When this issue is “hot off the press ” , I will have just had my 60 birthday and will have attended the summerconferencesofKansas,MissouriandArkansas.WhenIwasayoungteacher,Irememberthinking thatpeoplethathadtaught20-25yearswerejustsoold Andthenallofasudden,Ihadtaught30andwas retiring,andIwasn’tnearlythatold. th
Afterretiringin2018,therecameapointinabout2022thatIwasreallymissingdirectingachoir.Ididn’t miss being in charge of stuff I didn’t miss reminding students what they had to wear for performances I didn’t miss having to deal with discipline or ordering busses for trips. I did miss selecting literature and directingtheperformancesandmakingmusicwithotherpeople.
Iamsharingourpastandcurrentliteratureasa“BeOurGuest”inthisissue.Foreachpiece,I’lllinkittoa performance (not our group) or to a site where the piece could be purchased. I will also show the programmingandthesetswheretherewastobenoapplause Ihopeyoufindsomethingthatyoucanuse Well-seasonedteachersmayberemindedofanold“triedandtrue”piecethattheyhaven’tthoughtaboutin a long time. Younger teachers may find some of those same pieces for the very first time. Hopefully, everyonecanfindsomethingthattheymightenjoyteachingorsinging.
More importantly, in this issue, you will meet our SWACDA State Presidents and more of our AlbuquerqueConferenceCommitteeteaminthe“ItTakesAVillage”section.
Best,
EricCooley
GradedHonorChoirChair
EricCooleyisanexperiencededucatorwithover18yearsofteachingexperienceatthemiddleschooland high school levels. He currently serves as the head choir director atWalnut Grove High School in Prosper ISD. Prior opening Walnut Grove, Eric served as the director of choirs for Centennial High School in Burleson ISD. Under his direction, the choirs CHS consistently received "Sweepstakes" awards at UIL Concert&Sight-ReadingContestandwerefrequentlynamed"Best-In-Class"atlocalandregionalfestivals. OtherappointmentsincludeservingastheassistantdirectorofchoirsatLDBellHighSchool,theartistic director of the HEB ISD Elementary Honor Choir, and the director of choirs at Ferguson JH in Arlington ISD
Professionally, Eric maintains memberships with TMEA, TMAA ACDA, and the Texas Choral Director's Association.InJanuary,hewaselectedtoserveasthePresidentElectofTCDA.Ericisaproudgraduateof BaylorUniversity(BME’07)andFloridaStateUniversity(MME’12).Helooksforwardtoworkingwiththe SWACDABoardastheGradedHonorChoirCoordinatorforthe2026conference.
ChrisBrown
GradedHonorChoirCoChair
With over a decade of dedication to the choral arts classroom, Chris Brown has established himself as a passionate and accomplished choir director His commitment to excellence is reflected in his role as the SWACDAHonorChoirCoordinatorfrom2018topresent,aswellashisserviceastheArACDAHonorChoir Coordinator in 2019. His ensembles consistently earn Excellent and Superior ratings, reflecting his dedicationtomusicalexcellence.Inadditiontohisleadershipincoordinatinghonorchoirs,hedirectsfive choirsandteachesAPMusicTheory.
Beyondtheclassroom,hecontributeshisvocaltalentswiththeQueenCityChoraleandservesastheTenor SectionLeaderfortheSymphonyofNorthwestArkansas.Asadedicatedcounselorandfacultymemberof the annual Arkansas Choral Connection Choir Camp, he celebrates over 20 years of involvement, shaping young musicians and fostering a love for choral excellence One of his favorite aspects of teaching high schoolstudentsistheabilitytofosterrelationshipswithandmentorthemusiciansinhisclasses
With a wealth of experience and a passion for music education, he continues to inspire and uplift both studentsandaudiencesthroughthepowerofchoralmusic.ChrislivesinnorthwestArkansaswithhisdog, HarryRoosevelt,whokeepshimcompanyonhismusicaljourney.
LisaAuten AccompanistChair
LisaAutenisanactivepianist,teacherandmusicdirectorhavingworkedwiththeUniversityofArkansas Music Department, both Bentonville and Fayetteville High School Choral Departments, TheatreSquared, Arkansas Public Theatre, SoNA Singers, and SoNA (Symphony of Northwest Arkansas). Throughout her career as an accompanist and musical director, Lisa has performed in Los Angeles, Orlando, New York (Carnegie Hall), Belgium, Russia, and Thailand, as well as numerous performances accompanying AllRegion, All-State, SWACDA, and ACDA concerts Additionally, she served as Accompanist Chairperson for theSWACDARegionalConventionin2020(LittleRock),2024(Denver),andisthrilledtoserveagainforthe conference in 2026 (Albuquerque) Currently, Lisa is on faculty at John Brown University as Assistant Professor of Music where she teaches piano and is the Music Education Program Coordinator. She is also the pianist for Schola Cantorum at the University of Arkansas. Lisa holds both a Master of Music in collaborativepianoandBachelorofScienceinmusiceducationfromtheUniversityofArkansas.
Arkansas State President Dr. Nick Farr
Dr. Nick Farr serves as Artistic Director of Una Voce at Wildwood in Little rock, AR. He performs in local professional theatre and serves as Principal of Maumelle High School in Maumelle, AR. Having served on the SWACDA and Arkansas ACDA boards, he enjoys serving the choral community
He has served as clinician and adjudicator throughout Arkansas, as well as a presenter for All State, SWACDA, and Nafme Conferences His groups have performed nationally and internationally in places such as Carnegie Hall, New York; Cadogan Hall, London; and Haydn Hall, Austria.
His hobbies include running, singing, and developing talent. He has two daughters, Kennedy and Rhyan Farr
ColoradoStatePresident
JulieDale
Julia Dale is the Director of Vocal Music at Rock Canyon High School, where she conducts five choirs, teachesA.P.MusicTheory,andvocaldirectstheschoolmusicaleachyear.SheisalsotheadvisorfortheTriM Music Honors Society and serves as the department chair. Under her direction, RCHS choirs have received top ratings at CHSAA competitions and performed at CMEA Her students are often selected for theColoradoAll-StateChoirs
BeforejoiningRockCanyonin2009,Ms.DalewastheDirectorofChoirsatPalmyra-MacedonHighSchool from 2004-2007. She then studied at Westminster Choir College, where she was the graduate assistant conductorfortheWestminsterChapelandSymphonicChoirs,performingwiththeNewYorkPhilharmonic and other renowned orchestras. She was also a member of the Westminster Choir and Westminster Symphonic Choir, performing under esteemed conductors such as Kurt Masur, Pierre Boulez, and Neemi Jarvi.
Ms Dale is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, with a BM in Music Education, and earned an MM inChoralConductingfromWestminsterChoirCollege ShewasRockCanyon'sAppleAwardrecipient in2011andhasservedinvariousleadershiprolesinColoradoACDAandCHSAA.
Brandon Wade is in his 15th year of teaching and is the choral director at Pratt High School and Liberty Middle School in Pratt, KS His groups consistently receive top ratings at District and State Festivals and are well represented in the KMEA Honor Choirs. He has had the privilege of conducting his groups at the KMEA State Convention and Carnegie Hall in New York City. During the summer, Brandon enjoys teaching classes on musical theater, vocal percussion, and arranging contemporary a cappella music. He also serves as the music director for the Pratt High musicals, which have had the honor of winning multiple regional awards.
Brandon has been an active member of the Kansas Music Educators Association, has served as the SW District High School Choir Chair, and the SW District President, and currently is the All-State Mixed Honor Choir Chair. Previously serving as the SW District Representative for KCDA, he is now the President-Elect. He also served as the Kansas Representative for the A Cappella Education Association. Brandon has had the honor and privilege of being a guest clinician for honor groups all around the state of Kansas.
Brandon received his Bachelors in Music Education from Pittsburg State University in 2009 and his Masters degree from Kansas State University in 2020
In addition to teaching, Brandon enjoys being an active musician, but most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda, and their two sons, Naise and Asher
MissouriPresident ChristyElsea
Christy Elsea is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Michigan State University She recently retiredfromteachingvocalmusicforgrades6-8atSmithtonMiddleSchoolinColumbia,Missouri. Christy hasservedinvariouspositionswiththeMissouriChoralDirectorsAssociation,MissouriMusicEducators AssociationandtheMissouriStateTeachersAssociation
Christy’s previous teaching positions have included Lebanon High School, Lebanon Junior High School, SantaFeElementaryandHighSchool,PoplarBluffpublicschoolsandRollapublicschools
Dr. Karsten Longhurst is Chair of Vocal Music Education at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and the Artistic Director of the CanterburyYouthVoices. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California with emphases in music education, arts leadership, and vocal performance. Previous degrees include a Master in Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Music in Education and German fromWeber StateUniversity.
Prior to joining OCU and CanterburyYouthVoices, Dr. Longhurst served as the Director of Choral Music and the Assistant Director of Music Education at Northwestern Oklahoma State University In 2022, the NWOSU Singers were a featured Honor Choir at the OkMEA State Music Educators Convention He also taughthighschoolandmiddleschoolforsixyearsinOgden,Utah,andwashonoredwiththeTeachingin Excellenceaward
Dr Longhurst is active as a guest conductor, presenter, adjudicator, and performer He currently serves as the President-Elect of the Oklahoma Choral Director’s Association and is a member of the National AssociationofTeachersofSingingandtheNationalAssociationforMusicEducators.Heenjoysperforming asaprofessionalsoloandensembletenor,havingcollaboratedwithartistssuchastheRollingStones,Barry Manilow, and Elton John, and as a guest soloist in the Salt Lake City Tabernacle. He has performed with ensemblesincludingtheSaltLakeVocalArtists,Brevitas,andtheEnidSymphony.
TexasStatePresident LeighAnnMcClure
Leigh Ann McClure, currently President of the Texas Choral Directors Association, also served the Texas MusicEducatorsAssociationVocalDivisionasHighSchoolRegionandAreaChair,MiddleSchoolRegion Chair, All-State Treble Choir organizer, and Convention Ballroom Chair She was also the Texas Music Adjudicators’ Association Vocal Vice-President. Honored by The University Interscholastic League as a recipient of the “Sponsor of Excellence” award (2013), McClure is an active adjudicator and clinician and sectionleaderatseveralsummerall-statepreparatorycamps.
McClurereceivedtheBMEdegreefromBaylorUniversityandMMEfromTheUniversityofNorthTexas. In 2024,shecompleteda37-yearpublicschoolteachingcareer,havingspentthelast18yearsasHeadDirector of Keller ISD’s Central High School Choir Department. While at CHS, McClure conducted the campus ’ varsity concert choirs and was co-director of the Voices of Central Show Choir The school’s Chamber Women were honored to be an invited choir at the TMEA Convention in 2024. The ensemble was also Reserve Grand Champion and Outstanding Treble Choir at the prestigious Festival di Voce choral competition (2023) and a National Winner in the Foundation for Music Education’s Mark of Excellence competition. McClure previously taught in the Arlington, Cleburne, and Alvarado ISDs. Choirs under her directionhavereceivedconsistentUILsweepstakesawardsandhashadmanyall-statechoirmembers.
McClure recently became a professor at Dallas Baptist University and is director of the university’s inauguraltreblechoir(LibertySingers)andteachessecondarychoralmusiceducation.
NewMexicoPresident EmoryEdwards
Emery has been New Mexico’s state president for an extended time due to an early change in leadership She will continue in this roll for one more year, with Christopher Yee as her president-elect Hewillbeshadowingheroverthenextyear Gratefulforherleadership
EmeryEdwardsiscurrentlytheDirectorofChoirsandGuitaratEldoradoHighSchoolandtheDirectorof theAlbuquerqueGirlChoirinAlbuquerque,NM.Shehasbeeninmusiceducationfor12yearsandisaNM Level III Educator. Across New Mexico, she has made music with students of all levels, including K-5 generalmusic,6-12choir,9-12pianoandguitar.Andshewillneverforgetthatoneyearof2ndgradegeneral education.
Emery received her Bachelors of Choral Music Education from Eastern New Mexico University and her MastersofCurriculumandInstructioninMathematicsfromtheUniversityofTexas-Arlington.
n years, he has directed various kinds of ensembles in both public and privat o hadtheopportunitytoworkwithvariouschoirsandmusicalgroupsduringhistimeasafull-timechurch musicdirectoratFirstEvangelicalFreeChurchinLasCruces.
While living in Santa Fe, he was artistic director of the Santa Fe Men's Camerata, a professional men ' s chorus. His choirs and students have regularly received superior ratings at local MEA events and participateinACDAstate-widehonorsensembles.
He received his Bachelor's degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Arts from Eastern New Mexico University. Recently, his choir was featured on stage with the British American rock band, Foreigner,bringinginternationalattentiontotheimportanceofmusicinourschools.
