the high notes when they have blisters on their feet. And, even fewer pilgrims are concerned about someone else’s high notes more than the blisters on their own feet!”

Solitude within a group

I think many of us, when we picture the idea of a pilgrimage, think of the deep soul-searching, the introspection, the reflection, and certainly a sense of solitude. One of the concerns I had when we decided to pursue the Camino was that the sheer popularity of this historical pilgrimage path would mean that there would be many people besides our group on the path, so it would be hard to have a moment of solitude.

My own experience on the Camino was surprisingly different. I realized that most of the photos I took are of the path during the times when I could see no one in front of me and sometimes no one behind me. The incredible comfort was that I knew our group members were either ahead or behind me, and I felt a kind of safety in my solitude that I don’t enjoy if I’m hiking alone.

Considering the music

I asked John to talk about his process in selecting the repertoire for each pilgrimage choir and how he balanced genres. “Especially in Spain you think about the architecture, the history of the place, when the music was written. There’s a sort of ‘time travel’ of what that music can do for us. Also, there’s some repertoire that is just really functional: Like, I want music that I think that we’ll be able to sing by memory after a few times through because we’re going

to run into people who want us to sing. And then, I’m obviously trying to find some music about a kind of faith, or transformation, or spirituality, and it needs to be music that has a lot of entry points.”

When I asked John what he meant about “entry points,” he gave me an analogy about Star Wars.

“When I talk to my students right now, a whole bulk of them are fans of Star Wars because of the animated TV show that came out when they were kids, and the original trilogy just isn’t for them. But Star Wars is big enough for there to be multiple entry points, so if people want to go and explore it from any point, they can. I think that looking for music about faith and transformation in a group like Vox—at least where we are intentionally seeking a diversity of beliefs and traditions—it’s important for that music to have multiple entry points.”

The Intentional Listener as spiritual guide

One of the things that contributes to the uniqueness of Vox is that we have always had a guide, or companion, walk with us. This person is not necessarily a spiritual leader (although they have all been ordained professionals to this point). The Intentional Listener is someone who is available for anyone who wishes to talk along the way, who helps us to setting an intention if we wish at the start of the day, who is available to help those who wish to reflect upon or process the events of the day. This role has been at times informal, spiritual, untethered from organized religion, liturgical, philosophical, and playful, and it often doubles as a medic who carries a few extra bandages and ointments as well.

The same Episcopal priest John talked to was our guide on our first pilgrimage on Wicklow Way. The Reverend Canon Gil Stafford talks a lot about the first Vox Peregrini pilgrimage that he led on the Wicklow Way in his book, Wisdom Walking: Pilgrimage As A Way of Life

It’s not about the concert

Another special aspect of the Vox Peregrini experience is how we spend the end of our journey together. For the very first pilgrimage, we expected that we’d inevitably need to have a series of public concerts. We had packed our concert blacks, our shoes, and black binders, and sang at a couple of the Dublin cathedrals. We sang well, we sounded lovely, and we were well-received, but for some reason, this familiar choral set up felt misaligned with both the music we wanted to make and the way we wanted to communicate it.

So, on our last pilgrimage to Ireland in 2019, we changed some things. We decided against packing extra performance clothes, and sang in the same hiking gear we’d carried with us. We found that wearing the clothes that had been part of our experience walking the pilgrims’ path made us much more comfortable when it came to the music, too.

We also realized that our audiences weren’t particularly interested in how we appeared. In fact, for a couple of pieces, we stood in a circle so that we could face each other as we had when we rehearsed in the woods. We were able to reconnect and recapture the special communication we had experienced while walking together, and it seemed our audience felt that, too.

In the end

At the conclusion of our pilgrimage this July, Vox Peregrini sang together one final time in a church in Santiago de Compostela. Afterward, I talked with an audience member who had heard us sing. She was fighting back tears and struggling to express the experience she’d had. We had all been wearing our hiking clothes, so it was not the fancy sparkle of our wardrobe that impressed her. We sang while standing in a circle, so it wasn’t our dazzling stage presence. But, she had witnessed us singing across our circle to each other. She had seen a couple of those brief moments where voices were so full of emotion that almost no sound could come out. She saw that we were all very different

people intensely connected to each other through our music-making and who had been changed from our journey together.

At the pinnacle of the journey, the musical experience expanded beyond us, so that someone simply existing in its presence could feel its power. 

Learn more about Vox Peregrini at their website, www. voxperegrini.com.

Dr. Arlie Langager is the director of the choral program at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and the former artistic director of the Calgary Boys Choir, as well as a former faculty member at the University of Calgary. She is the president-elect of CCDA.

CASMEC 2023 in Fresno

Join us at CASMEC (California All-State Music Education Conference) February 15-19, 2023 in the Fresno Convention Center. You’ll enjoy performances of our All-State honor choirs, reading sessions, guest ensemble performances, and interest sessions for every level and musical interest! The Choral Leadership Academy (CLA), led by John Sorber and Ryan Clippinger, will be back with Dr. Edith Copley as the headliner.

Guest performing ensembles:

· Mater Dei High School Chamber Singers – Jodi Gould Reed

· San Juan Hills High School Chamber Singers – Michael Ushino

· LMU Consort Singers – T.J. Harper

· Biola University Chorale – Shawna Stewart

· Ayala High School Men’s Ensemble – Robert Davis

· SonoVoce, Sonoma State University – Jenny Bent

Interest sessions include:

· A Voice For A Lifetime – Alyson Shirk

· Breaking Barriers: Performing Diverse & Accessible Music for All – Jeffrey Benson

· Motivation and Metacognition in the Large Ensemble Rehearsal – Shelly Durbin and Jonathan Grantham

· Music Learning Theory-Informed Choral Practice – Joshua Palkki

· Singing Is Listening: Engaging Mind and Ear in the Choral Rehearsal – Polly Vasche

· Programming with Purpose: Repertoire to Support the Developing Secondary Choral Program –Kyra Stahr and McKenna Stenson

· Showing, Not Telling: The Effectiveness of Non-Verbal Communication in Choral Conducting – Joni Prado

· Inspiring Improvisation: Embracing Chance in the Choral Rehearsal – Matthew Hanne

This conference brings together all of us in music and is an important and rewarding time to experience concerts and sessions that celebrate all of music education in our state! We look forward to seeing you in Fresno this February! 

CAL POLY MUSIC

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

MINOR IN MUSIC

The Cal Poly Choral Program has four choirs: PolyPhonics, University Singers, Chamber Choir and Cantabile. The choirs tour nationally and internationally and have a choral exchange program with Kenya. There are opportunities in classical, jazz, opera and more!

Scott Glysson / sglysson@calpoly.edu

Director of Choral

Activities

and Vocal Studies

MUSIC MAJOR FOCUS AREAS

• Music Education

• Composition

• Music History

• Ethnomusicology

• Music Technology

• Jazz

• Performance

Cal Poly is located in San Luis Obispo, on California’s beautiful Central Coast. Cal Poly is accredited by the National Association of Music (NASM).

I’VE FOUND A SECOND HOME IN THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT — Music Major Studying Voice

THE FACULTY GUIDED ME THROUGH MY UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE AND INTO LIFE AFTER COLLEGE — Spring 2020 Graduate

The SDSU Experience

A balance of art and academics, culture and community, exploration and excellence. Explore the possibilities at SDSU.

Undergraduate: BM Music Education, BM Vocal Performance

Graduate: MM Choral Conducting, MM Vocal Performance, Graduate Artist Diploma

music.sdsu.edu

Summer Concert apply

Youth Symphony Orchestra | Band | Choir

Summer Music Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall

SUMMER SEASON AUDITION

Summer Season Youth Orchestra

Summer Season Youth Band

Summer SATB Chamber Singers (5th-12th school grade) For

SEEN & HEARD

Clockwise from near right: ECCO headliner

Tesfa Wondemageghenu chats with a hippo

(photo courtesy Lou De La Rosa); ECCO attendees enjoy a morning walk in Oakhurst

(photo courtesy Ruth Ballenger); choir students at Monson-Sultana School get ready to sing the national anthem (photo courtesy Mary Pauls), and Cheryl Anderson conducts the premiere of Kirke Mechem’s opera Befana, a Christmas Fable (photo by Shmuel Thayer, courtesy

Jeanette Moretti). Turn the page for more!

Clockwise from near right: Edith Copley, Julie Dana, and Cari Earnhart attend the World Choral Symposium in Lisbon, Portugal, in September (photo courtesy Julie Dana); Ragazzi Boys Chorus sings with the Vienna Choir Boys during their June 2022 tour of Austria and Italy (photo courtesy Kent Jue); young singers rehearse at the Pacific Chorale Choral Camp (photo courtesy Molly Pontin); and the CSU Fullerton choirs enjoy their fall retreat in the Southern California mountains (photo courtesy Jared Pugh). Send photos to cantate.editor@ gmail.com if you’d like them considered for publication in a future issue!

F R E S N O S T A T E

FACULTY

Director of Choral Activities

Dr. Cari Earnhart

Choral Music Education

Dr Emily Mason

Dr. Tony Mowrer

Voice

Dr Maria Briggs

Dr. Anthony Radford FACULTY

Dr. Anna Hamre

Dr. Arthur Huff

Dr. Gary Unruh

Prof Helene Joseph-Weil

Dr Cari Earnhart: cearnhart@csufresno edu https://cah fresnostate edu/music/about/ensembles html

VISION FOR THE FUTURE UPDATES

Announcing the Dr. William Hall ECCO Scholarship

Thishas been a very successful year for CCDA’s Vision for the Future Scholarship Fund. What started just as a dream has developed and flourished greatly since 2015, when it was first established. In the last seven years, the fund has grown significantly due to the generosity of CCDA’s membership. And it is due to this generosity that we have some exciting news to share: the establishing of the Dr. William Hall ECCO Scholarship.

This year at ECCO we unveiled a new giving opportunity: The CCDA Dr. William Hall ECCO Scholarship. Next Spring (2023) we will start to give the awards after completion of a matching fund campaign this fall. The specific avenue of support is defined by a scholarship to CCDA’s Summer Conference at ECCO that is intended to encourage choral educators who are new to the profession to seek beneficial professional development that may not be supported by their institutions and to help better connect them to their greater California choral community.

The applicant must be a choral music educator who is at least 21 years of age by the first day of the conference and in his/her/their first five years of teaching at the elementary, high school, and/or college or university levels of choir in California. This will include newly-hired people with no teaching experience, as well as people who are finishing year five in a music education/choral teaching position. Furthermore, the applicant will not have attended the ECCO Conference in the past but will be a “new inductee” into the ECCO Conference experience. A demonstrated financial need is not required but will be considered when noted in the application. Multiple awards may be given in a single year. After a number of generous donations this summer at ECCO, we are proud to announce that the fund has $10,700 and is continuing to grow with each new donation.

If you wish to give directly to the Dr. William Hall ECCO Scholarship, please include that message when you give online.

Dr. Christopher Peterson, CCDA President

Recently Awarded Scholarships

The VFTF Scholarship Fund currently sponsors five different initiatives: the Dr. Charles C. Hirt Scholarship, Summer Conference Scholarships, Choral Equity Scholarships, Creativity Grants, and the CCDA-CASMEC Awards. And this year, CCDA

has given 14 awards: 3 Creativity Grants, 9 Summer Conference Scholarships, and the CCDA-CASMEC Awards. Here are the words of some of our recent scholarship recipients:

“The CCDA ECCO choral conference was incredibly enlightening and inspiring! I learned so many wonderful things that have immediately informed and enhanced my teaching. The people are all so very kind and welcoming. It truly felt like family. What an uplifting experience this was. Just what I needed to get myself on track for the school year! Thanks again for a great experience!”

Kris Ornelas, Director of Vocal Music Grover Cleveland High School, Reseda

“From the welcome of smiles, laughter, and the obnoxious dinner bell in the registration room, to the real and tangible things I could take back to Santa Cruz from Tesfa, Judy, and other presenters, to the informal connections made by the retreat center pond or on the dance floor, this was exactly the remedy I needed for the insipidity I was beginning to feel going into my third year of teaching. I called friends and family on the drive home with more excitement in my voice about choral music than I have had since the pandemic began! And reflecting back now, weeks later (and a few weeks into the school year), I continue to firmly believe in that special quality with which longtime members of CCDA reference ECCO – there’s no pretense, no competitiveness, no awkwardness that other state-wide conferences can sometimes have. There is only joy, reunion (especially evident this year), support, reaching out and drawing in of one another, and the truest sense of community.”

Eric Newell, Director of Choirs Kirby School, Santa Cruz

Be sure to see Charles C. Hirt Scholarship winner Carlin Truong’s testimony after this article, too!

VFTF Leadership News

Finally, we would like to announce a change in the VFTF leadership. This year we say goodbye to Dr. Ángel Vázquez-Ramos, who will now serve as State Conference at CASMEC Chair. We thank him for his countless hours of work as VFTF Co-Chair. CCDA brings now a new member to the board as the Vision for the Future Co-Chair, Dr. Daniel Afonso Jr. Daniel has been a supporter of VFTF since its creation and we are already working together for the continuous growth of this

scholarship fund. Here he shares why he believes in this program:

“While I have lived in the United States for almost 30 years, I am originally from Brazil and came to this country to attend graduate school. I still remember well the months I spent preparing my church choir to record the video that I would later submit with my application. So many dreams! Such happy times! But after the thrill of being accepted into a very prestigious graduate program here, I sadly arrived at the conclusion that I couldn’t afford this adventure after all. I had been saving for years and my parents also offered to help a little. But it was just too much. When my church choir heard this news, they had a meeting and made an important decision: At the end of the next rehearsal, they called me aside and said, ‘Daniel, we want to help you. We have decided that we will each give whatever we can and will send you a little money every month to help you with your expenses.’ And without even knowing how much that would be, I decided to take a chance and came to the University of Missouri-Kansas

City, where I had the immense privilege of learning from the amazing Eph Ehly for two incredible years. And during those years, my Brazilian church choir paid for my rent and utilities with their ‘little money.’ Two years, every month, without fail! My father once told me that there were months when people would give him two dollars, five dollars, just whatever they could… We have all heard the saying, ‘it takes a village…’ And I know that without ‘my village’ I certainly would not be here today.

“Now, I too want to be part of the village that lifts others, that helps others pursue and achieve their dreams; the village that believes in its members’ potential and is there for them! That is why I am proud to be a donor to CCDA’s Vision for the Future Scholarship Fund and am so thrilled to be joining Lori Marie Rios and the board of CCDA to help with this initiative.”

Thank you to all who continue to support this fund and to those of you might consider it. To learn more about the Vision for the Future Scholarship Fund, please visit the CCDA website. 

Thissummer, I had the privilege of participating in the International Conducting Workshop & Festival (ICWF) held in Katy, Texas. It was eight days of orchestral conducting with world-class faculty. There were twenty conducting participants, and each of us had eleven 8- to10-minute slots on the podium. We had the privilege of working with a professional sextet (string players from the Houston Symphony, and a pianist who flawlessly covered all the remaining parts on piano via open score). The repertoire—completely foreign to me—was Beethoven’s 6th and 7th Symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s 6th, and Prokofiev’s suite from Romeo and Juliet.

Needless to say, I was out of my comfort zone. In addition to my preexisting “string-phobia,” I was intimidated by all the extraordinary musicians; some of the participants were already assistant conductors of professional orchestras! The faculty emphasized collegiality and non-competitiveness from day one, however, and I made quick friends with my fellow participants. The faculty was simultaneously demanding and inspiring. Their clinics and lectures left me with a much heavier conducting tool bag. String players became less scary and my gestural language was significantly different after the eight-day transformation.

To share some takeaways from my experience, here are ten nuggets from the workshop:

1. We can’t control a lot about the world around us, but we can control how much we score study.

2. If you tend to self-criticize on the podium, be less interested in what you’re doing and more in what they’re doing.

3. Don’t just be one beat ahead. Think of conducting like chess: You need to see the end game before it happens.

4. Determine if that p is soft or far away loud.

5. Don’t cut off notes; start silences.

6. If they don’t need you, don’t conduct unnecessary beats. If you do, you’re conditioning them not to pay attention.

7. Don’t think you’re only rehearsing when you’re talking.

8. Focus more on learning than your career. Careers happen when people are prepared for opportunities that arise.

9. If you’re anxious before a performance, imagine there’s someone walking alongside you as you take the podium. It can be your partner, your dog, Beethoven, etc.

10. Instead of limiting ourselves to creating safe spaces, what if we created brave spaces where people are empowered to try new things and take risks?

I am incredibly grateful to CCDA leadership and the Dr. Charles C. Hirt Scholarship for making this experience possible. I am a big proponent of professional development opportunities in the summer; I am aware, however, that they are often limited to those that have the economic means to participate. Thanks to this scholarship, that financial barrier was eliminated for me. I encourage my California colleagues to apply for the scholarships offered by CCDA. —Carlin Truong

Vision for the Future

Scholarship Fund Donors

This list includes donations made between August 15, 2021, and August 15, 2022. Donations made after that time will be acknowledged in the next Cantate and may be found on our website. Thank you for your support!

President’s Circle Diamond ($1000 and higher)

Lori Marie Rios and Bryan D. Walker * in honor of Shirley Nute, Don Brinegar, and Bruce

Mayhall-Rastrelli

Dr. Jonathan Talberg * in honor of Dr. William Hall and David Masone Anonymous

President’s Circle Platinum ($500-$999)

Dr. Daniel Afonso Jr. * in memory of Dr. Ginger Covert-Colla

Duane and Linda Lovaas * The Sorber Family * in honor of Dr. Anna Hamre Burt and Polly Vasché *

President’s Circle Gold ($300-$499)

Anthony & Cassie Arnold

Brandon Harris

Buddy James in honor of Joseph Huszti

Dr. Iris S. Levine *

Dr. Christopher and Tina Peterson *

President’s Circle Silver ($100-$299)

Alissa Aune

Jenny Bent

Katheryn Bravante

Patrick Burzlaff

Mike and Julie Dana * in honor of my students, now colleagues

Lauren Diez

Michael DiGiacinto

Angelina Fitzhugh

Dr. Jennifer Garrett

Mary Hamilton

Yewon and Dan Lee

Albert Mabeza

MaryClare Martin * in honor of Lena and Art Babin, and Signe Boyer

Susie Martone

Jeff Morton

Gene Peterson

William Zinn *

Sponsor ($50-$99)

Jennifer Gaderlund

Andrew Kreckmann

Zanaida Robles

Joshua W. Small and Gerardo

D. Ramirez

Carolyn Teraoka-Brady * Dr. Ángel M. Vázquez-Ramos and Jody R. Vázquez *

Supporter (up to $50)

Rhonda Lynn and Brian D. Bauer

Heather Bishop

Judy Bowers

Deborah Divine

Jennifer Hansen Heder

Andrew Hathaway

Dr. Ron Kean in memory of Dr. Lynn Bielefelt

Arlie Langager * in memory of Dr. Lynn Bielefelt

Anastasia Legatos in honor of Ginger Colla

Emelynn Montoya

Kim Nason * in honor of Rob Istad and Chris Peterson

Samantha T. Nickel

Molly Peters in honor of Lori Marie Rios

Jackie Reeff

Antone Rodich

Laryssa Sadoway

Olga Spriggs

Anna Thoreson

David Vanderbout

Anonymous in honor of Travis Rogers

Bill Hall ECCO Scholarship

Katheryn Bravante

Patrick Burzlaff

Michael DiGiacinto

Mary Hamilton

Andrew Hathaway

Yewon and Dan Lee

Susie Martone

Jeff Morton

Chris and Tina Peterson

Gene Peterson

Jackie Reeff

Dr. Jonathan Talberg

Anna Thoreson

Burt and Polly Vasché

William Zinn

Anonymous

* Founder’s Circle

News and notes from around the state

CENTRAL COAST REGION

The Cal Poly Choirs, under the direction of Dr. Scott Glysson, will perform their annual Holiday Kaleidoscope concert on Friday, December 2, in the San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center. The concert brings together all four Cal Poly choral ensembles with local high school and community ensemble including Cabrillo High School (Jennifer Peterson, director) and the Central Coast Youth Chorus (Melody Svennungsen, director).

The Vocal Arts Ensemble (Gary Lamprecht, director) will present three concerts December 1-3 in Nipomo, Mission San Luis Obispo, and Cuesta College. The ensemble is also gearing up to host its annual Central Coast Spring Choral Festival on March 23 and 24. Established 45 years ago, this festival draws student choirs from Elementary School through High School and includes options for beginning ensembles through advanced. Visit www. vocalarts.org for more information.

Dr. Michael Shasberger and Dr. Grey Brothers both retired this past spring from teaching at Westmont College for 17 and 27 years, respectively. As Adams Chair of Music and Worship, Shasberger directed the Westmont College Choir for fifteen years, founded the Westmont Orchestra, and established the annual Westmont Christmas Festival as a signature community event, now held at the Granada Theatre. Dr. Brothers founded and directed the Westmont Chamber Singers for the majority of his time at Westmont, and taught courses in musicology. Dr. Siegwart

Reichwald has been hired as the new Adams Chair of Music and worship, and Dr. Ruth Lin as the department chair and director of the Westmont Orchestra. Dr. Steven Hodson continues as head of Piano studies.

Hired two years ago in anticipation of this faculty transition, Dr. Daniel Gee continues as Director of Choral Activities, leading both the College Choir and Chamber Singers.

Dr. Nicole Lamartine has been hired as the Director of Choirs at Central Washington University starting in the fall of 2022. Since 2020, Dr. Nicole Lamartine served as the Sorensen Director of Choral Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she conducted the flagship choir, UCSB Chamber Choir, integrated relevance into graduate choral studies at the MM and DMA levels, and taught studio conducting and voice.

CENTRAL REGION

Adam Serpa, Choir Director at Modesto High School, is excited to announce the return of Fall Sing, a decades-long annual tradition interrupted by the pandemic. The event features an afternoon performance during which high school choirs from the greater Modesto area come together to sing for and support one another.

The Fresno area experienced both retirements as well as an exciting influx of new teachers and teachers moving to new schools. We congratulate and express gratitude to two retirees who have dedicated much of their lives to choral music: Julie Dana retired from Fresno City College and Kirk

Clague from Exeter High School. Thank you for all you have done and will still do for our profession. We also congratulate Julie as she takes over as Western Division ACDA President!

The Fresno State Concert Choir and Clovis North Women’s Chorale performed at the 2022 CASMEC conference. Congratulations to Dr. Cari Earnhart and Heather Bishop on their excellent work.

The Kern High School District, known for its many high school choral programs, were finally able to continue the tradition of bringing high school choral musicians together for “A Grand Night for Music” under the direction of Tina Peterson, who teaches at Irvine High School. The experience was incredibly rewarding for all! The KHSD also opened up a new high school called Del Oro and they welcome new choral director and theater teacher, Jason McClain.

Dr. Robert Provencio retired from his position as Director of Worship at the First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield in June after 28 years. Thank you, Robert, for your commitment to church music in Bakersfield and your many years of service.

Matthew Hanne, originally from Wichita, Kansas, has been appointed as an Assistant Professor of Music Education at CSU Bakersfield. He comes to the Central Valley with many years of teaching experience and tremendous background in the Kodály methodology. Congratulations and welcome, Professor Hanne!

The CSUB Kodály Institute had another successful year. Dr. Ángel

M. Vázquez-Ramos (CSU Bakersfield), the director of the institute, is happy to witness the growth of the program and positive impact this methodology is having in the Bakersfield area and beyond. The Institute faculty included Jo Kirk, Kelly Adams, Diane Geller, Judith Chan, Matthew Hanne, Dr. Leo Sakomoto, and Dr. Vázquez-Ramos. Details about the CSUB Kodály Institute 2023 will be announced later this fall (check out kodaly.csub.edu).

During the summer the Children’s Voice Studio in Bakersfield, run by Paige Burzlaff, offered seven different weeks of camps for children grades K-8. Each camp had a varying focus, such as music and voice discovery, duets and harmony, or ukulele. The teachers at the studio are Kodaly-certified music educators, so there was an emphasis on literacy and joyful play.

In the Bakersfield community, a youth choir with the Boys and Girls Club called Music Fusion recently returned from Chicago where they performed at the Boys and Girls Club Association’s National Conference. They will also perform in the Pacific Regional Conference in Huntington Beach this Fall. Congratulations to the singers and their director, Jill Burdick! Jill is also serving as a new assistant conductor for the Bakersfield Master Chorale, which will begin its 90th season this Fall.

The Bakersfield College Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Jennifer M. Garrett were featured as part of the Stories of the Pandemic at the Western ACDA Conference in Long Beach in March. The Chamber Singers filmed Andrea Ramsey’s “Stomp on the Fire” in September 2020 in the Bakersfield College Outdoor Theatre and were honored to be selected as part of the virtual performances.

Many singers from Kern County High Schools, Kern High School directors, Bakersfield Master Chorale, CSU Bakersfield, and Bakersfield College joined choir members from Pasadena and parts of Southern California to sing in the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic. The performance took place in July under the direction of Dr. Jennifer M. Garrett. The experience was something that everyone who participated will always remember.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Orange County Women’s Chorus made its Carnegie Hall debut on June 27, performing works by Elizabeth Alexander, Joan Szymko (led by OCWC assistant conductor Sarah Hughes), and Shawn Kirchner before taking part in a mass-choir performance of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass under the baton of Eliza Rubenstein.

Kim Nason was recognized by the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators with the Irene Schoepfle Award Lifetime Achievement award in May 2022. This county-wide honor award celebrates teachers for distinguished lifetime service in music education. She retired from Capistrano Unified School District in June after 33 years as a K-8 vocal music teacher. About two weeks after retirement, Kim was hired as a part-time lecturer at CSU Fullerton where she will direct the Titan Voices, SSAA choir. Congratulations, Kim!

In June of 2022, Andrew Ball and the Corona del Mar High School Madrigal Singers had a wonderful ten-day tour to Madrid, Zaragoza, and Barcelona. Forty-three students and alumni gave six performances in venues that include La Sagrada Familia and Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. The Madrigal Singers also shared their festival experience with others choirs from all over the Iberian Peninsula and prepared a program of Nordic choral music under the direction of Hirvo Surva, a notable Estonian conductor affiliated with the world famous Estonian Song Festival. Choir tours offer choral musicians incredible opportunities, and as one student put it, “this has been one of the best experiences of my life.”

Also in June 2022, Kevin Tison took the Fountain Valley High School Troubadours on a two-week trip to Portugal and Spain, as well as across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. This ambitious tour contained six formal concert performances and a special workshop with Spanish composer Josu Elberdin, and saw their history textbooks come to life as they visited Lisbon and Faro in Portugal, Rabat, Casablanca, Fes and Tangier in Morocco, and Tarifa, Gibraltar, Málaga, Murcia, Valencia, Sevilla, and Barcelona in Spain.

After 32 years of dedicated service, Dr. Iris S. Levine has retired from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, where she most recently served as the Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Dr. Levine previously served as Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, Interim Dean of the College of Education and Integrative Studies, and Department Chair and Professor of Music. As faculty, she was the Director of Choral Activities and conducted the Kellogg Chamber Singers, taught Beginning Conducting, Choral Conducting and Music Education courses. Two of her greatest accomplishments as chair of the music department were securing NASM accreditation and raising nearly $2 million to purchase 29 new Steinway pianos and become an “All-Steinway School.” Iris looks forward to continuing as the Founding Artistic Director of Vox Femina Los Angeles. What a legacy!

FAR SOUTH REGION

The Choral Consortium of San Diego (Carol Manifold, Executive Director) conducted its first Summer Chorus since 2019 with an in-person concert, “Sacred Slavic Voices,” led by ElenaVizuet. CCSD also hosted a World Singing Day San Diego Event at Balboa Park on Saturday, October 15th.

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Pedersen on presenting “How I Learned to Teach: Empowering Students to Lead Effective and Productive Sectional Rehearsals” at ECCO 2022. In July, Dr. Pedersen hosted a group of church music directors to share ideas and to connect each other.

Congratulations to Dr. Arlie Langager on winning the Pearson-Silver Burdett Choral Educator Award, and Melva Morrison on winning the Aubrey Penman Retired Music Educator Award from the California Music Educators Association Southern Border Section.

California State University San Marcos welcomes Dr. Aaron Humble, tenor/conductor, to the CSUSM Music Department as Assistant Professor. Welcome to San Diego, Dr. Humble!

NORTHERN REGION

No news received! Share yours with regional representative Andrew Kreckmann (a.kreckmann@csus.edu) for inclusion in our Winter 2023 issue.

BAY AREA

Fall concert season is back, and there is much to celebrate. We had two wonderful meet-ups in the Bay Area, one at Lou De La Rosa’s house in San Jose (thank you for hosting!), and one at Carlmont High School in Belmont (thank you Genevieve Tep!). At both events, attendees commented that although we don’t feel like we are fully back to “normal,” there is a definite feeling of ease that we didn’t have in Fall 2021. Everyone is ready to emerge and sing again, and the sound is glorious, whether masked or unmasked!

The Coastal Region Honor Choir will take place in November, and students from all over the bay area came to audition in-person for the first time since fall 2019. Thank you to Kira Dixon and Katrina Brekke for serving as chairs of the event, and to Geoff Carter, Colby Hawkins, Crystal Isola, and Laryssa Sadoway for hosting audition sites. We can’t wait to hear the choirs when they join together in San Luis Obispo!

SJSU hosted their first high school honor choir event on October 15. Schools were able to nominate up to eight

singers to participate. They rehearsed during the day with the SJSU Concert Choir and Choraliers, and then performed during their Debut Concert that evening.

Some celebrations: Shelley Durbin is now the choir and orchestra teacher at Amador Valley High School after teaching for fifteen years at Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino. Jake Glennon is the new teacher at Kennedy, and will be directing the choirs, orchestra, and musical theatre program. And Resounding Achord Productions is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a concert celebration at the end of October that features both Pariter, their tenor/bass ensemble, and the founding choir, Resounding Achord. 

Thanks to our Regional Representatives (Andrew Kreckmann, Northern; Kristina Nakagawa, Bay Area; Jennifer Garrett, Central; Scott Glysson, Central Coast; Tina Glander Peterson, Southern; and Yewon Lee, Far South) for collecting and sharing news from their areas! Send your news to your regional representative if you’d like to be included in a future issue. info@acfea.com

800 627 2141

The need for connection throughout the world is greater than ever. Concert tours provide just that. Let's start planning yours today!

EmElyNN moNtoyA

(she/siya/her)

teaches choir and music appreciation at sierramont middle school she earned a Bachelor’s of music in music education and Vocal performance from san Jose state uniVersity and is Back again as a graduate student in the music education summer master’s program. emelynn also serVes as the multicultural music representatiVe for cmea Bay section in her free time, emelynn likes to Bake for her partner and their efferVescent and outgoing toddler

Top Five for your Choir: MIDDLE SCHOOL & Jr. HiGH

Ihaveseen an even greater drop in enrollment at my middle school. In my program, we are focusing on the quality, and not the quantity, of singing musicians. I hope you find luck with these pieces in using them as a tool for helping singers stay as well as bring in more singers!

Reena esmail

TaReKiTa

SATB (also available in SSAA and TTBB)

www.reenaesmail.com

Reena originally wrote TaReKiTa as a gift for a choir called Urban Voices Project. The syllables are onomatopoeic sounds made by the tabla, an Indian drum, called “bols.” My advanced group performed the SATB version. One of my students happened to be studying Indian dance, so she volunteered to teach the mudras and their symbolism (hand gestures). Luckily, you can go to Reena’s website to find the diction for the text as well as a breakdown of the mudras. Indian classical music is taught/ learned by rote. I would practice the syllables in rhythm with the students keeping a steady beat before adding pitch.

andRea Ramsey Lineage

SSA a cappella and percussion

This summer I was reminded by a beloved professor/colleague that we need to honor our lineage through our performance. This piece is a perfect example. This text and music need to be felt by the singers before they take their first breath. It is a powerful reminder that we would not be here without the strength and efforts of the women before us.

RecoRded by andRa day; aRR. mac Huff Rise Up”

SAB divisi; also available in SATB and two-part

I usually select at least one of the pieces for the spring Pops Concert and let the singers give suggestions if they can find a choral arrangement appropriate for our ensemble.

A group of students came forward with this link. Several of my students suffer from mental health issues worsened by the pandemic. This is one song that they felt told their story. It is quite powerful if the students connect the energy to the dynamics.

Jocelyn Hagen and TimoTHy c. TakacH

“A Path to Each Other”

3-part mixed, TB choir, mixed choir, or treble choir

www.graphitepublishing.com

Again, I know a lot of us have smaller programs than we have had in the past. Here is an accessible round for any ensemble with almost any voicing that reminds us that “we can build a wall or a path to each other.”

PinkzebRa Winter With You SAB, SATB, or two-part

I would purchase this piece in multiple voicings. My classes are usually a place for the counselor to immediately place new and/ or inexperienced students. This song may inspire them to love choir and want to stay. It is also good to note here that the piano accompaniment is accessible for me (someone who barely passed Piano Proficiency). 

ANDREAS PREPoNiS

directs Vocal Jazz

ensemBles and teaches

Voice at more colleges

than can Be listed By law he holds master ’ s degrees in music education and choral conducting.

andreas is a Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and Voice-oVer talent as a studio musician, he has contriButed to oVer 20 alBum releases and has worked on proJects for cBs, hBo, disney and dreamworks, most recently as a featured Vocalist on harmonious liVe (disney+).

Top Five for your Choir: VOCAL JAZZ

Hereare five tech resources paired with repertoire picks that might be helpful to you and your students and singers!

My favorite app is the Transpose extension for Chrome browsers, A.K.A. “eierlegende Wollmilchsau” (google it!). It allows you to transpose the key, fine tune pitch, and change the tempo of any audio file in your browser. You can set markers to create loopable sections and return to a project in the automatically created library at any time with all the settings still in place. This app eliminates the need to own the actual sound file; however, you can upload a file from your device into the browser to work on it. My students use it to alter play-alongs on YouTube when they need them in certain keys. It also comes in handy when transcribing the latest Jacob Collier track in G half-sharp or when trying to learn a song phrase by phrase in Portuguese, like Gerhard Guter’s clever arrangement of Jobim’s “Waters of March” (Latin, SATB, Level IV, anchormusic.com).

Drum Genius is a collection of over 500 drum grooves of various styles, most of which you have never heard of. Each groove can be previewed and comes with valuable background information. The app offers three free downloads. Subsequent grooves can be bought, 10 for $1.49, 50 for $2.49 or all of them for $10.99. Each downloaded track can be altered in tempo and pitch. So when you program Rosana Eckert’s original, “Evermore” (SSATB, Level IV, rosanaeckert.com), you can show your students what a Brazilian Baião sounds like.

iReal Pro is a library app for songs notated only in chord progressions. These lead sheets can be altered and played back in the key, tempo and style of your choice. The MIDI rhythm section sound is not great, but when Aebersolds are not available, iReal Pro is a fine practice tool. The cost of $14.99 may appear steep but once you walk around with thousands of songs in your pocket the value becomes apparent. One tune you can practice

with iReal Pro is Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite.” On her new and improved website, Jennifer Barnes published a fun SSATB arrangement of the tune (Bright Swing, Level III/IV, jenniferbarnesmusic.com), which provides plenty of opportunity for scat solos.

Music Scanner is an app that allows you to scan or import sheet music and play it back, both tutti and individual staves. This can be helpful to directors who are challenged playing open score or to students needing practice tracks of their parts. This app costs $4.99 and works fine with scores that use traditional fonts. However, it has difficulties with charts written in Jazz or Inkpen and may play back that music Schönberg-esk. Among the scores the app can read easily is Kerry Marsh’s arrangement of Gregory Porter’s gorgeous song “Painted on Canvas” (Contemporary 6/8 feel, SSATB and SSAA, Level III, kerrymarsh.com).

Scatability is an app created by Michele Weir that provides exercises and practice tracks for scat singing, as well as scat demonstrations by notable jazz vocalists. Unfortunately, this app is only available on Apple devices. So let’s all reach out to Michele and her app developer and convince them to offer it for Android as well, hence making it a more equitable teaching tool! It sure would be helpful in preparing students for their scat solos in Jamie Shew’s “A Place for Me” (arr. Matt Falker, Contemporary/Funk, SAB/SATB, Level III, anchormusic.com). This is an easy up-beat tune with thoughtful lyrics and audience sing-along opportunities, ideal to open or close your concert. 

lA NEll mARtiN is an oakland natiVe and has taught grade leVels k through 12 in the Bay area for oVer 25 years

in Both priVate and puBlic schools she holds a B.a in Voice from csu east Bay, an m a in music education from san Jose state uniVersity, and a leVel one certificate in kodaly from holy names uniVersity

la nell is currently the artistic director for the oakland youth chorus and pianist and choir director for the Bethany Baptist church

in oakland she is also an adJunct professor at holy names uniVersity

Top Five for your Choir: Children/Community YOUTH

During this time of rebuilding our choirs, I have found that revisiting some tried and true pieces has given me energy in rehearsal. Sometimes, simple is better, especially since some of us have lost so much in music foundation retention and loss of singers in general. Rebuilding and putting the choir pieces back together is an exciting way to “redo” and re-imagine what was taught, and now, we can introduce and build upon our new skill sets. I hope you look back at your old repertoire with new eyes, or if you’re new to teaching, I hope something here will pique your interest. Happy new school year!

sHeRRy blevins

Moment By Moment

Unison/two-part with piano

Hinshaw Music Inc.

This beautiful melody is accessible to young singers. Scored for unison voices, but with an optional two-part descant to challenge singers to sing with confidence and long lines. Singers will love the powerful message of living each day moment by moment.

sHiRley eRena muRRay and maRTy Haugen

Sing for Peace

Two-part with piano GIA Publications, Inc. G-8840

The text pleads for peace and social justice for all. For me, pulling out the elements in the rhythm supports student discovery in the music. This charming piece of music could be considered sacred but can serve many functions in your concert list or wherever you choose to have your group perform.

cHeRyl lavendeR

Light a Candle for Peace (with Stille Nacht) Partner Song

Included in Hal Leonard’s World Partners: A Multicultural Collection of Partner Songs and Canons

Never underestimate the power of a partner song. Again, some of us are rebuilding our

choirs, and partner songs are an excellent way to build confident harmony within our singers. This piece demonstrates a perfect way to pull essential elements of rhythm and sight-singing, as well as the use of languages.

mykola leonTovycH, aRR. masa fukuda

Carol of the Bells

Two-part with piano

Gambel Oak Publishing GOP3426

A blast from the past with a twist! This traditional piece is made accessible to young and beginning choirs. The music starts with the simple and iconic “Carol of the Bells” and builds with two key changes. Many repetitive blocks and patterns assist the singers in grasping the concepts. The descant can be prepared for a soloist or a small ensemble. My choir is currently preparing this song, and they love it.

nuRiT HiRsH/ aRR. HenRy leck

Bashana Haba’ah

Two-part with piano

Hal Leonard

Again, revisiting the past, this contemporary Hebrew piece is a must, especially when trying to include culturally responsive teaching in the classroom. Although it is a simple piece, many musical elements can be extracted from it to teach specific concepts and independence. Don’t forget to showcase your singers that can play another instrument (violin or clarinet) to accompany this piece. 

lAuREN DiEz teaches choral music at los altos high school in los altos, california she is also an actiVe choral musician in the california Bay area and sings with the san francisco symphony chorus. Besides ccda , lauren serVes on the Board of the california music educators association Bay section as the choral representatiVe she holds a Ba in music education from ucla and an mm in choral conducting from san José state uniVersity

Top Five for your Choir: SSAA CHOIRS

Ihavereached a point in my life and career where I feel neither young nor old. Being twice the age of most of my students, I feel a significant generational divide (and they have shared with me that I am past the “old” threshold in their books). On the other hand, I look up to mentors and colleagues with decades more experience than I and feel I still have so much to learn. When I come across great pieces by young(er than me) choral composers, I am comforted by the fact that our profession is moving forward with time and welcoming new generations of choral innovation. It’s especially great when our young singers can see a part of themselves reflected in the creators of the music they perform. I am inspired by these “young” composers and their works for treble choirs, and I hope you will be, too. Support new music and living composers!

kaTeRina gimon

Boundless

SSAA a cappella

Graphite Publishing

As the title suggests, this piece is not bound by the conventions of your everyday choral composition. The spirit is that of empowerment, exploration, and creativity, realized through aleatoric vocalises, body percussion, aspirated rhythms, and sound effects, ending with the affirmation, “I am boundless.” This piece looks and sounds more difficult than it actually is!

yu Hang Tan

Ikan Kekek

SSA or SSAA with piano and body percussion

Walton Music WJMS1205

This Malay folk song about a ponyfish is seemingly simple with a short four-note melody, but indirect expressions and metaphors present a deeper message in this style of Pantun poetry. The ponyfish is a reminder to keep searching for beauty and magic in our day-to-day lives, and the central phrase is, “let’s go home together, my dear younger brother/sister.” Yu Hang

Tan’s arrangement is accessible with building layers of interest, including ostinati, body percussion, a descant, and improvisation. The piano part is a gong-like sound in the background that subtly adds to the flowing texture.

kaTe cRellin

Day of Fire and Sun

SSAA a cappella

Heritage Music Press 15/3898H

This energetic setting of the Sara Teasdale text has a contemporary a cappella feel to it with syllabic rhythms and a percussive alto 2 line. The catchy melody weaves between all four voice parts and culminates in a punchy unison. “Home-Thoughts From Abroad” is another excellent new treble piece by Kate Crellin that won the CCDA George Heussenstamm Composition Award in 2021.

dale TRumboRe

Threads of Joy

SSAA a cappella

Hal Leonard 00267157

Trumbore sets this sanguine text by Laura Foley with “ever-shifting, prismatic harmonies” that reflect the dynamic nature of the human experience and finding joy in darkness. The threads of joy are painted as canonic phrases weaving throughout. This piece is a beautiful opportunity for expressive phrasing and contrasting dynamics.

saundeR cHoi

Star-crossed

SSAA divisi with piano

MusicSpoke

“Star-crossed” is a poem about unrequited love from a book on LGBT poetry called The Queen Sings the Blues by Ronald Baytan. The lovers are represented as a waterfall and a stream that cross paths but never end up together. Choi paints this scene with flowing vocal lines and a lush piano accompaniment that evoke longing. Dense harmonies and passages with divisi make this piece a rewarding challenge. 

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“What drew me to the MM in Choral Conducting at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music was CSULB’s history of excellence. What ultimately cemented my decision to attend was a one-of-a kind education. I have had the opportunity to lead and sing with the internationally renowned Bob Cole Chamber Choir, rehearse and prepare my own ensembles, and receive weekly conducting lessons on some of the greatest masterworks in the repertoire. Faculty have worked to support and advance my career, pushed me to achieve feats I didn’t think possible, and showed me how to create an artistic space that is both musically excellent and rooted in a deep love of ensemble music-making. That being said, the most incredible part of the conservatory is the students. They are world-class musicians, the kindest and most supportive ensemble members, and agents of change for the future. If asked to do it all over again, I would still, and always will, pick the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.”

—Michael McKenzie, MM Class of 2023

For more information about the MM in Choral Conducting, please contact Dr. Jonathan Talberg, Frank Pooler Professor of Choral Music and Director of Choral Studies at jonathan.talberg@csulb.edu