Drawing the Circle Wider

BY LOU DE LA ROSA

How many times have we heard that phrase over the past two years?

And yet, it wasn’t until last summer's CCDA Summer Retreat at ECCO (Episcopal 'Conference Center, Oakhurst) that it truly sank in. Over the 3 days with headliners Judy Bowers and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu at our “Summer Camp for Choral Directors,” I began to truly understand how to achieve greater inclusion. My college Concert Choir has always been an auditioned ensemble. The class is a requirement for music majors enrolled in applied music but also open to the general population by audition. For students who may or may not have sung in choir in high school, that can be fairly intimidating, and so the field is narrowed even before I see anyone.

As with so many programs, COVID did a number on enrollment at my college, in my department, and as a result, in my choral program. When we restarted in-person rehearsals last year, I was down by over half from pre-pandemic enrollment. This is not where I thought I would be at this point in my 39year career, but that’s life. If I were still teaching high school, I would have asked counselors to send to my choir anyone who could fog up a mirror. So that is essentially what I did in August.

Following Judy Bowers’ lead, I realized that I can teach people how to match pitch, how to sing with good tone, and how to read music, so it was time to roll up my sleeves and get back to real teaching. The result? After two weeks of school, my numbers were up by over 35% as word got around that choir enrollment is open to all. Coming into the second semester, that pattern looks to be repeating. What’s more, the core of music majors in the ensemble (which translates to juniors and seniors from my high school days) provide support as we read through new literature on solfege. The ‘deer in headlights’ look of the new singers recedes as their confidence and excitement grows.

I look forward to more growth this semester and the into the future. Of course, an added benefit is growth in the diversity of my choir. Access, inclusion, diversity, and enrollment improved with such a simple act.

Give it a shot!

Lou De La Rosa is the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies and Chair of the Performing Arts Department in the Cilker School of Art & Design at West Valley College Mr De La Rosa has served on the board of directors of multiple professional organizations. He presently serves as Past President of the Western Region of the American Choral Directors Association In 2021 he received the Medal of Honor from the California All-State Music Education Conference for dedication to music education in the State of California He is the happily married father of three daughters, two sons-in-law, three granddogs, and a grandcat