Southwestern
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Vol. 2.12
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December 30, 2025
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SWACDA Board (2024-2026) Jonathan Owen, President Joshua Oppenheim, President-elect Jeffrey Murdock, Past President Jeff Wall, Treasurer Margie Camp, Conference Chair
From the President’s Pen Registration Walkthrough R&R Repertoire State of the State - TCDA R&R Resource - Show Choir, Pt. 2 Albuquerque Time Capsule - 1960 Children’s and Community Youth - Nathan Wubbena Junior High/Middle School - Cristi Miller Senior High School - Spencer Wiley 4-Year College and University - Rayvon TJ Moore 2-Year College and University - Tatiana Taylor Student Activity - Jennifer Sengin Community Choirs - Andy Waggoner Music in Worship - Bryan Taylor Vocal Jazz - Beth Enloe Fritz Show Choir - Michael Shimp World Music & Cultures - Eduardo Garcia-Novelli Tenor/Bass Choirs - Reginal Wright Soprano/Alto Choirs - Tanner Oglesby
From the President’s Pen I hope that you are excited about Albuquerque 2026. I know that I am (in case you didn’t already know that). The work of finding a city started in 2023 and I went on the first site visit in February of 2024. I truly had no idea what went into planning a conference like this. I had worked on conferences for MCDA and MMEA, but those conferences are always in the same location, with leaders from within the state. This was truly a whole difference animal. Planning this conference has been a journey, but one that I have enjoyed and am thankful that I had the opportunity to be involved with. Working with Margie Camp, my conference chair, has been a joy!! The institutional knowledge that Margie has, both for SWACDA and ACDA is unmatched and I am grateful that she said “yes” when I asked her to be part of the team. Speaking of great teams, you will soon be receiving the January Choral Journal (hard copies mailed in January, but is already online). It is really a beautiful issue with a HUGE amount of information about all of the regional conferences. A BIG shout out to the editorial team of Amanda Bumgarner, Ron Granger and Robyn Hilger for all of their work in producing this issue!!!! Some things I want to remind you of as we get closer to Albuquerque: Hotel conference rates close on February 2nd Balloon rides will happen on early Wednesday morning - this is something that could be a once in a lifetime experience You WILL NOT want to miss all of the incredible sessions on Wednesday. R&R, Honor choir conductors, Kodaly. Please join us for the Friday evening All-Conference Dinner. It will be something really special!! Attendees pay only $10 and SWACDA covers the rest of the cost. You won’t find a better deal anywhere. Great food, wonderful company, exciting cultural performances. The President’s concert on Friday night featuring the HS Jazz Honor Choir, the All-Collegiate choir and Apollo5. I had a wonderful time at KCDA, MCDA and Arkansas ACDA this past summer and at TCDA in 2024. I’m hoping to see many familiar faces in Albuquerque. Please join us!!!! Best,
Jonathan Owen, SWACDA President
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Repertoire
Spencer Wiley, R&R chair High School Mixed
Ma Navu Arr. Audrey Snyder Hal Leonard Corporation SATB, accompanied Ma Navu is a traditional Jewish melody originally written in the 19 th century and based on text found in biblical scripture from the book of Isaiah. Alternating back and forth from Hebrew to English, this song is accessible for beginning & emerging mixed choirs and is also available for SAB ensembles. The piece also contains a stomping and clapping section that truly captures the spirit of this Jewish tradition by incorporating movement as it builds to a climactic conclusion. https://www.jwpepper.com/ma-navu-3144169/p Keep Singing Ayrian Norman Heritage Music Press SATB, accompanied If you are looking for a piece that centers around overcoming adversity and believing in yourself, Keep Singing is the perfect song to program for your next concert. Inspiring text coupled with a driving piano accompaniment that slows down in moments of reflection makes the message behind the song even more poignant. This piece is perfect for an emerging/intermediate mixed ensemble or a beginning mixed ensemble that needs a little bit of a challenge. https://www.jwpepper.com/keep-singing-11561776/p Lift Ev’ry Voice Edryn J. Coleman Oxford University Press SATB, accompanied Beginning with a declamatory fanfare that encourages the listener to “Lift ev’ry voice and sing,” this piece is a great way to start your concert. Arranged in ABA form, this song is great for ensembles that can showcase their ability to sing with rhythmic energy as well as with legato phrasing. With subtle harmonic shifts supported by the piano accompaniment, Coleman creates an exciting piece that can be great for intermediate mixed ensembles. https://www.jwpepper.com/lift-evry-voice-11613708/p
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High School Mixed Continued
The Times They Are A-Changin’ Bob Dylan; arr. Adam Podd Hal Leonard Corporation SATB, accompanied Podd creates a new perspective on Bob Dylan’s classic hit from the 1960’s. The innovative harmonic progressions found throughout the piece highlight the text in a way that transforms the song from a rock folk ballad to a contemporary choral masterpiece. It is also a great opportunity to teach your ensemble how to read alternating compound time signatures. Containing everything from lush, dissonant harmony to restrained ensemble unison, this arrangement of The Times They Are A-Changing will be a favorite amongst your intermediate to advanced singers. https://www.jwpepper.com/the-times-they-are-a-changin-11384872/p His Eye is On the Sparrow Arr. Zanaida Robles Gentry Publications SATB divisi, a cappella Robles does an incredible job at developing the traditional hymn tune into a tapestry of harmonic development and dynamic contrast. Made for an advanced ensemble, this piece utilizes elements from jazz with subtle hints of gospel music to create a powerful version of this soul-stirring melody. I am certain that this fairly new arrangement by Robles will be known as one of the best renditions of this song for years to come. https://www.jwpepper.com/his-eye-is-on-the-sparrow-11514212/p
State of the State Texas Leigh Ann McClure President TCDA
TCDA: Reflection and Anticipation As we near the end of the year, many of our outstanding Texas choirs are preparing to present concerts in Albuquerque in March. We are so thrilled to bring so many of our outstanding young musicians to perform what will undoubtedly be moving performances. In the meantime, our TCDA board members have been busy hosting activities and preparing for others. In October we hosted our first annual New and Emerging Professionals Workshop, an opportunity for our younger members to engage with one another, attend sessions led by some outstanding directors in the middle of their professional careers, earn professional development credit that directly relates to their teaching area, and hear from area fine arts directors who shared information about interview skills. The response from those who attended–both those who presented and those there to learn–was affirming and positive. We are excited to continue offering this unique platform for our younger members again next fall. In addition, Dr. Eric Posada hosted our first New and Emerging Professionals Virtual Meet Up in November. Those attending had the chance to hear from two outstanding Texas choral directors from different parts of our state. Sisters Cynthia Douglas from the Houston area and Pauline Sexton from the Dallas-Fort Worth area shared openly about their early careers and answered questions from eager college students as well as young professionals already in the classroom. We are all excited about attending another after the first of the year. Finally, our board has already selected more opportunities for professional growth than ever during our 71st annual convention July 15-18, with a Friday only intensive for our elementary choral directors. Dr. Derrick Fox will be TCDA’s summer headliner in San Antonio and our honor choir directors will be Gemma Arguelles (Elementary Honor Choir) and Robert T. Griffin (Middle SchoolJunior High All-State Choir). On a personal note, I am excited to meet and get reacquainted with many of you in Albuquerque. What a wonderful series of sessions and concerts we have to look forward to thanks to Jonathan and his outstanding team. As for me, I can’t wait!
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Resource
Michael Shimp, Chair Show Choir Pt. 2 of 4
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at what happens on the surface of a contest day with Carmen Forte, from the six supported scoring models to plain language tie breaks, to how critiques travel from a judge’s phone to a director’s inbox in about a minute, even when the Wi Fi gets grumpy. We saw that the platform was never just “paper, but digital,” it was built around speed, accuracy, and transparency so students and parents can finally understand why results turned out the way they did, and directors can focus on teaching instead of defending math. In this second installment, we sit back down with founder Sherman Charles to tackle the questions directors usually save for the car ride home. Who really owns the scores and audio, how long do they live in the system, and how does Carmen Forte keep student data safe while still giving you useful exports for your own records. What do you get built in, from payments to public results pages, and what is on the roadmap for next season. Along the way, Sherman walks us through onboarding, live support on show day, real world proof that the system works at scale, and how an educator advisory board helps decide what gets built next. If Part 1 showed that scoring can be clear, Part 2 is about trust, ownership, and long term impact, and how a scoring platform can double as a teaching tool once the trophies are packed away. 6. What is your data policy, including ownership of scores and media, retention timelines, security practices, and any compliance considerations relevant to schools? Ownership You own your data. Hosts keep full ownership of scores, recordings, comments, and media. Carmen Forte provides the platform, not the claim. Security, the essentials ● Encryption: AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit. ● Access control: Fine-grained, row-level rules. Judges only see the events they are assigned to. ● Audio protection: Download links are temporary and authenticated, with a 7-day expiration. Directors can save files locally, then the links expire. ● Audit trails: Every access and change is logged for accountability. Privacy and school compliance We align with FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and CPPA. Sensitive items like director contact info, payment details, and any student records live in isolated database areas with strict permissions.
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Show Choir, Pt. 2 Continued
What we do not do ● No third-party data sharing for ads or analytics. ● No social media style features that would require monitoring student behavior. ● No training of AI models on your audio. Transcription uses providers with zero-retention agreements. ● No ads that harvest personal information. ● No scraping other sites and calling it our data. Retention and control Hosts set the timeline. You decide how long to keep or archive materials, and you can request deletion. Your data is yours, PERIOD. 7. Which integrations exist or are planned, for example registration systems, payment tools, public results pages, learning platforms, cloud storage, and open data exports? Here is the short version: you get payments, public results pages, a public resource library, and cloud storage. All are built and managed inside Carmen Forte. One login, one support team, one security policy, no data passed around to a bunch of vendors. Why we build it ourselves We handle sensitive information, like director contacts, payment details, and sometimes student records. We also work with schools that follow FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and CPPA. To keep privacy airtight, each person only sees what is relevant to their event. We cannot guarantee that standard if we bolt on third party tools with unclear data policies, so we keep the core in house. Registration system This is in active development. Our educator advisory board sets the priorities, not a feature checklist. We build what directors actually use. Getting your data out Need to move info into your own system or share it with a partner platform You can export CSV, PDF, and JSON. Your data does not leave our world unless you choose to export it. Carefully chosen third parties We do use a few services, all under strict privacy terms: ● Supabase for backend infrastructure ● Whisper and GPT for transcription and summaries, with zero retention agreements ● Mapbox for public competition maps
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Show Choir, Pt. 2 Continued
No ad networks, no analytics trackers that mine your data, no social media style tracking. What makes this different Some platforms integrate with everything, which often means your data ends up everywhere. Carmen Forte is a controlled, secure ecosystem that still plays nicely with others through clean exports. You keep clarity, you keep control, and you keep your data. 8. What do onboarding and support look like for hosts and judges? Friendly, practical, and built for real show days. Before contests ● Step by step guides, short video walkthroughs, and a sandbox where you can practice with sample events. ● Quick start checklists so you know what to do first. ● Device tips for iOS and Android, plus laptop basics, so everything works the same way on stage and in the gym. During contests ● Live help by chat, email, and phone, so you reach a human fast. ● Urgent issues, like a judge who cannot log in or scores that will not submit, jump straight to senior staff. ● Clear updates while we fix things, so you can keep the day moving. What makes this different ● The support team includes current directors and former students, not just generic IT. ● They hear “the judge’s audio is not uploading” and understand it really means “the schedule is about to slip and performers are waiting,” so they prioritize accordingly. After the event ● Optional post-event debriefs to capture wins and fix pain points. ● FAQs and guides that update based on real questions from real festivals. ● Documentation that grows with actual usage, not guesses. Bottom line, you get training that sticks, support that responds, and follow through that makes the next contest smoother than the last.
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Show Choir, Pt. 2 Continued
9. Do you have proof it works in the real world? Here is the quick view, with plain language. Accuracy ● The math engine removes hand tabulation mistakes, so scoring math errors are effectively zero. ● Judges get real time checks while entering scores, required fields cannot be skipped, penalties apply automatically with two layers of protection. ● Tie break rules run in milliseconds, then the system creates the final ranks instantly. Speed ● Directors receive results about 30 seconds after awards are finalized, not hours later. Scale ● Small invitationals with 8 to 15 groups. ● Large multi division festivals with 100 or more competitors. ● Complex panels with 12 or more judges across multiple captions. ● International events in multiple countries. ● About 170 competitions each year across show choir, marching band, concert band, orchestra, choir, color guard, and solo or ensemble events. Retention ● Long term partners include WorldStrides, the Frisson Foundation in Scotland, nd many independent hosts who return each season because the system is reliable. Real impact, in practice ● Directors report that post contest scoring disputes have disappeared because the process is transparent. ● Students can see how scoring works, which turns results into learning. ● Hosts spend their time running the event, not fixing technology. Clear results, fast turnarounds, and fewer headaches, that is the difference people feel on show day. 10. What is on your roadmap for next season, and how do educators shape it? Here is what is coming, all built with directors and judges in the loop. Roadmap highlights ● Sharper audio transcription for clearer critiques. ● Judge’s Assistant v2.0, stronger AI summaries that stay teacher friendly. ● Performance analytics that plug into lesson planning.
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Show Choir, Pt. 2 Continued
● New judge views for timing judges, critique only judges, and subjective awards. ● A cleaner solo competition workflow from check in to awards. ● Stats on judge scoring habits, helpful for training and calibration. ● Group trend tracking across contests, so growth is easy to spot. ● A director dashboard that shows all groups, events, and history in one place. How the community drives it ● An educator advisory board sets priorities. ● Beta programs let hosts and judges try features early and give feedback. ● Public changelogs and post event debriefs keep everything transparent and evolving. What sets Carmen Forte apart 1. Educational depth that goes home with you Not just scores on show day. You get transcripts, smart summaries, and trend tools you can use in rehearsal, for administrator reports, and with students. 2. Privacy and security by design Built to meet or exceed FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and CPPA. No third party ad networks, no selling data, no training AI on your audio. Zero retention agreements on transcription. Your data stays yours. 3. Transparent scoring, plain language Tie logic is published and readable. If an admin makes an override, the system requires a written reason, then records who did it and when. Directors can see why results happened, not just what happened. 4. Offline protection that is proven Local first saving, background sync, and quick exports mean weak Wi Fi does not stop scoring. We have not lost a score. 5. Judge’s Assistant, now in its second generation We pioneered intelligent feedback memos, tightly integrated and included without per recording fees. 6. Zero tolerance for math errors Automatic tabulation, real time validation, method specific calculations in milliseconds, instant ranks, and published tie breaks.
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Show Choir, Pt. 2 Continued
7. Built by experts for this community Since 2007, with deep experience in music education, speech and language tech, and decades of adjudication. That expertise shapes everything from audio accuracy to data policies. Who we serve, and why that matters Partners include WorldStrides, the Frisson Foundation in Scotland, and dozens of independent hosts. They return because the platform is reliable, secure, and built around educator needs. Bottom line The roadmap is guided by the people who use the platform, and every item points back to the same goal, helping directors teach better and run smoother events, while keeping data safe and the scoring process clear. As we wrap up this second installment, a pattern starts to emerge. Carmen Forte is not just a clever way to move score sheets online, it is a system built around trust. Clear ownership of scores and audio, predictable retention timelines, strong security practices, and transparent exports mean directors are not guessing where their data lives or how to get it back. Add in thoughtful contest day workflows, options for public results, and a roadmap guided by working educators, and you get a platform that treats scoring as part of the learning process, not just the last chore of a long Saturday. With that foundation in place, it is time to widen the lens. In Article 3, we will visit another familiar name in the show choir world, Kevin Palu from ezComp, and explore how his platform tackles many of the same problems from a different starting point. Where Carmen Forte grew out of a focus on transparency and educational clarity, ezComp began as a tabulation lifeline for busy directors and has expanded into a full contest management hub. Seeing these systems side by side will give directors, hosts, and adjudicators a richer toolbox and a clearer sense of what questions to ask when choosing the right fit for their own programs.