Newsletter Fall 2015

Virginia Harmony
Fall 2015 Newsletter
President’s Message Bill Podolski
To think back to my first year of directing choirs, is a
wonderful trip down memory lane!
For some of
us it was a
few years
ago, others
ancient
history, and
some are
surviving it
as we speak.
For many of
us, we have had several first years,
as every time we begin change jobs
or begin a new position, it’s as if
we just graduated. These first
years are precious, and important
for us to remember, reflect on,
learn from, and invest in.
I think about the tremendous
excitement, ambition and energy
that I approached my new position.
I was going to change the world,
one singer at a time, and no one
could possibly stop me! I had
learned so much from my college
training, and I was ready to put it
into action. Yet at the same time, I
think about the innocent ignorance
I had, full of wisdom from that
college training, but short of actual
practical experience. I remember
the complete failure of a rehearsal
when I tried to warm-up my
elementary school choir in the
same manner as I had the
University Chamber Singers. The
young singers were not having it!
When I started teaching on the
high school level, I remember
giving the advanced Chamber
Singer’s Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus,
and a downbeat. Four voices came
swirling around me and I was
flummoxed about what to do!
Ultimately I figured it out, but
certainly a lot of sweat was lost
during those early moments. I also
remember the challenges and
disappointments: the well-thoughtout behavior management program
that just wouldn’t work; signing
the class drop slips because the
students no longer wanted to take
the new guy’s class; the parent who
1
This Issue:
President’s Message
1
First Year Tips
2
Treble Choir Repertoire
4
New HS Repertoire
5
VA International Tattoo
7
Take Five
10
wanted to report me to the school
board for not casting their
daughter as the lead in the
musical; working so tirelessly to
provide the best for students, yet
being reprimanded by an
administrator because an email
response did come soon enough.
(All true stories.) As we ponder
our first years, they are very
precious, emotional and
important, which is why I believe
so firmly that as a network of
colleagues we must take care of
and invest in our first year choral
directors.
(continued on pg 2)
Podolski con’t
ACDA is committed to this cause.
You will be hearing in the coming
year of opportunities for us to
develop a comprehensive mentor
program within our state. Much
like a Big-Brother/Sister Program,
willing veteran choral directors
would be paired with someone
new, and could provide guidance,
wisdom, and support. If you are
interested in serving as a mentor,
or if you would like to benefit
from having a mentor, please let
me know. Additionally, the
conferences that ACDA puts
together are intended to provide
training, inspiration and resources
for any choral director who wants
to continue to grow in their
profession. While they may be
financial and time investments,
and an extra burden for a new
director, I encourage you to do
whatever you can to pursue these
enrichment opportunities. I
always come back from
conference refueled, and renewed
with the same energy I had my
very first year. Lastly, in our first
edition of the 2015-16 academic
year, we are focusing on our first
year choral directors. You will
hear from our wise and
experienced R&S Chairs and their
insights on surviving. We will
also be seeking true-life stories
from those who are currently in
their first year. I am grateful for
our new newsletter editor, Chad
Steffey, for his work on this body
of work and highlighting this
important time of our careers.
As we think back on our first
years, let us be rejuvenated by the
energy and optimism we once had,
delight in the many lessons we
learned in those first years, and
remember the challenges we faced
so that we might console and
support those just entering our
field. To the many new directors
reading, welcome to a career that
promises some of the most
fulfilling work a human can do,
hang in there, and know that you
have a community of colleagues
ready to lend a helping hand!
Bill Podolski is the current
President of VA-ACDA
Making Connections:
First-Year Firsts
by Charlotte McKee
You are
already into
your third
or fourth
month of
school, but
remember
It’s Never
Too Late!
It’s never too late to begin
teaching sight singing. It’s never
too late to begin consistently
working on vowels and
consonants every day in rehearsal.
It’s never too late to ask for help,
ask questions, and find a great
mentor. It’s never too late to
network, and the list goes on and
on.
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It’s never too late to ask questions!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
and don’t be afraid to make
mistakes. You will make
mistakes; it’s a given. So, learn
for them and move on. Learn
something every day that will
make you a better teacher, and
learn something every day that
helps your students become better
people and musicians.
Get to know your faculty. The
choir room is often isolated from
the majority of the school’s
classrooms. As a new or even a
returning teacher, it is important
that you connect with the other
teachers in your school. Take the
time to get to know your
colleagues and show genuine
interest in what they are doing. If
other teachers eat in the cafeteria
during your lunch, then join them
occasionally. Get involved in
activities that are outside of the
music wing. Every few weeks our
librarian had morning events in
the library that were before the
first bell rang. These were fun
events for students and faculty and
were the perfect way to get to
know the faculty members who
were there and also to get to know
other students in the school. With
situations like this, you only have
to step in for a minute or two. Just
being there shows that you care
and are interested in what others in
the school are doing. Time is
scarce for everyone so take
advantage of events and
participate as often as possible.
By getting to know your faculty
you set yourself up for a much
First Year (con’t)
more enjoyable working environment and better communication with the teachers your students have. You also
learn who can answer your questions and who is willing to assist you at concerts and perhaps travel. Your
colleagues might even surprise you with their interest and abilities in music! You have a huge resource of
people in your building, step out of your comfort zone and begin initiating those contacts.
Find a mentor who is a choral director. Your school may have given you a
mentor; however, in many schools there is only one choral director. That
means your mentor might not understand anything about music. He or she
can help you with the questions about items that every teacher in the
school deals with but cannot help you with your choral music questions. If
your school has band and/or orchestra, the directors are great resources and
can provide feedback if you ask them, even if they are not choral
specialists. They also are a great resource for good instrumental
accompanists. Meet and keep in contact with the choral directors in your
system and district. Find one that you can really talk to and who is willing to listen and offer suggestions. You
might find there is a retired choral director in the area who can help with your questions and has time especially
during the seasons when everyone else is overloaded. Consider signing up on the ACDA National website for a
mentor. Go to the ACDA website and check it out! https://mentoring.acda.org/
It’s never too late to ask
questions! Don’t be
afraid to ask questions
and don’t be afraid to
make mistakes.
Make connections with the music teachers that are in your school’s strand. For example, if you teach middle
school these are the elementary music teachers whose students eventually come to your school and director of
the high school where your students will attend. You want your singers to continue their choral studies at the
high school level, and the high school director also wants them to continue. Work with the high school director
to create opportunities for the director to meet your students and for the students to also hear, meet, and perhaps
perform with the high school choir(s).
Just as the high school director’s connections with your students are important for high school recruiting, the
connections you make with the elementary music teachers are very important in your ability to recruit for the
middle school choral program. By keeping a positive communication line open with these teachers you may
have better access to know who the great singers in their schools are. Try to create a simple collaboration with
these elementary schools and music teachers. The elementary students need to have contact with you and the
middle school choir students. You need to provide a way for the elementary students to get excited about
singing in the middle school choir.
Charlotte McKee is the current
Jr. High and Middle School Choirs R&S Chair
3
Choosing Treble Choir Repertoire
by Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts
If I had to highlight one thing that matters most to me in conducting a women’s
chorus (as opposed to a mixed chorus), it is the repertoire. The music you choose
says a lot about you as a conductor, about how you view your choir, and about what
you want your students to get out of the experience. Repertoire is an integral part of
the educational process. It’s a piece that sometimes gets pushed aside when working
with a women’s chorus, especially if the women’s chorus in question has the stigma
of the “leftovers” choir – the ones who
didn’t make the mixed group. [Look for a discussion of this sort
Look beyond the SA/SSA/
of ensemble hierarchy in a future article!]
No matter the level or the make-up of the group, I encourage
SSAA label ...
you to program quality music in your ensemble. Quality can
match the characteristics
manifest itself in a number of ways:
and needs of your ensemble.
Text. I am a strong proponent of programming texts with
substance. Not every song has to have deep meaning – there is a
time and place for feel-good, fun songs, no question. But for those
points in the program where the mixed group or men’s group is singing a text with depth, make sure the
women’s chorus is as well. Search out texts of poetic or literary significance, including those by both female
and male authors. Look for songs emphasizing positive portrayals and characterizations of women and girls. As
an educator, if we want to help our students grow up into strong, confident, independent women, who are
comfortable in their own skin, we can help that process by choosing texts, stories, and ideas that support that
development. Avoid a preponderance of cheesy, schmaltzy, syrupy songs with no substance, which so often
make up the bulk of women’s chorus repertoire. Give your women’s chorus a text or a melody line or harmonic
structure that they can sink their teeth into. Provide them something they can be proud of performing.
Range. Repertoire voicing designations for women’s choirs are notoriously misleading. Because so
many groups and voice-types share the treble range, music marked as SA, SSA, and SSAA could be intended
for boychoir, children’s choir, elementary general music, middle school girls, high school girls/women,
collegiate women, and/or community women. Each of those groups is a distinct entity, with different range
capabilities, tessitura comfort zones, passaggio challenge areas, and overall vocal timbre/color. Know your
group. Know the potential repertoire. Look beyond the SA/SSA/SSAA label and make sure the pieces you are
selecting truly match the characteristics and needs of your ensemble.
Arrangements. We all have had that moment when we want our women’s chorus to sing a piece from the
Classical or Baroque era, and we find an SSA arrangement of a song originally for mixed choir. Or maybe
there’s a selection that our mixed choir liked, and women’s chorus wants to sing it too. Occasionally these
arrangements work out well – usually when intentionally crafted as a new setting for women’s voices. However,
sometimes these arrangements do the original piece, and our singers, a disservice. Frequently, these are cookiecutter arrangements that are automatically published in multiple versions, with little thought to the unique
qualities of each voicing. I’m certainly not saying that you should never program an SSA arrangement of an
SATB song – but you should look closely at each selection, and carefully judge the merit of the arrangement for
your particular situation. Maybe even dig a little deeper to find that gem that was originally written for two
female voices, or female choir. Just be mindful that not all arrangements are created equal.
Working with women’s choirs can be a truly enriching experience, though not without its challenges. I believe
you can mitigate or even eliminate many issues simply by choosing the right music for your group.
Dr. Shelbie L.Wahl-Fouts
is the current Women’s Choir R&S Chair
4
Newly Published Repertoire for
High School Ensembles
3. Veni Creator Spiritus, Anthony Bernaducci
(SATB divisi, and djembe)
This mixed meter piece is very accessible for high
school mixed choir. Students will love the
addition of djembe and the natural build
throughout the piece, which includes a contrasting
middle section without djembe. This piece was
performed by the National ACDA High School
Honors Choir in 2015 in Salt Lake City, under the
direction of Andre Thomas. Composer, Anthony
Bernarducci, is currently the assistant director of
choral activities at Clemson University.
by Laura Lazarevich
This past summer, I had the privilege to study
conducting with Andre Thomas for two weeks as a
part of my Master’s Degree from Florida State
University. For this course, Dr. Thomas selected 72
pieces of repertoire, all published in 2014-2015. I
selected 12 of my favorites for high school, and will
share six with you in this newsletter, and the
remaining six in the January newsletter. Each of
these pieces will be submitted for admission into the
VMEA manual in November. In the January
newsletter, I will follow up with ratings for all 12
pieces. If you click on the title of each piece, you
will be redirected to the J.W. Pepper website where
you can listen to a recording. I hope you enjoy!
4. Now Touch the Air Softly, David Brunner
(SSA, accompanied)
This simple melody in 6/8 is accompanied by
piano and oboe solo and provides a lovely
message of eternal love. This piece could also be
performed by middle school or children’s choir.
David Brunner is an active composer and the
Director of Choral Activities at the University of
Central Florida. This would be a wonderful
selection for a new teacher to use with a beginning
or intermediate women’s choir as it would be ideal
to build tone and work on vowel formation, and
would easily appeal to your women.
1. Canticum Novum, Ivo Antognini (SATB divisi,
unaccompanied)
This up-tempo, jubilant work by living Swedish
composer, Antognini, utilizes mixed meter and
modern harmonies. This piece would be suitable for
an advanced level high school mixed choir, or a
collegiate level mixed ensemble.
5. Now Let Me Fly, arr. Stacey Gibbs (SSAA
divisi, unaccompanied)
This traditional Spiritual opens with a section in
3/4, to be performed freely, then picks up with a
rhythmic section of the repetitive and fun melody.
This SSAA piece often splits into 6+ parts, and
would also be ideal for a collegiate women’s
choir. Alto 2s will need to have a solid low F, but
singers are sure to enjoy this catchy piece!
2. Good Night, Dear Heart, Dan Forrest (TTBB with
piano accompaniment)
The text of this piece by Robert Richardson and
Mark Twain combined with the accessible four-part
writing lends itself to easy music making. The
SATB a cappella arrangement was released in 2009
by young American composer, Dan Forrest, and is
rated a IV in the Virginia Literature manual. An
SSAA arrangement with piano accompaniment was
also recently released, but the voicing of the TTBB
combined with the piano accompaniment is my
personal favorite. This would be a great selection for
a new teacher to use with an advanced level choir, as
it would be a quick success, and a piece the students
would adore.
6. Sambalele, arr. Will Lopes (SATB divisi, a
cappella)
This Brazilian folk song is characterized by its
rhythm - continuous 16th notes, syncopated
rhythms, and a dotted eighth/sixteenth notes
which appear throughout the piece. Vocal
percussion is also implemented. This will be a fun
selection for students and audiences alike!
Laura Lazarevich is the current
High School R&S Chair
5
Welcome to our newest R&S Chairs!
Women’s Choir
Shelbie Wahl-Fouts
Music & Worship
CJ Redden-Liotta
Jr. High & MS Choirs
Charlotte McKee
Dr. Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts is
assistant professor of music and
the Director of Choral Activities at
Hollins University, a women’s
liberal arts college in Roanoke,
Virginia. Wahl-Fouts received her
Doctor of Arts in Choral
Conducting from Ball State
University, with a secondary
emphasis in Music Education. She
holds a Master of Music in Choral
Conducting from Butler
University, and a Bachelor of
Musical Arts in instrumental
music from DePauw University.
Greetings! It is a privilege to serve
you this year as the R&S Chair for
Music in Worship. I currently
serve as the Music Minister at
Vienna Baptist Church, a
progressive, liturgical
congregation located just 15 miles
outside of Washington, DC. As a
church musician, I have worked in
9 denominations over the past 20
years as a director, instrumentalist,
and chorister.
I am Charlotte McKee and have
recently become your Middle/
Junior High School R&S Chair. I
retired this summer with 38 years
of experience in music education.
The past 15 years I was the choral
director at Blacksburg Middle
School.
Wahl-Fouts has written on
women’s choral repertoire for the
Choral Journal and in Conducting
Women’s Choirs, and has
presented for national conferences
of ACDA, College Music Society,
and Sister Singers Network, as
well as the VMEA state
conference. Dr. Wahl-Fouts serves
as accompanist for the Roanoke
Valley Children’s Choir (RVCC).
She is formerly the newsletter
editor for VA-ACDA, and is
looking forward to her new role as
Women’s Chorus R&S Chair.
During this year, I hope to focus
on how we balance our lives as
church musicians and how we are
called to different parts of our
ministry - conducting, teaching,
planning, and collaborating.
Through my experience as a
church musician and a choral
professional, I hope to be able to
offer resources that will help both
in planning our weekly anthems
and our congregational song. I will
also be working to present another
Music in Worship event in the
Spring similar to last year's event.
I hope to be a resource for you of
ideas, techniques, and great music
literature. Please feel free to
contact me with your questions
and ideas. I thank you for this
opportunity and look forward to
serving you.
We Want your Submissions!
Virginia Harmony is your newsletter
and your voice, connecting a wide
community of professional
practitioners. We welcome your
articles and suggestions for future
issues, as well as advertisements.
For submissions or more
information, please contact the
Newsletter Editor:
Chad Steffey
chad.steffey@gmail.com
6
2016 Virginia International Tattoo to feature massed choir, the AllAmerican Chorus, conducted by iconic choral director Dr. Craig Jessop
For 20 years, the Virginia Arts Festival (VAF) has
transformed southeastern Virginia’s cultural scene
making this historic, recreation-rich area a cultural
destination for visitors of all ages. Each spring, the
region comes to life with a vibrant blast of music,
theatre and dance virtually unrivaled in any other
corner of the country. The highpoint of each year’s
Festival, the Virginia International Tattoo (the
Tattoo), draws some 40,000+ patrons from almost
every state in the nation, and internationally.
Celtic dancers, cultural performers, and more. For
the first time, a 1000 voice chorus – the AllAmerican Chorus under the direction of legendary
choral conductor Dr. Craig Jessop – will take its
place among the Tattoo’s pageantry and patriotism.
Students and adults from high schools, colleges, and
community choirs from across the country will
perform with the Virginia Symphony Chorus, the
Old Dominion University (ODU) Concert Choir, the
Virginia Children’s Chorus, and more than 1,000
other performers from Australia, Canada, Germany,
Jordan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
Dr. Nancy Klein, Professor of Choral Music and
Graduate Program Director for the Department of
Music at Old Dominion University, is no stranger to
the Virginia International Tattoo, which is held at
Norfolk’s Scope Arena. “I have been involved with
the Festival for many years. A year-and-a-half ago I
conducted the world premiere of a large choral work
by Adolphus Hailstork. I’ve also been a judge for
different choral and marching band festivals
associated with the Festival for the last 12 years.”
A native Virginian, Dr. Klein has made improving
the quality of music education in the state her core
mission. “I’m currently starting my 30th year at Old
Dominion. I grew up in northern Virginia (NoVA)
and attended Fairfax County schools. My
introduction to music training came from my time in
NoVA. Teaching at ODU provided me a great
opportunity to return to my home state. It’s
important to me that we are training the next
generation of musicians on what excellence looks
like. I also want to help our state become cohesive,
with greater consistency in arts education and
curricula used across the state. Virginia gave me so
much growing up; it’s a real privilege to give back to
my state.”
This year’s Tattoo celebrates its 20th year and will
feature the largest cast ever, including over 200
pipers and drummers, military bands, drill teams,
7
Tattoo (con’t)
Dr. Klein views the All-American
Chorus as an ideal platform to not
only advance choral music
nationally, but to also create an
unprecedented experience for
participating choral directors and
their students. “A lot of choral
directors struggle with
administrators that just don’t get
it. If the administrator hasn’t had
a musical background, they don’t
understand how life changing an
experience like the All-American
Chorus can be. One of the hardest
things about being the choir
director in a high school is you are
often the only one of your kind in
your building. It can be very
isolating. Events like the Tattoo
create opportunities to see things
that you may not have ever seen
before. Choral directors are a very
collegial bunch. It’s a wonderful
educational experience to watch
other directors work and talk
together. There is tremendous
value in seeing what someone else
is doing and having others see
what you have been doing. And,
getting to work with a director like
Dr. Jessop is an incredible learning
experience. We are so fortunate
that the Tattoo was able to secure
him to come work with everyone.”
A legend in the choral music
world, Dr. Jessop spent 20 years as
a Director and Commander in the
U.S. Air Force music programs.
His is also Professor of Music and
the founding Dean for the Caine
College of the Arts at Utah State
University and former music
director of the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir.
“It is a great honor for me to be
invited to conduct this wonderful
chorus made up of singers from all
around the nation,” Jessop said.
“This is an opportunity of a
lifetime for vocalists. Not only
will they be performing for
thousands of people each day, they
will have the opportunity to learn
from and work with other singers
from across the country.” Dr.
Jessop will also lead a series of
master classes for the vocal
performers during the Tattoo.
Dr. Klein outlined other benefits
for participating choral directors:
“When I think about how I train
my own students, I don’t want to
limit them by only seeing what I
do. Getting them exposed to
different personalities and
approaches makes them better
musicians. There’s no ego
involved, here. Even though
participating choral directors
won’t be leading the massed choir,
you are still applauded because
you got your group there. You
have a chance to help your
students to grow in a different
way. You are amazing because you
pulled this together. Participating
choirs have to fundraise.
Directors have to train their
students in the music. If you can
go to your administration and say
‘we have been invited to
participate in an international
event singing with a national
chorus,’ that creates recognition
for the district, which can
8
strengthen what the director is
doing in their program.”
For participating students, this will
be an unforgettable event. “This
is a mind blowing international
event. The singers will perform
with some of the highest caliber
vocal talent in the region. They
will join with singers from all over
the country. For your typical high
school student, very rarely are
they ever going to be in a group of
this size. The majesty and
magnitude can’t be matched. This
has the potential to be life
changing for a 16 or 17-year-old
singer. Typically, when you bring
high school students together, they
form relationships that may endure
all of their lives. Getting to travel
together and sing together with
kids from all over the country is
unique. And it goes beyond just
the music; it becomes a spiritual
connection. When you take your
human voice and join it with other
human voices, you are connected
at the core of who you are. This
makes choral singing very
unique.”
The Virginia International Tattoo
will be held from April 21-24,
2016, at Norfolk’s Scope Arena.
Choir leaders interested in
learning more about the AllAmerican Chorus or joining the
cast may call 1-800-USA–FEST.
Further information about the
Virginia Arts Festival and the
International Tattoo can be found
at www.vafest.org.
Dr. Nancy Klein is Professor of Choral
Music and Graduate Program Director
for the Department of Music at Old
Dominion University
You Can Too!
MS/JH
National
Conference
for
Choral
Music
6th Grade Music Classroom Choirs
May 6 | 5:00pm–8:00pm
Clinic Sessions
May 7 | 8:00am–4:30pm
2016
Rogers MS with Megan Hoggarth
Killian MS with Elizabeth Moreno
Wilson MS with Chris Wolff
Performance Choirs
Midway MS Varsity Girls with Tammy Benton
Briarhill MS Mixed with Donna McGinnis
Gene Pike MS Varsity Select Women with Suzanne Hughes
Canyon Ridge MS Varsity Treble with Courtney Kelly
Willow Springs MS T/B Varsity with Christina Chapman
Demonstration Choirs with Dr. Lynne Gackle and Dr. Patrick Freer
Hillwood MS Varsity Treble with Jodi Coke
Warren MS Concert Treble with Leah Corcoran
Blalack MS Tenor/Bass Boys with Jennifer Alarcon
Warren MS Tenor/Bass Boys with Leah Corcoran
Zionsville MS Boys with Marie Palmer
Composing and the Creative Spirit
The Changing Voice
MS Barbershop and MS Sweet Adelines
MS Vocal Jazz
Sight-­‐Singing Strategies
Classroom Management
Selecting Appropriate Repertoire
Tone Building
University of North Texas, Denton cambiata.music.unt.edu
email: ms.jh.conference@unt.edu
9
Take Five
Quick Tips from the R&S Chairs
Fall is a time of new beginnings, and many of us are starting new positions, perhaps even a fist conducting job!
For this “Take Five” we asked the R&S Chairs to share their tips for first-year teachers and directors.
College and University Choirs
Michael Slon
1. Be patient with yourself - the first year can sometimes be the hardest
2. Remember the feelings of fresh enthusiasm and "let's-take-the-world-by-storm" for jaded moments in later
years
3. In the academic environment, collegiality goes a long way; so do great musical performances
4. Keep track of what your department or school requires for tenure
5. For new teachers at all levels, have a look at this NPR story: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/
2015/10/22/450575463/it-s-okay-to-cry-in-your-car-fighting-disillusionment-as-a-first-year-teacher
Women’s Choirs
Shelbie Wahl-Fouts
1. Be very careful of treating this group as the second-fiddle to your mixed choir. Try to give them just as
much attention, performance time, rehearsal, and time-spent-selecting-repertoire as your mixed group.
2. Program quality music, especially with quality texts appropriate to the age/sophistication of your singers.
3. Use a heavy dose of caution when programming SA/SSA/SSAA arrangements of traditional SATB works.
Not every song was meant to be sung by a women’s chorus – quality can vary greatly.
4. Search out new composers writing specifically for women’s voices. Look for repertoire written intentionally
for women’s voices. Give your singers something of substance to sing.
5. Whether a school group or community women’s choir - Recruit Recruit Recruit! Make this group fun. Make
it a family. Make it a unit the singers are happy and proud to join. Treat them as a quality group, and you’ll
get quality in return.
Music & Worship
CJ Redden-Liotta
1. Get to know the directors in your immediate area. It doesn't matter what denomination. They are a wealth of
resources for connecting to your community.
2. Make sure you have at least one hymnal on your desk published in the past ten years. The new Glory to God
and Community of Christ Sings are my personal favorites. If you are using older pew hymnals, you are
missing out on a wealth of new congregational song.
3. It's OK to hand something out and then take it back if it doesn't work. Just because it's in your library doesn't
mean it will work for the choir that is sitting in front of you this week!
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4. Get to know the 10 anthems and 10 hymns that your choir can sing with no rehearsal. This will be helpful in
the situation above, as well as when you are called upon to sing at a moment's notice. Most likely, these will
include a good anthem for a funeral, a wedding, Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. These make great
anthems for the first week back from a break in rehearsals as well.
5. Don't lose your sense of humor. It will take a good 4-6 months for you to break in your choir (and for your
choir to break you in!). Take everything in stride, including the little old lady who tells you the way it used
to be, and make your mark on the congregation in a positive way.
Jr. High & Middle School Choirs
Charlotte McKee
Four repertoire suggestions for Middle School:
Manx Lullaby
Lori-Anne Dolloff
Gaelic Lullaby
Unison
In English
Boosey & Hawkes
Publisher ID 48004661
Mayim, Mayim
E. Amiran, arranged by Valerie Shields
Hebrew folk song
SA, 2-Part
In Hebrew
Earthsongs
Publisher ID W-25
Circle ‘Round the Moon
Mark Hierholzer
2-Part
Colla Voce Music, Inc.
Publisher ID 21-20537
Fill the Night with Singing
Mark Patterson
3-Part Mixed
Heritage Music Press, The Lorenz Corp.
Publisher ID 15/1685H
Our Team
Executive Board
Membership Chair
Jane Morison
Mountain Empire Children's Choral Academy
(Bristol)
janemorison1@gmail.com
President
Bill Podolski
HB Woodlawn Secondary Program (Arlington)
bill.podolski@gmail.com
Treasurer
Joe Eveler
Stafford High School (Falmouth)
evelerja@staffordschools.net
Webmaster
Pamela McDermott
Longwood University (Farmville)
mcdermottpd@longwood.edu
Past-President
Lisa Billingham
George Mason University (Fairfax)
lbillin1@gmu.edu
Newsletter Editor
Chad Steffey
George Mason University (Fairfax)
chad.steffey@gmail.com
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Repertoire and Standards Chairs
College and University Choirs Chair
Michael Slon
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
ms9ec@virginia.edu
Senior High School Chair
Laura Lazarevich
Patriot High School (Nokesville)
LazareLL@pwcs.edu
Community Choirs Chair
Don Krudop
The Virginia Beach Chorale (Virginia Beach)
dkrudop@mac.com
Children's and Community Youth Choir Chair
Linda Scott
Groveton Elementary (Alexandria)
lscottacda517@gmail.com
Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives Chair
Melodie Henderson
Seminar and Choir for Future Chorus Teachers (Alexandria)
melodie.henderson@gmail.com
Two-Year College Choirs Chair
Curtis Nolley
Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave)
carnolley@hotmail.com
Jr. High and Middle School Choirs Chair
Charlotte McKee
Blacksburg
Mckee.charlotte@gmail.com
Women's Choir Chair
Shelbie Wahl-Fouts
Hollins University (Roanoke)
foutssl@hollins.edu
Male Choirs Chair
Patrick F. Vaughn
Annandale United Methodist Church (Annandale)
pfvaughn@gmail.com
Youth and Student Activities Chair
Bryce Hayes
James Madison University (Harrisonburg)
hayeswb@jmu.edu
Music & Worship Chair
CJ Redden-Liotta
Vienna Baptist Church (Vienna)
cjreddenliotta@gmail.com
Vocal Jazz Chair
Debbie Settle
Stonebridge High School (Ashburn)
debbie.settle@lcps.org
VOICES UNITED 2016: A Capitol Choral Conference
August 11–13 in Fairfax, VA
The Annual Collaborative Conference by
MD/DC, DE, and VA Chapters and The Musical Source
featuring
Conference Sessions and
Conductor’s Chorus
CHARLES BRUFFY
Conference Sessions and Conference Sessions and
Festival Honor Chorus
Children’s Honor Chorus
STAN ENGEBRETSON
LAURA FARNELL
Artistic Director: Kansas City
Chorale, Phoenix Chorale
Director of Choral Studies
George Mason University
Composer, Clinician and
Adjudicator
Conductor’s Chorus is open to
everyone in the conference
track. Include singing in your
conference!
Festival Chorus is a separate
track open to singers 16 and up.
Ideal for church and community
singers.
Children’s Chorus is open to
singers ages 9-15, and also runs
in its own conference track.
Conference Highlights
Interest & Reading
Sessions
Conducting Track
Continuing Education Credit
Available
Networking
Opportunities
Boxes and boxes of music
reading files and on-site shop by
The Musical Source
SAVE THE DATE … INVITE A FRIEND!
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