A Message from our President

As I write,

I am teaching my last few weeks of high school choir. I have been teaching for 44 years in Orange Unified School District, 3 years at Portola Junior High School, and at Orange High School for the last 41 ½ years. For those of you just starting in this amazing career, I know that sounds like a long time, but it has flown by!

The relationships and friendships I developed over the years have been uplifting and enlightening.

As a beginning music teacher, my dream was to have the best choirs ever! I knew that I wanted to teach at the Junior High level and that it was my niche (ah, youth!). I had 300 students in my JHS choirs but no program at the HS. In January of 1982, I asked to help with the program. Within the week, I was teaching an “0” period class at Orange High School. I soon started a Chamber choir that met 2 times a week, all while teaching full time at the JHS.

I soon realized that I was alone. There were no other teachers at either school whom I could ask questions that related to music or choirs. A music teacher in the district was a member of both ACDA and SCVA (Southern California Vocal Association) and invited me to a workshop. That is when ACDA and SCVA entered my life, I found my people, and I was changed forever. The choral friends, conferences, workshops, and festivals changed my life.

In my experience, the more I volunteered to help with ACDA and SCVA activities, the more I learned and became a part of the choral community. I believe the best way for us to learn is by doing. I suggest:

Attending ACDA, CCDA, and SCVA conferences. Check out the in state, regional, and national conferences,

Joining a choir to learn from the conductor, Assisting in conferences and workshops, Hosting a festival, Volunteering to help at the 2024 regional conference in Pasadena!

In my experience, to be successful as a choral director in a high school, students need us to be a:

Choral musician, Guidance counselor, Advisor, Businessperson (especially for fundraising!), Travel agent, Constant presence in their lives, Bigger than life, Able to relate on a personal level Much, much more!

Most of all, be a part of what you belong to - invest in your profession. Don’t look to profit monetarily from every experience, but look to prosper with each, concert, choir tour, workshop, and interaction with your colleagues! You are the future of our profession! You are the keepers of the musical flame!

Michael Short is the current president of Western Region ACDA. For the last 43 years Michael has directed choirs from elementary, middle, high school, community college and adult community and church. He is currently the choral director and department chairman at Orange High School, founder/director of the Orange Community Master Chorale, president of the Greater Orange Community Arts Theater Foundation (GOCAT) and director of music for the First United Methodist Church all in the city of Orange, California. Michael has been married to Vicki for 40 years and they have two grown children and three very cute and smart grandchildren.