The Music Philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Rehearsal Practices of Two African American Choral Conductors Gerald Roderick Knight

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2006 The Music Philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Rehearsal Practices of Two African American Choral Conductors Gerald Roderick Knight

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COLLEGE OF MUSIC

THE MUSIC PHILOSOPHIES, CHORAL CONCEPTS, AND REHEARSAL PRACTICES OF

TWO AFRICAN AMERICAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS

GERALD R. KNIGHT

A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Awarded Summer Semester 2006

The members of the Committee approve the Dissertation of Gerald R. Knight defended on March 14, 2006

______Kevin Fenton Professor Directing Dissertation

______Richard Morris Outside Committee Member

______Judy Bowers Committee Member

______Clifford Madsen Committee Member

______Alice-Ann Darrow Committee Member

Approved:

______Don Gibson, Dean, College of Music

The office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members.

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank God for his rich blessings. I would also like to thank each member of my dissertation committee: Dr. Kevin Fenton, major advisor; Dr. Judy Bowers; Dr. Alice-Ann Darrow; Dr. Clifford Madsen; and Dr. Richard Morris. The support that I received from each of them demonstrates the nurturing and the real sense of family that exists at Florida State University. All of them continue to offer excellent advice and encouragement. I would like to thank Dr. André Thomas and the choral faculty for making a commitment to help me to develop and succeed. I extend a special thank you to Dr. Madsen, whose support was unwavering from the first day that I arrived on campus. I would also like to thank Dr. Kimberly Van Weelden with whom I never took a class but who always took time to answer questions and offer assistance and encouragement. I would also like to thank Mrs. Marilyn Summers, secretary in the Choral Department at FSU, she was always helpful and encouraging.

There were others who helped me in my dissertation effort by offering advice and encouragement. Dr. Rosemary Traore at Florida State University and Dr. Mary Goetze of Indiana University were most helpful and inspiring. The Florida State University Office of Graduate Studies enabled me to travel and collect data through a Dissertation Grant. Mrs. Olga Thunderburk, secretary in the Archives Office at the National Office of the American Choral Directors Association, located and sent articles that assisted me in my research. Thank you Dr. Rosalyn Floyd, Dr. Gregory Thompson, Dr. David Oliver, Dr. Jeffery Ames, Dr. Louise Toppin, Warnell Berry, Irving Richardson, Morris Madden, Margelete Hamilton, and Dr. Stephen Cook for always taking time to listen and offer advice. I would like to thank Dr. Barbara Memory for the tremendous assistance she gave to me during the final stages of this dissertation process.

I would like to thank my family for their encouragement, prayers, and support during my studies. My uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Horace C. Knight, continuously believed in me and prayed for me. Thank you to my nieces Caprice and Cinamin, who were very supportive. I pray that they will continue to see that they can accomplish their goals in life. Thank you to my brother Kevin and his wife Tonya (and family) for encouragement. I hope that in a small way that I have helped to instill in my nephews, Aaron and Tyreik, the desire to work hard to achieve great things in their lives. Thank you to my niece Ashley whose effort to always strive for excellence is inspiring. I could have not dreamed a life in music without The Springfield Baptist Church and Carolyn Sanders Cleveland. Thank you Marietta, Raquel, and the (William) Manning family for your constant prayers.

I would like to dedicate this work to the memory of my Grandmother, Mrs. Irene Knight Garrett; my mother Mrs. Mary Jane Knight Williams; my sister Mrs. Sherry Denise Knight Boyce; and my voice teachers Evelyn McGarrity and Willie Jackson.

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures……………………………………………………………………... vi Abstract……………………………………………………………………………. vii

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… 1

1. AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDRÉ THOMAS AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES HE EMPLOYS Musical Training and Professional Experiences…………………………… 10 Philosophy…………………………………………………………………... 14 Choral Literature Concepts…………………………………………………. 17 Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies…………………………………. 19 Choral Organization………………………………………………………… 29 General Weaknesses in the Choral Field…………………………………… 30 Rehearsal Observations…………………………………………………….. 31 Analysis of Rehearsal………………………………………………………. 39 Summary……………………………………………………………………. 44

2. AN INTERVIEW WITH JUDITH WILLOUGHBY AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES SHE EMPLOYS Musical Training and Professional Experiences…………………………….. 45 Philosophy…………………………………………………………………… 52 Choral Literature Concepts………………………………………………….. 53 Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies………………………………….. 57 Choral Organization…………………………………………………………. 66 General Weaknesses in the Choral Field……………………………………. 69 Rehearsal Observations……………………………………………………… 70 Analysis of Rehearsal………………………………………………………… 73 Summary……………………………………………………………………… 78

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY………………………………………………………………………………. 80

APPENDICIES ……………………………………………………………………… 85 A Dissertation Interview Questions………………………………………….. 85 B Thomas’s Written Response to Interview Questions……………………… 89 C Transcription of Thomas’s Follow-up Interview…………………………. 98 D Transcription of Willoughby’s Interview………………………………… 106 E Thomas Rehearsal Strategies……………………………………………… 164 F Willoughby Rehearsal Strategies…………………………………………. 165 G New York National Honors Choir Concert Program…………………….. 166 H Thomas: Performed Literature with University Choirs 1999-2005……… 171 I Willoughby: Performed Literature with Northwestern University Choir and Montgomery County Community Choir…………………………………… 171

iv J Human Subjects Committee Approval……………………………………… 175

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………... 176

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH………………………………………………………….. 182

v LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.2: Warm-up Exercise “Consonants”……………………………………… 33

Figure 2.2: Warm-up Exercise “Meh-oh” in the key of D major………………….. 33

Figure 3.2: Warm-up Exercise “No-ah” in the key of D major……………………. 34

Figure 4.2: Warm-up Exercise “Sing a little” in the key of C major……………… 34

Figure 5.2: Warm-up Exercise “Zee-ah” in the key of C major…………………… 35

Figure 6.2: Warm-up Exercise “Oh-ee-ah-oo” in the key of D major…………… 72

Figure 7.2: Warm-up Exercise “Zee-ah” in the key of D major…...………………. 72

vi ABSTRACT

Choral conductors who consistently produce choral ensembles that perform at the highest artistic levels demonstrate the acquisition and application of skills and knowledge that are derived from a set of standards or values. These values constitute the foundation of pedagogical and musical practices that enable outstanding choral conductors to bring to life music in such a way that the significance and emotion of the music are transferred to singers and audience. Historically, African American choral conductors have been recognized for having the skills, knowledge, and values but only as it pertained to their expert ability to produce spirituals and other music by black composers. However, relatively recently, several African American choral conductors have come into the mainstream of choral music and music education who are receiving acclaim for their ability to conduct music of various genres, particularly music of the western classical tradition in addition to multicultural repertoires.

Judith Willoughby and André Thomas expressed a set of values that are derived from the musical experiences they had as youths, academic training, professional experiences, life experiences, and philosophical ideas about humanity and music. They demonstrated 1) vast knowledge of the important choral works of the major compositional periods and the intrinsic stylistic characteristics of those works 2) substantial knowledge of choral literature from the major style periods that is not routinely performed 3) immense knowledge of multicultural music and keen awareness of and sensibility to the authentic performance practices of such music 4) an unwavering commitment to the study and performance of multicultural music that is contributing to the expansion of the core body of routinely performed choral literature 5) viable criteria for the selection of music based on the skills and values they want to promote in singers 6) the ability to thoroughly prepare scores using various strategies 7) the ability to anticipate potential problems in rehearsals and devise pedagogical strategies to prevent or correct such problems 8) preference for choral tone that is dependent upon vowel uniformity, accuracy of pitch (intonation), even vibrato, ease of vocal production, energy and an appropriate sound as determined by each composition and 9) the ability to recreate and transmit the dramatic or emotional qualities of a work in such a way as to stimulate the singers and the audience.

This study documents the philosophies, choral concepts, and rehearsal strategies demonstrated by Willoughby and Thomas in order to: 1) determine how these factors influence and enliven their artistry 2) provide minorities and women with exemplary models that they can emulate 3) inform the profession of the contributions that minorities and women continue to make to the choral art and 4) provide an historical record of the accomplishments of choral musicians and music educators who have set standards for the profession.

vii

INTRODUCTION

A review of the Choral Journal reveals that since the 1980s African Americans have become more prominent in the mainstream of choral music and music education in general. African Americans are becoming more visible and are receiving increased recognition and acceptance within professional choral organizations and the various choral activities such as all- state honor choirs, clinics, and other festivals. Several African Americans are making noteworthy contributions to the profession as a result of their philosophical precepts as well as their intellectual and artistic abilities. Evidence of these contributions is displayed in the influential African American choral conductors who routinely serve as guest conductors, clinicians, and adjudicators in major choral venues in the United States and abroad. In addition, more African Americans are becoming active at the state, local, and community levels-- holding positions of leadership within professional choral, music education, community, and arts organizations. Many more African Americans serve in the public schools, helping to provide enriching experiences for students and communities. African Americans now serve on the choral music faculties at colleges and universities that are not historically classified as black, which was not the case in the first half of the 20th century.1 As a result, black choral musicians now have the opportunity to impact a larger and more diverse student population. Although a shift has begun, the 1960s and 1970s still reflected that the overwhelming majority of African Americans musicians were teaching at predominantly black institutions.2 In 1993 blacks made up 4.9% of the total number of faculty teaching at universities with undergraduate or graduate degree programs in music.3 In the same year, the top-rated graduate schools of music, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, lists only one school where the percentage of black faculty exceeded 2.7%.4 Unfortunately, while these statistics represent a change in the hiring practices of some schools it may not be indicative of the kind of change that is necessary to adequately address issues of faculty diversity; society is becoming increasingly diverse and this diversity should be reflected in the composition of faculties at public institutions. The almost complete absence of black choral musicians at major colleges and universities during the 1960s and 1970s delayed their entry into what is now considered the mainstream of choral music and music education. Several factors contributed to this dilemma, one being that

1 The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education published two reports “Ranking America’s Leading Universities on Their Success in Integrating African Americans,” 36, 2002, p. 87-98 and “Ranking America’s Leading Liberal Arts Colleges on Their Success Integrating African Americans,” 38, 2002, p. 77-88 documenting that since Reconstruction no black scholar (of any discipline) held a tenured post at any major university that was not historically black until 1945.

2 Ella. E. White, A Profile of Black Musician Doctorate Holders in Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities 1974-1976, (Ph.D. dissertation, Kansas State University, 1976).

3 This information was taken from a chart presented in a report entitled “Black-White Higher Education Equality Index,” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 5, 1994, p.48

4 Black-White Higher Education Equality Index, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 5, 1994, 41-48.

the membership of the American Choral Directors Association at its inception in 1959, and for many years following, consisted primarily of choral directors serving on the faculties of colleges/universities.5 Given the statistics mentioned above it is not likely that blacks would have had the opportunity to participate in any appreciable or even proportional numbers. Nevertheless, the various music philosophies, choral concepts, and pedagogical practices espoused by African Americans who now work in the mainstream in choral music, especially at the national and international levels, provide several leadership models that are inspiring and exemplary. Therefore, it is important and appropriate to document the philosophical and pedagogical concepts that give impetus to the work of such choral conductors to provide a model for musicians and to inform the profession. The few African Americans who are valued for the breadth of their expertise within the mainstream merit interest primarily because their achievements, in a sense, are historically unprecedented. That is, those African American choral conductors who received acclaim in the past were revered only for their excellent performance of the music of their own culture.6 Since the early nineteen hundreds several black choral conductors have been highly regarded, particularly in the black community. Some of the most prominent names of black conductors are invariably connected to the institutions where they were employed. Conductors/composers such as John W. Work III of Fisk University, R. Nathaniel Dett of Hampton Institute, William Dawson of Tuskegee Institute, Roland Carter of Hampton University, Wendell Whallum of Morehouse College, Nathan Carter of Morgan State University, Robert Morris of Jackson State University represent some of the most well known of the many Black conductors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.7 Nathaniel Clark-Smith, primarily known as a band director, was instrumental in organizing glee clubs in schools and industries in the United States in the first decades of the twentieth century.8 These conductors and choirs are strongly associated with the singing of spirituals and other compositions by black composers; however, their performance repertoire also represented a broader range of material commonly found in standard choral literature, even though this is not generally recognized. The above-mentioned conductors and their choirs achieved legendary stature; however, college and university choirs represent only one facet of the involvement of black choral conductors’ work in and contributions to the choral art and to music in general. Sometime shortly after World War I the professional all-Black choir came into existence.

5 Gene Brooks, “The ACDA: Growing with the Times” (Chorus Magazine, March 1992) in Mark Gresham, Choral Conversations: Selected Interviews from Chorus Magazine, (San Carlos: Thomas House Publication, 1997) 133-134

6 Camille C. Taylor, The First Decade of the Black Music Caucus of the Music Educators National Conference, (Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1984) p. 1 Black musicians organized the Black Music Caucus in 1972 to protest the organization’s “insufficient Black involvement, insignificant Black input, and the lack of serious consideration given to the capabilities of Blacks in areas other than indigenous Black music.”

7 John Michael Spencer, As the Black School Sings: Black Music Collections at Universities and Colleges with a Union List of Book Holdings (New York: Greenwood Press, 1987), p. 1.

8 E. D. Lyle-Smith, Nathaniel Clark Smith 1877-1934 (Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Texas, 1993), Abstract

Two pioneers in the early organizational and developmental stages of this type of choir were conductors Hall Johnson and Eva Jessye.9 The Hall Johnson Choir directed by Johnson performed frequently in theatre and radio. Johnson was also appointed choral director for productions on Broadway. The choir under his direction went to Hollywood and was featured in several movies. In 1951, Johnson and his choir were selected by the State Department to represent the United States at the International Festival of Fine Arts in Berlin.10 Eva Jessye’s choir, originally known as the Original Dixie Jubilee Singers and then renamed the Eva Jessye Choir, was also extremely successful. Jessye was the choral director for the film “Hallelujah” by King Vidor. She served as choir director for Virgil Thompson’s opera “Four Saints in Three Acts”. Jessye prepared and directed the choir for Gershwin’s original production of “Porgy and Bess”.11 Jessye, until recently, was the only African American female to achieve international notoriety as a choral conductor. After Johnson and Jessye several other African Americans became noted for their work as conductors of traditionally black music and music of other genres. Distinguished composer/arranger Jester Hairston is credited with conducting the first integrated choir in Hollywood.12 Leonard De Paur, is perhaps one of the most noted black conductors who did not rely on the programming of African American folk songs with his choir.13 In recent years, the choral profession has regarded Albert McNeil, Brazil Dennard, and the late Moses Hogan as leaders in the profession and has adopted their arrangements as standards in the choral repertoire. Each of their choirs is noted for its exceptional standard of performance practice. Joseph Jennings is currently serving as Musical Director of Chanticleer, a highly regarded vocal ensemble of professional singers. Chanticleer is noted for performing an extensive repertoire of music that encompasses all genres. Many black musicians whether they are composers, orchestral conductors, singers, instrumentalists, or choral directors desire to perform music written and arranged by African Americans. However, some African Americans are reluctant to be solely identified with music of their ethnicity until they have first established a reputation for performing music of the western classical tradition because they desire to be recognized for their ability to produce music of other genres with considerable artistry and equal success. There are choral conductors who are content to have dedicated their lives to the proliferation and performance of music identified as black music or music composed by blacks, and it is extremely important that this kind of work continue to assure that music by black composers will have appropriate standing within standard choral repertoire. Non-spiritual and multicultural compositions of Adolphus Hailstork and Rosephanye Powell, an African American

9 Eileen Southern, The Music of Black Americans: A History 2nd ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 199) p. 411

10 Southern, p. 413

11 Southern, p. 414

12 Barbara Heninger, “Remembering Jester” The Voice, 9 (2000) Wire Reports. Schola Cantorum, November 15, 2005 www.scholacantorum.org/v92jester.html-2k

13 Raoul Abdul, Blacks in Classical Music: A Personal History ( New York: Dodd Mead, 1978) p.211

female composer/arranger, represent some of the music being performed with some frequency. So, while the ideals of multiculturalism and diversity are providing an atmosphere in which African Americans can move more quickly into the mainstream traditionally this was not the case. In the late 1960s music educators began to address the serious inadequacies of music education in this country. Multiculturalism ranked among the highest of their concerns. As a result music educators realized the importance of studying and performing music outside of the western tradition, including popular music. The curriculums of colleges and universities and the music education departments in some school districts in the country began to address the lack of inclusion of music from other cultures.14 However, the primary impetus for these changes should be appropriately credited to the “sociological influences” that created college/university students and citizens who were more perceptive and demanding.15 Over the past thirty years this kind of enlightenment, to some extent, has been extended into the hiring practices of black choral conductors at a few major and reputable institutions of higher learning and liberal arts institutions. However, in some instances, it is crucial to point out that this heightened sense of diversity initially came as a result of the civil rights movement, congressional legislation, and a Presidential Executive Order.16 As it strictly relates to the hiring of black conductors, the emphasis on multiculturalism of the late 1960s was not as initially advantageous, nor did it automatically create diversity in the college/university faculties. Furthermore, the rise of multiculturalism did not result in an immediate change in the programming of standard choral repertoire that did not usually include African-American composed or arranged music.17 Almost twenty years later, initial research by White shows that in 1980 some of the most reputable college/university choral ensembles most often performed the works of Stravinsky, Copland, William Schumann, Barber, Pinkham, and Poulenc when performing music of the twentieth century.18 In the years following 1980, as some colleges and universities desired to improve the diversity of their faculties, black conductors were appointed to a few choral music positions at institutions not classified as historically black. Since multicultural music was not necessarily the focus, black conductors probably demonstrated their abilities to conduct literature within the established canon that is routinely performed by college choirs at the more noted colleges and universities, however, multiculturalism on some campuses has equated to “gospel” choir. Again, some blacks are reluctant to serve in this capacity because, in a sense, he/she is placed in the same dilemma mentioned earlier; particularly if it is the only ensemble assigned.

14 Louchrisa E. High, A Historical Study of the Development of Black Music and Biographies of Selected Black Composers, (Ph.D. dissertation, Tennessee State University, 1988) p. 12

15 Henry Pleasants, Serious Music - - and All That Jazz (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1969), p. 112 in High, p. 12

16 E. E. White, p. 25

17 J. Perry White, "Significant Developments in Choral Music Education in Higher Education Between 1950-1980," Journal of Research in Music Education, 30(2), 121-128.

18 Ibid., p. 125

Fortunately, in spite of some of the persistent misperceptions about blacks and their music, some African American choral conductors have established themselves amid the most exceptional in the field. Anton Armstrong, Peter Bagley, Nathan Carter, Robert Harris, Albert McNeil, James Norris, Norma Rayburn, André Thomas, and Judith Willoughby represent only a fraction of successful African American choral conductors who have produced exceptional choirs performing a wide range of styles. Other African American conductors who are identified primarily with black music traditions continue to experience great success, but they are not generally recognized for their ability to conduct a diverse repertoire of music embodied in the western classical tradition. These highly skilled conductors represent examples of the breadth and depth of African American choral conductor’s musical abilities. Their work and achievements represent both a zenith and a starting point.

Statement of the Problem The problem posed by this study reflects the need to document the philosophies, concepts, and pedagogical practices that facilitate the accomplishments of choral musicians who are African-Americans. While biographical information about African-Americans in music is more plentiful there is little detailed technical information about how these musicians actually practice their craft. To know something about the intellect, the technical processes, the internalization of life experiences that result in philosophy, and how these things manifest themselves in the expression of a musicians’ art is extremely valuable. The documentation of the work of the conductors selected for this study is crucial from an historical and practical perspective for two reasons: 1) they have built their careers conducting a diverse body of choral literature 2) they strive for musical excellence as a means to affect humanity.

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to document the philosophical, conceptual, technical, and pedagogical practices of selected prominent African-American choral conductors in order to better understand the teaching methods used to consistently produce quality choral performances. The procedures employed are designed to reveal each conductors concepts about the following: 1. Rehearsal and preparation practices 2. Selecting literature 3. Choral tone 4. The philosophical foundations of pedagogical beliefs To provide general information, the study will also document: 1. The professional backgrounds of each conductor 2. People who and events that strongly influenced their lives, especially as musicians

Sources of Data Primary sources for the study include university bulletins and catalogs, newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, articles written by the conductors, personal interviews, scrapbooks, faculty correspondence, minutes from faculty meetings, and interviews with former students and colleagues. Secondary sources will include articles, brochures, and books.

Need for the Study

Douglas McEwen’s dissertation “Music philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Choral

Techniques Employed by Selected Choral Conductors in Southern California Four-Year Colleges and Universities” documents the work of noted conductors Roger Wagner, Charles Hirt, and Howard Swan.19 The dissertation provides valuable insight into the intellectual and technical principals of influential conductors that still impact current pedagogical thought and practice in the United States. McEwen’s study and others like it are important because they not only document but also promote serious discussion and growth of ideals that better the profession. During the last two decades several African American conductors have emerged as individuals displaying considerable success as choral conductors and music educators; and who collectively are influencing future generations of choral conductors. A survey of the Choral Journal spanning the last ten years reflects the influence of the conductors to be represented in this study. They constantly and consistently serve as clinicians, lecturers, and guest conductors for major national and international choral events and activities; and they serve on the faculties of noted institutions. These conductors’ success is a reflection of their intellect, skill, and quality of their choral performances. From a historical perspective it is noteworthy that the conductors selected for this study are African American. Several factors, when viewed together, distinguish the black conductors selected for this study from their black predecessors and many of their contemporaries: their institutional affiliations, the venues in which they conduct, the repertoire they conduct, their continuing potential to impact choral music and music education in this country through a broader and more diverse student population, and the prominence afforded them because of their abilities to produce exceptional art. Thomas’ and Willoughby’s quest for excellence, the quality of their product, and their humanity has served as a catalyst for a change in the misperceptions and biases about African American conductors. Composer, pianist, and educator Undine Smith- Moore in an interview surmised that Andre Watts’s and Natalie Hinderas’s exceptional ability to play the piano was, in and of itself, an agent for social change.20 The same can also be said of the conductors selected for this study. “Black Conductors” by D. Antoinette Handy is perhaps one of the most extensive work to date that documents the work of American conductors of African descent. However, it does not include the names of those conductors who have developed reputations primarily as a result of their work as music educators and conductors of choral music exclusively. She defines conductor as “leaders of ensembles performing in all genres of music, including Western European, jazz, and musical theatre”. She further stipulates that conducting instrumental groups of at least ten players be the primary focus of musical activities of those selected for inclusion. Handy discusses several conductors who have worked extensively with choral ensembles but their professional reputations are principally associated with conducting instrumental ensembles.21 Currently, there is no extant comprehensive body of literature that examines the

19 Douglas R. McEwen, Music Philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Choral Techniques Employed by Selected Choral Conductors in Southern California Four-Year Colleges and Universities, (Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State College, 1961) 20 David N. Baker, Lida M. Belt, and Herman C. Hudson, The Black Composer Speaks (New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1977) p. 179

21 D. Antoinette Handy, Black Conductors, (Metuchen, New Jersey, 1995) p. 23

contributions, personal and professional lives, philosophies, concepts about choral sound, pedagogical practices, or the accomplishments of African Americans who have built and maintained their careers based on their reputations exclusively as choral conductors. The research literature should reflect that while blacks are certainly the primary interpreters and performers of the music of their culture, they clearly have the capacity to expertly produce choral music recognized as standard classical literature.

Delimitations of the Study This study does not attempt to provide a definitive history of black choral conductors in the United States. This study is not intended to be a biography of the lives of the selected conductors although biographical information is provided. The choral music composed, arranged, and/or edited by the study participants was not examined as a means to attain any information about philosophy, choral concepts, or pedagogical practices.

Organization of the Study

Chapter 1: Introduction Need for the Study Statement of the Problem Delimitation of the Problem Organization of the Report Selection of Participants Method

Chapter 2: An Analysis of the Interviews with and the Rehearsal Techniques Employed By André Thomas Music Training and Professional Experiences Music Philosophy Choral Literature Concepts Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies Choral Organization Concepts General Choral Weakness and Recommendations Rehearsal An Analysis of the Rehearsal Summary

Chapter 3: An Analysis of the Interviews with and the Rehearsal Techniques Employed By Judith Willoughby Music Training and Professional Experiences Music Philosophy Choral Literature Concepts Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies Choral Organization Concepts Rehearsal Techniques and Pedagogical Concepts General Choral Weakness and Recommendations Rehearsal

An Analysis of the Rehearsal Summary

Chapter 4: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Selection of the Participants

The method used for selecting the two participants was based in part on a model of purposeful sampling techniques developed by Patton.22 “Purposeful sampling is used as a strategy when one wants to learn something and come to understand something about certain select cases without needing to generalize to all such cases”.23 This model allows the researcher to use personal judgment and previous knowledge of a population to be researched in order to select a sample from it.24 If the researcher deems the cases to be information rich then their inclusion into the study is justified. However, rather than completely rely on the judgment of the researcher; a list was made by examining the last ten years of the Choral Journal and extracting from it the names of Black choral conductors. The researcher considered the frequency at which the conductor appeared in the journal, especially as it related to professional engagements. Professional engagement is defined as serving as clinician, adjudicator, lecturer, speaker, or guest conductor for major choral events or activities such as all- states, festivals, workshops, and conferences. The researcher also relied on other choral directors to supplement the list of names. After a final list was complied the researcher selected the names for inclusion in the study. The final selections were made with some consideration given to perceived areas of expertise, length of time as a professor, and gender. André Thomas was selected because he is one of the most visible and recognizable conductors/music educators in the profession, regardless of race. He is constantly listed in the Choral Journal as clinician for major festivals, workshops, guest conductor, and adjudicator. He has conducted All-State Choirs in 34 different states; 21 American Choral Directors Association conventions at the state, district, regional, and national levels; and 4 state Music Educator’s Associations. His conducting engagements provide him the opportunities in the United States and abroad. He has conducted in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brussels, Canada, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany (Rundfunkchor), Israel (Zemriya) Italy, Korea, New Zealand, North Wales, Philippines, Republic of China (World Youth Choir), Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Judith Willoughby’s name also appears in the Choral Journal as clinician for major festivals, all-states, workshops, and as guest conductor. She has conducted choral festivals in 10 different states; All-states in 10 different states; and she has conducted at the American Choral Directors Convention at the state, divisional, regional, and national level in 10 states. She constantly conducts in other countries such as Australia, Canada, China, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Russia, and Wales. In addition, the researcher was particularly interested in Willoughby because of gender. She is becoming one of the most recognized women in the

22 Michael Q. Patton, Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods 2nd ed. (Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, 1990)

23 Ibid.

24 Ibid.

profession and is noted for the high level of musicality and artistry of the ensembles she conducts. In addition, she is recognized for the diversity of the quality literature found on her concert programs.

Method

The interviewer conducted recorded interview and follow up interview (s) with each conductor. The interviews were simultaneously recorded on the Sony MZ-R37 Mini-disc player/recorder with Levelor Microphone and the Vox Micro-44 Mini-Cassette Recorder with built in microphone. Each conductor was be observed and video recorded using the Sony DCR- DVD201 Digital Camera as they worked in a choral rehearsal (s). The programs of concerts from the last five-ten years were examined. In addition the researcher examined any other documents given by the participants. The purpose of the interview was to document aspects of the philosophies, concepts, and techniques that cannot be acquired through documents and to give the conductors the opportunity to expand upon ideas in their own words. The interview questions and the guidelines for analysis of rehearsal were taken and modified from the study by McEwen.25 See Appendix A

25 McEwen, Music Philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Choral Techniques

CHAPTER II AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDRE THOMAS AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES HE EMPLOYED

On March 21, 2005 the researcher conducted an interview with André Thomas in his office at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Thomas responded in writing to the initial questions of the interview (See Appendix B). A second interview was conducted on May 18, 2005 in the same location (See Appendix C). The interview questions were open- ended, so that the interviewee would have the freedom to answer fully and in detail. There is also an analytical account of the rehearsals, which Thomas conducted in New York City with the National Honors Choir in April 2005.

Musical Training and Professional Experiences

Youth Thomas grew up in a single-parent home in Wichita, Kansas, with his mother and two older sisters. Thomas described his mother as a hard-working woman, who cleaned buses for Continental Trailways in order to provide for the family.26 She had a strong connection to church, and some of Thomas’s earliest remembrances of music making occurred there. Thomas sang as a child, and he observed his mother singing as a means to express her emotions. Through this experience, Thomas came to believe that singing is simply the expression of feelings.27 This experience, in addition to the preaching and singing Thomas heard in church, may have laid the foundation for Thomas’s passion for words, particularly poetry. In the Black church preached words often are colorful, and they are inflected in such a way that they take on a poetical and musical life of their own. Singing, however, was not the only means by which Thomas was able to make music. As a child, he played a little toy piano that he was given. He recalled taking piano lessons, sporadically, from members of his church. However, he developed his ability to read music practically on his own, without any consistent or formal music training. He recounted that his initial experience with a piano teacher was disastrous. The first assignment he recalled was “Music Land,” out of John Thompson’s First Piano Book in the key of C major, which he learned. When he was asked to play the piece, at the lesson, he did so but in another key, he remembered F or B-flat. The irritated teacher promptly spanked his hands and he never returned. He did not receive formal piano instruction again until he was in junior high school. When Thomas entered junior high school he decided it was time to seriously undertake piano studies. He approached a piano faculty member at the Wichita State University by knocking on her office door and practically telling her that she was to teach him piano. Thomas studied with a graduate assistant for a short time after which the faculty member took him as a student. At the end of his eighth grade year in junior high Thomas won the Federated Music Clubs Piano Competition playing Brahms’s Ballad in D Major. Thomas explained that he

26 Elaine Smith, “Portrait: Andre Thomas," Research in Review, (Summer, 1996): 2-3.

27 Shannon M. Chase, An Interview with Dr. Andre J. Thomas, Composer/Arranger, (2001) Tallahassee: The Florida State University. Unpublished Interview.

possessed the hands and strength to play compositions by Brahms and he loved to do so. He explained that he was good at playing the big and flashy pieces. Thomas’s connection to the church played a crucial role in the development of the values that he has as a person, musician, and composer; and it was at church that Thomas realized how much he liked making music with people. When he was thirteen, he wrote a pageant for the homecoming celebration that occurred during the Tabernacle Baptist Church’s anniversary in Wichita, Kansas.28 At the age of sixteen, he became Minister of Music at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in his hometown Wichita, and this experience provided him with constant challenges and opportunities to hone his skills as a pianist and conductor. In this capacity, Thomas arranged and composed music for the choirs. Thomas’s initial experience composing and arranging was an effort to accommodate the varying abilities and needs of the church and school choirs; he states that he composed and arranged out of necessity.29 Church provided Thomas with his initial exposure to the scores and accompaniments of some of the standard anthems that were, during the 1960s-1970s, part of the choral repertoire of many Black churches, particularly those which were Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian. Thomas loved making music in the church but said that he developed a love/hate relationship with the church and he attributed this to the fact that he was so young at the time. He knew that some of the adults had problems with being told what to do by a person who was much younger; a problem which resulted in Thomas actually asking his mother to leave the choir, because she could not handle the tenseness of the situation.

College and Early Professional Life After high school Thomas attended Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He selected the school after having attended a concert by their concert choir, whose singing fascinated him because of the energy and excitement heard in their singing. Cecil Riney, who Thomas described as having a magnetic personality, directed the Friends University Choir and, at Friends, Thomas further refined his skills as a pianist, conductor, and arranger. He served as piano accompanist for the choir and discovered that working with Riney taught him to motivate singers and create energy during rehearsal and performance. Thomas studied with other outstanding teachers during his time at Friends University. Thomas recounted that his World Literature teacher, Dorothy Craven, was an excellent teacher who had incredible verbal skills which enabled him to understand poetry that initially seemed somewhat abstract. Upon graduation in 1973 Thomas accepted a position teaching vocal music in the Wichita Public School System at Brooks Junior High School. He gained much practical teaching experience and began to formulate strategies addressing issues such as student recruitment and retention; techniques for building basic skills, like pitch matching; and working with student development, so that there was continuous growth and improvement of their music skills as well as their cognitive skills.30 In this setting, Thomas continued to build his skills as a composer and arranger, because he felt he could better meet the needs of the students by arranging music

28 Ibid. p. 26

29 Ibid. p. 30 30 Ibid. p. 30

specifically for them. During this time Thomas continued to work in the church. He was Youth Choir Director at the Canaan Baptist Church. Thomas left his job at Brooks Junior High School, after two years of teaching, in order to pursue a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance at Northwestern University, in Chicago. There, he studied with John Browning, a distinguished pianist, who took an interest in Thomas’s playing. Browning helped Thomas develop his understanding of phrasing, color shading, the weight of sound, and the treatment of melody within various textures and voicings. While at Northwestern University, Thomas also studied with Margaret Hillis, who taught him a color coding system which is a method for preparing musical scores for rehearsal and performance. Additionally, Hillis taught Thomas to plan and chart orchestral rehearsals. Thomas found this to be very valuable, as it has increased his effectiveness in choral/orchestral rehearsals. He plans and charts orchestral rehearsals in ways that efficiently uses the time of the instrumentalist and singers. For example, instrumentalists who do not play the entire composition may arrive later in the rehearsal or sections where all instruments play are rehearsed first. The same arrangement can be made for the singers as well. When he was twenty-five, and still a student at Northwestern, Thomas was standing at the juncture of two diverging paths. He was faced with the monumental decision of becoming a concert pianist, or of staying true to his desires to continue making music through more intimate interaction with others.31 As he struggled with his decision he contemplated his childhood feelings of loneliness, and then, surmising that the life of a concert pianist would be a solitary one, he decided to pursue a life of music making that allowed him to work closely with people through music.32 After completing the master’s degree at Northwestern University, Thomas returned to the Wichita Public School System as a vocal music teacher at Coleman Junior High School. It was while serving in this capacity that Thomas met Harold Decker. Decker, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois, was responsible for creating the first Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program in choral music in the United States.33 The meeting between Thomas and Decker came about as a result of Decker’s grandson being a student in Thomas’s school choir. The grandson often talked fondly to his grandfather about his experiences in the choir with Thomas. Thomas explained that Decker discussed the possibility of Thomas earning a doctorate. Decker encouraged and facilitated Thomas’s return to graduate school. Thomas describes Decker as a mentor who taught him how to run a graduate program where the welfare and development of the student is the highest priority. Thomas served as Decker’s assistant and while at the University of Illinois Thomas was director of the University Chorus and later Director of the University of Illinois Black Chorus.

Professional Life Thomas’ university teaching career began at the University of Texas in Austin where he spent three years (1981-1984) before coming to the Florida State University. At the Florida State

31 Mary Jo Meyer, and Robert Nance, "A Passion for Learning: All About Andre Thomas," Notations (ICDA), 22 (June, 2001): 1.

32 Ibid.

33 Thomas Wine, "Reflections About the Choral Profession in the Twenty-First Century: An Interview with Harold Decker," Choral Journal, 42 (September, 2001): 25-28.

University he became the Director of Choral Activities in 1990 and Professor of Choral Music Education in 1994. In 2000 the administration and faculty recognized his distinguished career by awarding him the Owen F. Sellers Professor of Music. At the Florida State University Thomas consistently displays outstanding teaching abilities and brings distinction and notoriety to the university and community. Throughout his tenure, Thomas has been strongly supported by administrators, his colleagues on the faculty, and his colleagues in the field. Colleagues consistently cite his commitment to both the graduate and undergraduate students who matriculate in the College of music and those from the wider university community who take courses in the College of Music. Thomas demonstrated his commitment to the quality of undergraduate education by continuing to teach undergraduate courses and ensembles when he could have assigned those courses to other professors.34 He was noted as having an outstanding record of creativity, teaching, and for possessing an “impeccable musicianship” which combines with his extraordinary teaching techniques.35 Thomas has been described by his peers in the profession as one of the most gifted and innovative choral music educators in the United States.36 He is recognized as a pioneer who has worked to establish multicultural music as an important part of the educational curricula.37 Additionally, he is sought as a clinician and guest conductor for his high level of preparation and craftsmanship; and his ability to hear, detect, and fix problems in a rehearsal.38

Professional Organizations Thomas holds membership in the following professional organizations: International Federation of Choral Musicians; Music Educators National Conference; American Choral Directors Association (ACDA); American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; International Society of Music Education; Pi Kappa Lambda; Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He has held the following offices in professional organizations: ACDA -National Board Member, President of the Southern Division, National Chair of Ethnic Music and Minority Concerns Committee; Choristers Guild- National Board of Directors; Florida American Choral Directors Association- President; International Society of Music Education Conference- Convention Planning Committee; Florida College Music Educators- Secretary/Treasurer.39

34 Clifford Madsen, Music Education Coordinator- Florida State University, to Fred Stanley, Tallahassee, 16 May 1999, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. 35 Jon R. Piersol, Dean, College of Music, Florida State University, to Fred Stanley, Tallahassee, 31 March 1999, Letter to Committee on Named Scholarships Committee, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.

36 Anton Armstrong, St. Olaf College, to Named Professorship Committee, Tallahassee, 12 July 1999, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.

37 Ibid.

38 Frank Almond, San Diego State University, to Fred Stanley, Tallahassee, 27 July 1999, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. 39 A list of membership in professional organizations is part of André Thomas’s curriculum vitae and appears routinely in biographical information found in journals and other print materials publicizing events in which he participates.

Philosophy of Music

André Thomas believes that music enables people to cope with issues that arise out of the human condition, and he believes that music aids in the exploration of the emotions that make us human. Additionally, he feels that music is the vehicle through which conductors nurture people, especially the young, in order to provide them with experiences that help make them whole. Most importantly, he endorses the idea that music is cathartic and that it can be used to bring people together from diverse racial, cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. These philosophical ideals can be understood more clearly through elaboration and examples. Drawing from Thomas’s ideas about philosophy, it is clear that the choir and choral music can be a source from which people acquire strength to deal with the enormity of day-today life. The human condition is represented by the tremendous instability that occurs in our personal lives and events in the world in which we live. Thomas believes this condition can overwhelm and cause individuals to be despondent, particularly if the spirit is not anchored to some kind of replenishing source that is uplifting. Thomas believes that text combined with music can empower individuals and help them overcome feelings of hopelessness. Words are powerful because they have inherent meaning and sentiment. For Thomas, choral music allows for emotional balance, soothes anxieties, helps to provide quality of life, and encourages people to have hope. Thomas talked about the letters he has received from Tallahassee Community Choir members who perceive their choir as a sympathetic community providing them with emotional, spiritual, and mental resilience to overcome inner struggles of hurt and brokenness. This is the kind of support one would expect from relatives and is akin to religious faith; but it exists in choirs and is imparted through music. As a conductor Thomas constantly examines his role in the music making process to be better able to facilitate these experiences. Thomas believes that modeling a positive and enthusiastic attitude helps to ensure that people who sing in his choirs have positive experiences with the music as well as with the music making process. Thomas engages singers in quality musical experiences because he believes these experiences allow individuals to grow personally, spiritually, emotionally, and musically. Nurturing, reaching, and helping people developmentally requires thorough and thoughtful preparation. Regardless of all of the preparation undertaken to stand before the choir the conductor can only be nurturing if the time is taken to understand 1) who the singers are as individuals and 2) what they bring or do not bring to the music making process as a result of their own training and life experiences. In order to be a nurturer, the conductor must also fully understand what he/she wants the singers and audience to take away from the choral experience. Thomas believes that thorough preparation informs musical creativity and musical creativity facilitates, for the singers, the understanding of the ideals or concepts that are to be fostered or nurtured. An example of this kind of nurturing is evident as Thomas speaks about the programming of the score “Tshotsholoza”, a South African Chant. This chant came to be strongly associated with the 1961 trail of Nelson Mandela. Thomas originally programmed the piece with his Chamber Singers at the Florida State University for a concert. The chant opened the concert and was sung as the choir walked onto the stage. Thomas had successfully prepared the score but was unaware, prior to the performance, of the availability of the Mandela trial transcripts. After reading the transcripts of the trial he understood the circumstances that made the chant so powerful. He understood the passion of the African people as Mandela was being sentenced to jail and he understood the political and historical context of the piece. He has since

reprogrammed the work with a professional choir but with newfound insight that influenced the way in which he was able to facilitate real understanding for the singers. It also drastically changed the manner in which the piece was presented and its placement in the program. Thomas programmed “Tshotsholoza” before his composition “I Dream A World”, which is based on a text by Langston Hughes. Thomas believed that he and the choir were able to communicate the meaning of the music to the audience and his newly formed awareness of the trail transcripts informed the performance. Thomas is always interested in nurturing singer’s and audience understanding of the concepts of freedom, peace, and the equality for all men. Judging from audience reaction, he believes the singers and the audience understood. Finally, Thomas advocates that music is a tremendous source for exploring the emotions of the individual; and he believes it is just as powerful in helping to overcome the differences and to heal the wounds or fears that exist between people from diverse backgrounds. Thomas has promoted this concept through teaching and performing multicultural music. He encourages and challenges young conductors to be open to working in multicultural music. Thomas believes that allowing oneself the opportunity to experience music beyond ones own cultural heritage provides the assurance that all music will continue to survive and expand while enriching lives.40 Performance of multicultural music pays homage to and ennobles members of the culture being represented. Thomas stated that when people learn to value and pay homage to other cultures there is an opportunity for growth between people.41 Thomas’s work over the years has presented him with many opportunities to exercise his philosophical beliefs of the power of music. One of the most significant occurrences came as a result of the New Zealand government inviting him to conduct a performance of the combined choirs of the New Zealand Youth Choir and the Maori Choir. The performance took place atop Mt. Aotearoa. Thomas explains that he and the two choirs learned about the religious faiths of each group in a way that made them understand one another. Another significant event occurred when Thomas became the first and only American to conduct the orchestras of the conservatories in Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam, in 1999 Thomas toured Vietnam with the University Singers of the Florida State University, the only choir from the western world to ever do so. He describes the Vietnam trip as a life altering experience that can never be recreated. Thomas paid homage to the people of Vietnam by arranging a Vietnamese folk-song for the trip. After the choir performed the arrangement, over the next several days, people followed them through the streets singing the folk song. Thomas teaches a multicultural component in his advanced choral literature classes. He also exposes the graduate conducting students and students from the wider college community to multicultural music through the literature assignments for the Choral Union which serves as a conducting lab choir. In addition, the emphasis on music from diverse cultures can be seen in the programs of all of the university ensembles. This emphasis on multicultural music is also evident in the lectures, presentations, and programs that Thomas does nationally and internationally. In the up-coming Kansas All-State he has programmed Fanshawe’s “Sanctus” from the African Sanctus. However, one of the most vivid examples of his commitment to

40 Meyer and Nance, p. 1

41 Ibid.

multicultural music can be heard in his voice as he recounts his experiences of travel to foreign countries and encounters with other cultures. He speaks in a reverent manner and always reveals what he learned as a result of the experiences that have affected him profoundly. A comprehensive example of Thomas’ philosophy is observable in his work with Anton Armstrong as they conducted a workshop and performance of the combined Newark and American Boy Choirs (this culminated in a video project entitled “Mind, Body, Spirit, Voice“). The racial composition of each of the choirs was different, one predominantly minority, and the other predominantly White. Thomas expressed a desire for the choirs to have a western art experience as well as a multicultural experience; however he also wanted to address other important issues. Thomas determined that he wanted the boys to leave the experience with an enhanced sense of who they were as individuals and as singers. He wanted them to have respect for one another. He expressed a desire for all the students to become empowered and self-confident human beings. Thomas also very carefully considered other elements such as social and cultural background, emotional and physical maturation, and their sheer life experiences. Young boys, especially singers, may be apprehensive about expressing their sensitivity to music because they must emotionally resolve the negative stereotypical issues associated with singing and music such as their light voices. This is just one of many issues with which they must contend. Consideration of all of these things provided Thomas with the ability to make informed decisions about literature selection. Thomas picked literature that would facilitate emotional, musical, and technical growth, so he selected texts that were nurturing. He also carefully contemplated the music making process that would occur during rehearsal so that the boys would feel joy through out the rehearsals and not feel defeated or diminished. He accomplished this through his positive attitude and enthusiastic demeanor in the rehearsal. He demonstrated a love for the singers, the music, and the process. This clearly shows that for Thomas music is ultimately about people, he ministers to people through music.

Choral Literature Concepts

Thomas examines the text, the quality of craftsmanship in the musical setting, the fit of the piece into the overall program, and then decides if the music is exciting to him when selecting music for choirs. For Thomas, text is often the predominant element that determines if he selects a piece for an ensemble that he conducts, though he acknowledges that some texts may not be good or definitive but can still have significant meaning. Insight into Thomas’s selection process is illustrated in the method he used to select literature for the Newark and American Boy’s Choirs. In his search, Thomas only considered texts that would be valuable for nurturing and educating the boys. His concerns and considerations encompassed but extended beyond the technical and musical abilities of the singers. He concerned himself with the needs of the individual and he desired to select music that would relate directly to their life experiences and would connect to the singers from a social standpoint. Thomas stated that he selected varied literature to insure that every child would be affected. In the process of selecting literature Thomas believes conductors should consider his/her ability to understand the composer’s intentions. So, Thomas takes a scholarly approach to score study and students value his intimate masterful insight and knowledge about the structure and

history of a composition.42 Thomas uses this knowledge to engage singers in order that they might perform a score with the expression and emotional understanding of its content. Thomas challenges singers to connect with the text and the music in an emotional and intellectual way so they can communicate with audience members. He does this by relating the significance of what is in the text and music to the life experience of the singers. Thomas stated that connecting singers and audience to the text and music is not easy if they are not already open to the process on some level. In the rehearsal, Thomas expects that each member of the ensemble display a commitment to the music making process. He expects singers to enjoy the entire process of bringing the score to life, making all the printed symbols come to life. He facilitates this music making process by modeling the behaviors and attitudes that are expected of the singers. As a part of the score study process, Thomas works with the score until it is in his ears. When preparing the Tallahassee Community Chorus for their performance of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” at Carnegie Hall, a graduate student asked Thomas how he had gained such an intricate knowledge of the score, especially the instrumental parts. Thomas said that he sat down at the keyboard with the full orchestral score while playing and singing through each individual instrumental and vocal part for each movement. Each part was recorded on the keyboard and could be played against any other part(s) in the score. Thomas applies this same rigor to all music he conducts including music that is outside of the western classical traditions. Thomas strongly encourages the study and performance of music from other cultures and emphasizes that the young conductor must not be limited in this respect. He actively promotes the study and performance of diverse music because he values the musical heritage of all cultures. 43 Thomas has a national reputation for his commitment to multicultural music. His work has been very influential in establishing multicultural music as a fundamental element in the educational curricula in the United States.44 Thomas programs multicultural music regularly and again, it is striking how much multicultural music appears on concert programs of the choral ensembles at The Florida State University. Anton Armstrong asserts that Thomas’s concept of multicultural music encompasses a wide diversity of ethnic and geographical cultures.45 Thomas believes that music from other cultures should be explored in ways that pay homage to the culture represented and should ennoble all member of that culture. An analysis of concert programs from the last five years of university ensembles conducted by Thomas reveals the following information: 1) a total of 128 titles (some titles consisting of multiple selections) 2) 75 titles represent music of the twentieth century 3) 23 titles represent multicultural music (16 or which are spirituals). See Appendix E Thomas schedules multicultural music on the concert programs of the Chamber Choir and the Tallahassee Community Choir/University Choir. Table 1.1 is a breakdown of the number of multicultural pieces performed over a five-year period.

42 Kevin Southall, interview with author, Tallahassee, Florida, 21 July 2005. 43 Meyer and Nance, p. 1

44 Anton Armstrong, Letter to Named Professorship Committee

45 Ibid.

Table 1.2 Choral Compositions with University Ensembles 1999-2005

Genre______Quantity______Percentage_____

Western Classical (prior to 20th Cen.) 30 23.4

Twentieth Century 75 58.5

Spirituals 7 5.4

Multicultural (excluding spirituals) 16 12.5

Total 128 99.8

Thomas often designs concert programs around composers, themes, and concepts. The programs of the Tallahassee Community Chorus are frequently dedicated to a particular composer, group of composers, or a central theme. Programs for the Chamber Choir often follow this model. When programs do not have a general or overall theme the individual pieces are typically related to one another either by theme or a concept like love, peace, or unity. The programs for the main university choirs always incorporates literature spanning several style periods, often beginning with music of the Renaissance or Baroque Periods. In general, for all-state and festival honor choirs, Thomas begins concert programs with an accessible composition from the Baroque Period. The composer frequently used is Handel and the composition is typically lively, and easier than other pieces on the program. The opening piece does not usually require excessive singing in the extremities of the vocal ranges. Usually there are two to three other pieces representing the western art tradition and one of those is typically from the twentieth century. Thomas typically includes a world multicultural piece and an arranged spiritual for the closing selection.

Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies

Choral Concepts Thomas’s choral concepts can be understood by reviewing his approach and beliefs related to the training/instruction of conductors, his preparation of the score, and his attitude and deportment in the rehearsal. These three areas represent a general body of knowledge, perspectives, and/or skills advocated by Thomas. Instruction

Thomas’s approach to instruction in the rehearsal is dictated by the belief that the difference in what the conductor hears from the ensemble in rehearsal and what he/she desires to hear in the final performance product (he calls this the phantom performance) reveals the effectiveness and quality of teaching. He explains this concept during the first lecture in his conducting classes to challenge conductors to carefully consider how they teach. Thomas believes that quality teaching is an important variable that successfully moves an ensemble from one level of performance to the next. However, quality instruction is dependent upon the conductor developing certain skills and then applying them in the rehearsal. Thomas advocates the use of a Direct Instruction model in rehearsal. In the Direct Instruction model the teacher makes a presentation (an instruction) in the form of an academic musical task (talking about music or performance aspects, including modeling by the teacher or piano, or questions); a direction (giving directions regarding who will, or where to sing/play, counting beats, usually ending in “ready go”, questions); or a social task (presenting rules of behavior, moving students around the room, etc.). This is followed by a response such as performance by the students (entire ensemble, sections, or individuals singing or playing); a verbal response (ensemble members asking or answering a question, or making a statement, a spoken performance such as rhythmic reading, text speaking, or spoken solfege); or a nonverbal response (ensemble members nodding heads, raising hands, or moving in response to an instruction). After a presentation or instruction and then a response from the ensemble the teacher should then give reinforcement such as a verbal or nonverbal approval/disapproval.46 This model provides the students with immediate feedback and it allows the conductor and students to immediately assess progress. The pacing in this instruction model is brisk and instruction should be concise so that student interest, energy, and the flow of rehearsal are not impeded.

Score Preparation Thomas spends a great deal of time reading, researching, and gaining knowledge about the score so that he will be able to speak authoritatively and compassionately about the music. This applies to whatever he is conducting; large major works or octavos. His preparation also allows him to draw the singers more fully into the process of creating music out of the symbols in the score. Thomas feels that conductors should commit themselves to a lifetime of preparatory activities, because conductors are life-long learners. Thomas states that he continues to learn from life experiences, his colleagues, and students. For Thomas, preparation of a score involves reading about the composer and the time in which that composer lived. This includes information related to prevalent political, religious, and intellectual movements as well as social issues. The goal of the conductor is to know the composer’s intent, the sources of his/her inspiration for the piece, and the relevance of pieces to events or functions. Research should also be undertaken to determine the origins and meaning of the text. Performing works by living composers affords the conductor to gain much more information about the music. Information can also be gained from other conductors who have intimate knowledge of a work. For example, Thomas spoke about Robert Shaw as being an excellent source to consult because Shaw prepared scores masterfully but also had the luxury of

46 Judy Bowers, “Direct Instruction” taken from materials attached to a course syllabus, The Florida State University, College of Music, Summer 2002.

performing them many more times than most conductors. Thomas believed that Shaw had conducted Mozart’s Requiem over four hundred times; making Shaw an excellent source for consulting. Thomas indicates that his process for preparing a work involves the following: 1) research 2) listening to one or more reputable recording, if available 3) color coding the score 4) listening again 5) marking what appeals to him 6) singing each part 7) playing the accompaniment or reduction and 8) playing the accompaniment and singing each part. Research, reading, and score preparation enable the conductor to move the score from just printed symbols on the page to something that is vibrant and has relevance for the singers and the audience. It is preparation that provides the impetus for conductor creativity. Thomas feels that attention must always be given to the printed markings in the score because they indicate the composer’s conception of intensity. Here, intensity refers to the gradations of colors, dynamics, and articulations of sound that when combined with melody, rhythm, and text creates the soul of the piece; its spirit. However, Thomas believes that the conductor has to stir the energy within himself/herself that moves towards the intensity indicated by the composer, and then lead the choir there as well. It also means making sure dynamic degradations are sufficient in terms of decibel level. However, consideration must be given to several other aspects such as to color of sound as the phrase is moving, the intended emotional effect, and the highlighting of other materials that are important to the conductor. Ultimately the conductor and singers must stir the spirit in some way in order to reach the listeners. In order to do this they must be absolutely convinced about the music they are presenting to the audience. Thomas insists that the conductor must have some kind of emotional connection with the music. Thomas believes that the text can be nurturing and provide the conductor with this connection. However, he explains that there is legitimacy in acting like there is an emotional connection to the music. This is viable because usually when one acts he/she is drawing on some real life experience that has meaning.

Comportment During Rehearsal Thomas believes that the conductor should always keep in mind that ideally he/she has come to the rehearsal having thoroughly prepared the score. Therefore, the conductor is equipped to facilitate the learning process and the experiences that occur. However, most likely the singers will not have looked at the score with the skill and detail of the conductor. This can lead to impatience on part of the conductor. Care should be taken to ensure that the conductor does not “kill” the rehearsal by being overbearing and scolding the choir for every little mistake made. Thomas endorses the idea that “joy” can be in the rehearsal without the music being at its final product level. He believes that there is much to be gained by the singers in rehearsal; in fact, the process is where the actual nurturing takes place. The singers need to feel secure and comfortable in this environment so that learning and nurturing are effective. Thomas believes that the entire process should be structured so that the singers joyfully anticipate arriving at the final performance product. Approval and disapproval are essential because they provide the choir feedback about their performance and ability to follow the concepts given by the conductor. Thomas believes that appropriate approval can build confidence in the singers and provide forward momentum in the rehearsal. On the other hand, disapproval can also move the choir towards the final performance product. However, Thomas cautions that disapproval must be clear, strong (at times), and as mentioned previously, should not be overused to address every little thing that

occurs. However, Thomas often identifies and uses a student to correctly model a concept that may not be coming across to the singers. Thomas feels that this is a stronger model because it shows that the concept is understood by one of them and thereby motivates the rest of the singers. Thomas states that in this way the singers do not internalize the correction as disapproval. Again, this kind of model energizes the whole group because the singers understand that the concept is achievable. Along these lines, Thomas motivates singers by encouraging them to take ownership of the music making process. Thomas believes when the singers become personally responsible for making music in the rehearsal the energy level in the choir is greater. He feels that when conductors are dictatorial the singers are prevented from claiming ownership of the music. A graduate student at Florida State who has known Thomas for many years suggests that Thomas’s success in the rehearsal is due to his capacity to engage the singers in the music making process in ways that do not threaten them. In rehearsal, Thomas demonstrates that he understands the music making process from a human perspective. He is able to create a sense of trust in the rehearsal that makes the singers open to the process. This is clearly demonstrated in the rehearsal with the changing (cambiata) voices of the Newark and American Boy’s Choir. He understood that they were experiencing puberty, which is a very awkward time for boys. He knew that in conjunction with puberty their vocal ranges were diminishing. He considered the mental, emotional, and physical maturation of the boys. When he approached them he acknowledged them as older and when he asked them to add the element of movement to singing it was in keeping with their sensibilities as boys who were going through a serious developmental transition in their lives. The assigned movements were not whimsical or playful as they were with the younger boys. Rather, the movements were more mature and sophisticated. It appeared that their faces immediately showed that they trusted him and they really felt free to sing. Again, Thomas structures the rehearsal in a way that teaches the concepts he desires the singers to be able to take away with them from the music making process and the experience of performing. He also teaches for independence which he believes occurs when singers can self- evaluate and implement a concept on their own. To develop this skill in singers requires persistence and patience on the part of the conductor. Thomas explains that he learned about persistence, digging deep, and thinking from watching Robert Shaw struggle and be frustrated by issues that confronted him as a conductor. He recalls the rehearsals for a Stravinsky piece and Shaw was frustrated and could not figure out what was causing the problem with the sound of the choir, so he released the choir from rehearsal. Shaw finally concluded it was an acoustical issue. Thomas says that Shaw did not give up; he stuck with it until it came to him. He surmised that if Shaw, at that point in his career, went through these kinds of problems that he would eventually as well. Thomas knew that he would have to develop the same kind of persistence in order to develop singers in choirs under his direction.

Rehearsal Plan Prior to the rehearsal Thomas determines how many pieces will be rehearsed and how much time will be spent on each. In his Chamber Choir this information is often relayed to the singers by writing it on the board. Generally, the rehearsal of repertoire starts with something that is relatively challenging but within the technical reach of the choir. After this, the most challenging pieces are rehearsed. Thomas rehearses difficult music near the beginning of the

rehearsal to take full advantage of the energy and attention of the singers. Material that is easier to attain is placed towards the end of rehearsal. The closing piece is typically up-tempo and is selected because it will allow singers to leave the rehearsal remembering their success. Experience provides Thomas the ability to predetermine how much can be accomplished within a given rehearsal and allows him to design rehearsals where there is an appropriate correlation between pieces that are difficult and time in the rehearsal. Thomas is always aware of this time element as he plans rehearsals. He determines where the piece should be developmentally based on the amount of time remaining prior to a given performance.

Rehearsal Hierarchies Thomas allows the ensemble to sing through a choral piece completely during the initial reading. This provides singers with a chance to exercise their skills as musicians/singers. Additionally, it allows singers to get a sense of the whole providing them with valuable information concerning the structure of the piece. During the run through Thomas is aware of how singers perceive the piece in terms of style, language, performance, and textual issues. The run-through also permits him to make decisions about what to address first in the rehearsal. His rehearsal hierarchy typically is 1) correct pitches and rhythms 2) intonation and tone quality 3) diction and articulation 4) precision 5) phrasing and expression 6) dynamic contrast 7) balance and blend, but he believes many of these concepts can be worked on simultaneously. Thomas works to display conducting gestures that indicate as much information as possible about his musical intent as he carefully listens to the ensemble. Thomas believes that the most important tool of the conductor is the ear. The conductor cannot effectively lead the choir if he cannot hear and then resolve issues in the rehearsal. A basic procedure in rehearsal used by Thomas is: 1) identify a problem 2) isolate it 3) provide solution 4) repeat if needed- the repetition can be with one or more of the other sections or the accompaniment 5) rehearse the isolated problem in its musical context. Thomas usually addresses one problem at a time so that the choir can be successful. All of this is done with succinct instructions. Examples of concise instructions are: shorter or longer; more/less explosiveness or articulation; lighter or brighter, or the stress is here. His instructions are typically supported by gesture, a facial affect, or by some other movement of the body. For Thomas, every musical instruction is related to gesture because it is the strongest communication you have with the ensemble while they are singing in performance.

Choral Tone Thomas states that his concept of a choral tone ideal is not fixed in the sense that there is a definitive sound associated with him. He believes that the score/music should dictate the proper sound. Thomas describes the sound of his ensembles as lyrical, bright and vibrant. The sound he prefers is intended to radiate zeal for the occasion and the music.47 He also described the typical sound of his choirs as being light and not weighty. This, he attributes partially to overcompensating to counter the weighty sound of the church choirs he listened to in his youth. Another element that is a part of the sound he achieves is derived from the energy and joy that is generated in the music making process. He works hard to establish a joyful rapport with the singers and somehow that manifests itself in the sound of the choir.

47 E. Smith, p. 2-3.

For Thomas, one of the most important aspects of rehearsal is ultimately directed at getting the singers to produce the best possible sound appropriate for each piece of music to be performed. Again, Thomas believes that appropriate sound is determined by the music. Thomas feels that most conductors’ choral tone ideal is an eclectic mixture of the schools of choral thought that were so prominent at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, he also believes that the European and Scandinavian sounds have definitely influenced the American choral tone ideal. He states that this change may be due in part to the increasing number of choirs participating in European festivals and competitions. Thomas’s choral sound ideal for festival and all-state is dependent upon the singers that make up the ensemble. The luxury of personally selecting voices is not usually afforded to the conductor of these kinds of choirs. However, Thomas does have strong preferences for individual voices that sing in his auditioned university ensembles. Thomas prefers voices that are lyric, beautiful, smooth, and capable of singing a line without excessive pressure. The voice should be capable of singing at various dynamic levels and should sing throughout the total range with good intonation. The vibrato in the voice should be even. He feels that voices possessing these characteristics are easier to accommodate in the choral rehearsal and lend themselves better to the choral experience. He likes the mezzo voices because they have more warmth and color. The preference for the tenor voice is lyric, not necessarily big, but capable of singing the high tones in tune. As for the bass voice a lyric but robust or full-bodied sound is preferred.

Sound in Different Acoustical Environments Thomas states that he achieves his choral tone ideal in varying acoustical environments by changing the tempi of musical selections. In a reverberant acoustic he adjusts tempo by slowing down. In a dry acoustic Thomas states that he normally takes the tempo of a composition faster.

Vowels Vowel uniformity is the most important consideration in achieving and building the sound for the choir. It simply means that all singers are singing what is perceived to be the same vowel. In some instances it may mean that some singers are producing what is perceived as the same vowel as other singers in the choir because it may be necessary to alter or modify the vowel due to where it is in relation to range or register. Sometimes the vowel is modified because of the inherent quality of the voice due to physical maturation or technical ability. As a color consideration of the sound Thomas may sometimes modify a vowel. Thomas insists on tall vowels created by space in the back of the throat; bright and forward vowels rather than swallowed in the back of the throat sounds; and vowels not distorted by unsteadiness and unevenness of vibrato. In addition to vowel uniformity, the choir must also match pitch and dynamics in order to have a clear, balanced, and blended ensemble sound.

Intonation For Thomas, one of the causes of poor intonation is attributable to poor vowel formation, particularly if there is the compounding element of singing in the extremities of the range. However, Thomas states that often, in his experience, the primary cause of poor intonation in the rehearsal stems from over singing and faulty vocal production. So, he encourages the use of the light mechanism of the voice for all singers. Also, Thomas insists that intonation can be

remedied by encouraging singers to listen. One way Thomas achieves this is by asking singers to hold and identify cadences at certain crucial points in the composition. With advanced singers it is also helpful to encourage them to have a physical sensation for pitch. Thomas has on several occasions asked singers to internalize the physical sensations of pitch while singing a particular chord. Concerns related to intonation are frequently addressed to the choir as a whole or sections with in the choir. Vocal faults of individual singers are usually not addressed in the rehearsal.

Vibrato Generally speaking, Thomas uses the vibrato to color the sound that he desires to hear from the ensemble. He asks singers to be mindful of excessive vibrato and wobbles that create formidable tuning problems. He prefers a vibrant sound that has color although he has asked for almost vibrato-less sounds from his singers, depending upon desired effect.

Other Aspects of Sound Aside from sheer sound Thomas stresses clear diction and rhythmic precision in his choral sound. To achieve diction Thomas considers the following: 1) how the word is pronounced 2) how the text is wedded to the music 3) how it can be best expressed by the singers 4) how to unify the sound among the entire group of singers. Using the Shaw Chord refines diction and rhythmic precision. The Shaw Chord is a ninth chord (e-g sharp-d- f sharp) and it is used as a chant. It allows singers to focus on one element of the music at a time. For example, if the text is an issue, especially as in foreign languages, the singers are assigned a pitch in the chord (bottom up BTAS) and they chant the text on that one pitch addressing one aspect of diction at a time. If rhythm is the problem then the same technique can be used to work out the rhythmic details. Thomas stated that when diction is given in the choral rehearsal it should initially be given without pitch and in the rhythm of the text so that it can be better assimilated. Pitch can be added at the next level of the process.

Choral/Orchestral Conducting Thomas believes that there is essentially no difference between choral conducting and orchestral conducting. Although, he does devise a plan for the choral/orchestral rehearsal that is logistically less stressful and less time consuming for the choir and orchestra players. The primary objective of this kind of rehearsal plan is to utilize the singers and instrumentalists in the most time efficient way as possible.

Choir Tours Thomas feels that choir tours are a positive experience for singers. He believes that the singer is benefited because it builds an esprit de corps between members of the ensemble which ultimately affects the sound.

Communication with the Choir Thomas believes that quality instruction is, in part, dependent upon the ability of the conductor to effectively communicate the technical and musical concepts of a score through verbal instructions and nonverbal gestures. Thomas believes that in addition to the conducting gesture the successful conductor must also communicate through eye contact, facial expression, and body posture. Thomas advocates that the conductor should be very short and to the point

when verbally communicating with the choir. Instructions should usually address one concept at a time, particularly in developing choirs. Thomas feels that a primary objective of gesture is to effectively communicate what is necessary for the ensemble to enliven the printed symbols found in the score in ways that are vocally well produced, musical, and meaningful for the singers and audience. For this reason he does not feel that gesture has to always be tied to a beat pattern. For example, he teaches the use of melded gesture to achieve certain qualities and nuances of sound such as fluidity and homogeneity. A melded gesture occurs when the individual beats of the conducting pattern become less discernable. Thomas encourages the efficient use of the space around the conductor’s body but cautions that the gesture, as a rule, must be neither too high nor too low. The gesture should basically occur between the navel and the sternum. He advocates use of the sagital plane (the horizontal plane that extends out the length of the arms in front of the conductor and then backwards to the conductor’s chest) to achieve inflections related to dynamics and articulation such as fortepiano, decrescendo, and accent. Furthermore, Thomas stresses the importance of varying the size of the pattern to achieve dynamic contrast. Thomas constantly reminds students that music occurs between the beats of a pattern and gesture should reflect this. For example, if the rebound gesture is too quick causing the gesture to appear to momentarily freeze or pause prior to moving to the next beat then the conductor cannot musically influence the sound occurring between the two beats. This can also cause the ensemble to be rhythmically imprecise. Thomas feels that the eyes and face of the conductor are valuable tools in that they communicate to the singer the conductor’s emotional connection and involvement with the music. They also communicate confidence and draw singers into the music making process. Thomas supports the idea that the conductor should look at the ensemble or the various sections of an ensemble when they are cued for entrances, nuances or articulation. The eyes must be out of the score and focused on the ensemble or section as much as possible but especially during the time that a change is about to occur. When the texture is homophonic or when several lines enter too rapidly in succession, the conductor should choose which line or what material is important and focus attention there. Thomas believes that the face should portray the mood or character of the music. The face, when necessary, should also give some indication as to the character of music at the time that entrances are made by individual sections of the choir. This relates to Thomas’s belief that singers should look like the music they conduct which also has indications for body posture. Thomas encourages the use of the body as a means to communicate authority, confidence, and character of the music. He believes that the body’s posture should stand tall with the weight evenly distributed on both feet. The knees should be slightly bent and the shoulders relaxed. Thomas believes that conducting with excessive movement of the shoulders creates unnecessary tension and will eventually cause problems with muscles and joints. The ribcage and chest should be lifted but not give the appearance of being locked or tight. Thomas advocates using the expansion of the chest as a means to obtain intensity in sound. As it regards other types of movement of the body Thomas feels that the conductor’s body should not lean excessively towards the singers. Thomas believes that excessive leaning into the choir diminishes the conductor’s authority. He also feels that there should be no extraneous movement of the body while conducting such as unnecessary bouncing; rocking backwards, forwards, or sideways; cuing with the head; or unnecessary subdivisions of the beat with any part of the body. Thomas believes that these things along with faulty gesture detract

from the rhythmic precision and musicality of the ensemble. Thomas teaches that when rhythm imprecision of the ensemble becomes problematic then the conductor should eliminate extraneous movement and reduce the size of the gesture which encourages the singers to focus. Breathing may not be technically classified as a gesture but it does communicate needed information to the singers. The obvious but inaudible natural breath of the conductor helps to cue singers about entrances. Breathing can be used as a valuable tool to focus the singer’s attention on the necessity to breathe while singing. It is important to breathe with the choir because inexperienced singers sometimes stop the flow of breath rather than release breath into the sound. Also, the conductor can communicate character and mood through the breath.

Rehearsal Strategies

Seating Thomas uses seating, voicing, imagery, vowel uniformity, and vowel modification to help achieve his choral tone ideal. There are two seating arrangements used in the choirs that Thomas conducts. He uses standard sectional seating especially for large ensembles like festival choirs, all-state choirs, and the Tallahassee Community Chorus. The Chamber Choir is seated in sections but they also may have up to two alternate mixed formations that are assigned at the beginning of each semester. Thomas moves singers within sections and the mixed formations to create the sound, balance, and blend that he desires. During some Chamber Choir rehearsals the singers were frequently seated loosely by section in two concentric circles. This was done to facilitate listening to improve intonation, balance, and blend.

Voicing Voicing the choir occurs when singers are deliberately or strategically placed within the section or mixed formation. More specifically, voicing occurs when characteristics of an individual voice are considered in direct relation to the characteristics of the voices that are in close proximity to that voice in an effort to affect the overall sound of the section or formation. This may mean that some voices are placed strategically within the section or formation that provides the ideal or foundational sound. This technique is also used to lessen the audibility of undesired sound found in the quality of some voices. No matter what the seating arrangement is in a choir conducted by Thomas one will probably find the lighter and more lyric voices towards the front of the ensemble when this is possible.

Warm-up Thomas strongly encourages the graduate singers in The Chamber Choir to warm-up prior to arriving at rehearsal. Many of the singers are voice performance majors or most have had extensive vocal and/or choral training. He feels that singers at the graduate level know best how to prepare their individual voices for singing. Having the singers’ warm-up prior to rehearsal also saves time; however, Thomas rarely starts a rehearsal without some type of warm- up. He uses several warm-up exercises that focus on intonation, balance, and blend. Thomas often starts the warm-up by asking the choir to hum or sing a vowel at A440 without a reference pitch. When the tone becomes stable throughout the choir in terms of pitch, blend, and balance he asks the women to continue singing while the men drop out or visa versa. He then asks sections to re-enter at his cue then this may be repeated. Often, this exercise is

varied chromatically by having the divided (men and women) ensemble move in chromatic intervals against one another. Another typical exercise used by Thomas requires the choir to hum five note descending scales, starting on the dominant note (sol) moving to the tonic note (do). This is performed in a moderately slow tempo usually starting in the key of C major or D major. During this exercise Thomas usually cautions the choir to keep the tone light and encourages singers not to sing with heavy tone especially on the bottom notes. Thomas also frequently uses an “I love to sing” exercise that moves 5-8-5-3-1 (so- do- so- mi- do) to establish the concept of space and vowel uniformity. The Warm-up portion of rehearsal for Chamber Choir typically lasts between 4-8 minutes prior to the singing of choral pieces.

Imagery Imagery is routinely used by Thomas to achieve qualities of sound. A quality of sound may be warm, rich, full, or lyric. He also uses imagery to achieve the emotional qualities of sound sorrowful, happier, pleading, or anger. Imagery is used sometimes to affect a technical issue such as method of executing a tone, its attack or release. For example, he uses the gesture and verbal image of lightly “picking up” the tone if the onset is too harsh. Sometimes a fuller description is needed to connect singers to ideas. Thomas has occasionally asked the singers to briefly express the images that come to mind about a text or the music. Sometimes he will expound upon a text or some aspect of the music. For example when rehearsing the opening movement of Bach’s “Magnificat in D” he briefly describes how the moving sixteenth notes represent the elation of Jesus and John at their first meeting even though they were still in the wombs of their mothers. In one rehearsal, Thomas asked the singers to “melt” down to the child when singing the word “child”. He did this so that the singers would have a child’s perception of the emotion of the moment which required a different conception of the tone to be sung.

Breath Thomas believes that the conductor’s use of the breath is an important communicative technique that can be used for leading a choir. The breath is used to cue singers to enter. The breath is also crucial in setting up the mood of the piece or entrance and when mastered can display information about the quality of sound the conductor desires from the ensemble. Fundamentally, it reminds singers to breath.

Movement Large and small body movements are constantly employed in rehearsals to achieve precision. For example, Thomas achieves precise articulation of a consonant by asking singers to chant the word while tapping the tips of the fingers on the thigh or lightly tapping the thumb with each of the other fingers. For example, if the word is “saint” on a quarter note the final “t” can be clearly articulated on any of the sixteenth note subdivisions of the quarter note depending on the demands of the music/score or what makes sense musically. Also, Thomas uses movement to facilitate technical aspects of singing by redirecting the singer’s attention from technical issues to sensation of the movement. Often a movement like swinging the arms in a circular motion creates a sense of ease and momentum that should be transferred to the voice.

Choral Organization

Chamber Choir

Thomas conducts two choirs at The Florida State University and supervises a third ensemble called the Choral Union. The Chamber Choir is primarily a graduate ensemble composed of about 42-46 singers. The ensemble consists of all graduate students enrolled in the choral music program, voice performance majors, and sometimes music therapy majors. There is a graduate assistant who has conducting responsibilities. The accompanist is a volunteer who is usually a singing member of the ensemble. Section leaders are not assigned but when section rehearsals occur, Thomas or the assistant selects leaders. The audition for Chamber Choir is held at the beginning of each year and returning singers must re-audition so Thomas can stay abreast of the vocal development of each singer and make shifts in section assignments. The audition process takes about three days and consists of the following: 1) a song or aria chosen by the singer- Thomas believes this allows for singers to feel comfortable and provides an opportunity to hear the singers preference for literature and vocal concept 2) range analysis- this can be a phrase from a simple patriotic song in various keys 3) tonal memory check- this is accomplished by asking singers to sing back melodic patterns of varying difficulties 4) a vocal exercise requiring singers to exercise dynamic control of the instrument and 5) a sight-reading piece. Sometimes, Thomas will play a chord and ask singers to sing a specified pitch within it. Thomas is listening for quality of voice, vocal technique, range, and musicianship. This information enables him to make repertoire choices. It also affords him the opportunity to voice the choir and make preliminary seating charts for the singers. Usually, in the first rehearsal, singers receive two seating charts containing seating within sections and a mixed/quartet formation. A panel of judges made up of the choral and vocal coaching faculty usually hears soloists from within the choir who are auditioning for major works. Other soloists for major works are frequently members of the voice faculty or other hired professionals. This ensemble performs at least two major concerts a year.

Tallahassee Community Chorus/University Choir The Tallahassee Community Chorus is a non auditioned choir that consists of 150-250 singers from the city, university community, and undergraduate and graduate students in the various departments within the College of Music. This organization has a Board of Directors who are volunteers assisted by outside consultants. An executive director organizes the day-today operations of the choir. University support includes two teaching assistants, a rehearsal accompanist, and Thomas who is the Artistic Director. Soloists for major works are selected from the membership of the chorus or are hired professionals. This choir normally performs twice a year and sometimes combine with other ensembles on the campus. The Choral Union The Choral Union maintains a membership of 70-100 members and is open to university students. Members are both music majors and non majors. This ensemble is conducted by the second year masters and doctoral students and is supervised by Thomas. The graduate choral conducting majors are required to sing in the ensemble. There is a teaching assistant assigned to this ensemble. The accompanist is a volunteer who may be a member of the ensemble. Soloists

usually come from within the choir. This ensemble performs two concerts a year, one each semester. The concerts are not shared with any other ensemble. Usually, singers in all of the ensembles are in sections. This is the most feasible arrangement for a big ensemble like the Tallahassee Community Chorale. However, in Chamber Choir Thomas makes changes when necessary to the voicing of sections, moving singers within the section to achieve the sound and balance that he desires. The Attendance Policy for all of these ensembles is defined in a syllabus and grades are given according to the policy.

General Weaknesses in the Choral Field

Thomas believes that there should be an emphasis on implementing more training for prospective teachers on the understanding of human behavior. The inability to effectively manage discipline in the classroom prevents learning regardless of the teacher’s knowledge. Thomas appears to be addressing an issue that is at the core of some problems faced by many inexperienced teachers. Given the current dilemma of teacher burnout, the negative controversy surrounding the efficacy of public school education, and some of the misperceptions about the student population of some schools, institutions of higher learning may be wise to invest in more training in human behavior for prospective teachers. This may ensure that new teachers are not blindsided and overwhelmed by the sometimes needless and daunting circumstances that can make them unfeeling, unenthusiastic, and unresponsive to students and their needs.48 There is also a need to provide prospective teachers with more opportunities to be in situations where they are gaining continuous training and experience while they simultaneously receive guidance from observing instructors. More programs are needed similar to the Adopt a School Program directed by Judy Bowers at the Florida State University. This program allows students in their sophomore and junior years to go out into the public schools to partner with and mentor a student in the choir. The prospective teacher is provided with opportunities to be intimately involved in the schools prior to their interim practice teaching field experience.

Rehearsal With The New York Honor’s Choir Literature Thomas selected compositions for this concert that were attainable by the singers while simultaneously presenting them with musical, technical, and opportunities for aesthetic growth from which they could further develop as musicians and individuals. The selected compositions were accessible in terms of text or poetic content because they were neither abstract nor did they contain a lot of symbolic language that would have inhibited the singer’s ability to connect to their meaning. The pieces do not require prolonged singing in the extremities of the voice ranges, and, for the most part, the compositions remain within a relatively comfortable tessitura. The music is diverse in style, age appropriate, and exciting to sing. However, the compositions are not without elements of difficulty which required the singers to be disciplined in their approach and not to take the music making process for granted.

48 Gerald Knight, "A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions About Diversity of Prospective Teachers," Tallahassee: The Florida State University. Unpublished Report.

Chatman’s “Music When Soft Voices Die” is written for a cappella choir with an oboe obbligato that appears to be disjointed from the harmonies in the choral parts. This, in conjunction with the rather wide intervals present in the vocal parts and the intricate rhythmic weaving of the text, makes the piece challenging to sing. Furthermore, the syllabic stress of the words does not coincide with the strong and weak pulses of the meter. In addition, the piece presents further difficulty by requiring a small group of singers from the choir to sing close and dissonant harmonies against the choral and oboe parts which sound almost atonal at times; this occurs throughout most of the composition. The first of Edlund’s “Two Scandinavian Folk Songs” has some intricate chromatic movement in a relatively quick moving tempo and some of the harmonies are challenging to sing with good intonation. This folk-song also contains intervals in each of the voice parts that are difficult to negotiate with good intonation. However, in addition to technical mastery of the music the singers had to master the emotional content of the compositions. For example, Ames’s “In Remembrance” requires singers to make an extra effort to connect to and then display its emotional content; although all of the music necessitated the singer’s emotional involvement.

Order of the Program Thomas opens the program with Handel’s “Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened” which has a bright, exciting, and energetic tempo and character. The harmonies are typical of Handel in that they were exciting but somewhat predictable; and there are both imitative and homophonic sections. The second composition, Ames’s “In Remembrance” is also sacred but obviously contrasting in terms of style, tempo, mood, and color. It is a beautiful, moderately slow, harmonically rich, and basically homophonic composition. The third composition Thomas’s “I’m Gonna Sing” is an accompanied folk song-like composition based on a spiritual and it returns to the bright and energetic mood characteristic of the opening selection. Next, Thomas programmed the first of Edlund’s “Two Scandinavian Folk Songs” which is somewhat rhapsodic, longing, and rather emotionally moving in character. Thomas then programmed Chatman’s “Music When Soft Voices Die” which has an ethereal quality that paints the character of the text. Chatman’s composition also moves the listener beyond the unrequited feelings of the Edlund piece to a more reflective mood. Thomas closed the program with Hogan’s “Ride On, King Jesus” which is majestic and powerful. It is an uplifting piece of music, especially at the end as the tempo broadens and the sopranos sustain a high b-flat while the remainder of the choir dramatically drops out and then re-enters. All, but one of the pieces, are from the twentieth century, however the twentieth century pieces are contrasting in style. The literature was accompanied by assorted instrumental forces that made for an even greater variety in the program. See Appendix G This program is similar in general design to other all-state and festival choir programs conducted by Thomas. These programs often begin with an accessible composition from the western art tradition, generally from the Baroque Period. Thomas frequently uses Handel in these types of festivals. The opening composition is usually energetic and relatively easy and does not require the extended use of the extreme registers of the vocal ranges. The opening selection serves as the piece that establishes tone and cultivates the foundational core sound from

which the singers conceptualize healthy vocal production. The opening selection also provides the singers with an easy transition into the performing environment.49 Thomas normally includes two-three other compositions representing the western art tradition and normally at least one of those is a twentieth century piece. The most challenging pieces are often found near the middle or close to the end of the program. A multicultural piece is usually on the program and a spiritual arrangement often closes the program. The spiritual arrangements of Hogan are used frequently and sometimes Thomas uses his own spiritual or folk-song arrangements. Thomas states that he prefers to close concerts with pieces that are “up”, energetic and uplifting.

Seating The choir was arranged in a traditional section formation with the Soprano I seated off to the conductor’s left hand side with the Soprano II behind them. In the center of the formation there were the Tenor I and II with the Bass/Baritone I and II behind them. The Alto I and II were on the conductor’s right hand side. In the rehearsal preceding the performance the singers were placed in a performance formation within the established sections that took into consideration the height of each singer. There were approximately five hundred singers in the choir which made seating in any type of arrangement other than the traditional one almost impossible.

Warm-Up Thomas started the rehearsal with a set of exercises designed to get the singers accustomed to the physical sensations associated with the flow of breath and the breath energy needed to clearly articulate sound. See Figure 1.1 This involved having the singers to repeat various consonant and consonant combinations with exaggerated articulation which also causes the abdominal muscles to become more involved. This exercise also allowed singers to isolate and feel how the tongue, lips, and teeth articulate consonants. Thomas believes that many times young singers do not know how to properly connect breath to the sound because they are accustomed to producing sound from the throat.

Figure 1.2 Warm-up Exercise “Consonants” Thomas continued the warm-up by asking the singers to sit in the level two position (seated with relaxed shoulders, lifted chest, with feet flat on the floor). They sang descending thirds on the vowels meh-oh-meh-oh-meh-oh-meh-oh-meh (sol-mi-fa-re-mi-do-re-ti-do) starting in the key of D major and ending in A major. The exercise was extended up by half steps with the piano giving each modulation and Thomas constantly asked for tall (vertical mouth position with lifted palate) vowels. See figure 2.1

49 Jose Rivera, interview with author, Tallahassee, Florida, 21 July 2005.

Figure 2.2 Warm-up Exercise “Meh- Oh” in the key of D major

Thomas asked the singers to assume level one position (standing with correct posture) and then he asked them to mimic/imitate everything that was done physically with his body. He also called the singers attention to his changing posture. Starting in a bent-at-the-waist posture he started clapping, chanting a-one-a-two, and rhythmically moving from side to side. He alternated between actual clapping and simulated hand claps as he gradually moved to a posture that was fully upright with hands stretched to the ceiling. He constantly asked the singers to watch throughout the exercise. This purpose of this exercise appeared to reinforce good posture. He requested the singers to assume the level two position (seated with correct posture). The following exercise was the singing of ascending and descending major triads starting in the key of D major and ending in A major (modulated up by half steps) using no-oh-nah-ah-no (do-mi-so-mi-do) See Figure 3.1. Thomas modeled the vowels of the exercise two different ways, first he produced shallow sounds with incorrectly formed spread vowels that were not clearly articulated or distinguishable; and then he presented a second model that was clear and articulate with taller, vertical, and well-formed or shaped vowels (relaxed jaw with the shape of the vowel on the lips). Thomas cautioned the singers to be gentle with their voices and then he asked the singers to sing tall vowels as in the second model.

Figure 3.2 Warm-up Exercise “No- Ah” in D major

The singers were then instructed to place their hands on their larynx (Adams’ apple) and experience its gentle lowering as they took a breath. Thomas made the analogy that the breath has the same physiological effect on the larynx as drinking a glass of water. The exercise was repeated starting in the key of E-flat major modulating by half steps to the key of A-flat major. Thomas asked the singers to drink in the tone as they sang. Thomas asked singers to experiment with the sensation of the beginning stages of a yarn (“right before it really gets big”). He wanted the singers to experience the space and the lowering of the larynx. He then started in the key of “E-flat major” and repeated the triad exercise. The next exercise focused on the agility and flexibility of the voice. Thomas went to the piano and began an exercise consisting of ascending repeated notes and a descending scale with an octave leap at the end (sing a little, sing a little la, la, la) in the key of B major See Figure 4.1. He was animated and energetic and asked the singers to watch him. He frequently used his right hand in the exercise to indicate the space needed on the inside of the mouth with the lifted position of the soft palate and the space needed for the tall vowels that he had asked for earlier in the warm-up. This gesture resembles the hand signal used for “la” in the Kodaly approach. It is

also the position of the hand when singers are asked to put the back of their hands to the side of their face to remind them of space.

Figure 4.2 Warm-up Exercise “Sing a Little” in the C major

Thomas played the accompaniment using syncopated rhythms modulating the exercise up by half steps. He then used the exercise making it a round starting each section of singers separately. The choir performed the round once starting with the sopranos down to the basses and then again starting with the bass section up to the soprano section. This exercise was particularly engaging because it immediately appealed to the musical sensibilities of the young people, it was jazzy. Thomas immediately went from this exercise into “I’m Gonna Sing” which has the same kind of character. In subsequent rehearsals, Thomas used other exercises to engage the choir in the process of readying their minds, bodies, and voices for singing. He reminded the singers to always sing to the front of the vowels which produces a consistency in the quality of tones as they move from one tone to another. Thomas used “I love to sing” (5-8-5-3-1) as an exercise to unify sound in the upper registers of the voice. He asked singers to modify the word “I” to more of an “ah” which causes the “ee” which normally occurs as a diphthong to not be overly pronounced. He used zee-ah which extends up to the 5th of the scale and then stretches the voices up over the 9th scale degree (1-2-3-4-5/1-2-3-4-5/1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) See Figure 5. In the exercise we-oh-we-oh-we-oh-we-oh-we (5-3-4-2-3-1-2-ti-1) singers were encouraged to sing the “ee” vowel in the same lip position of the “oh” vowel thereby maintaining line or consistency in the sound. Thomas explained that the “ee” vowel should feel like it comes out of the “ooh”. In this exercise the two vowels should be perceived by the singer as having the same physical sensation of being placed forward.

Figure 5.2 Warm-up Exercise “Zee- Ah” in C major

Throughout the warm-ups Thomas stressed the importance of singing vowels in the vertical position with a light mechanism, lifted palate, and a gentle and natural lowering of the larynx. Singers were encouraged not to sing heavy muffled tones associated with sounds that are perceived as resonating too far in the back of the throat.

Rehearsal of Individual Selections

Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened One of the most charismatic moments displayed by Thomas in the rehearsals occurred during the singing of Handel’s “Let Thy Right Hand Be Strengthened” in the final rehearsal. Thomas enthusiastically led the choir in a performance that was their very best effort. He managed this by stepping completely away from the score and allowing his body and face to communicate to the singers every possible expressive and technical affect they were capable of producing for this selection. Each movement appeared to derive from the spirit of the music, which seemed to speak to him freely and in the moment. It was almost like being in a Pentecostal church service watching the spirit descend upon a member of the congregation. He appeared to be on the verge of being ecstatic. At one point he loudly shouted out “that’s it, that’s it”. Thomas cued every entrance enthusiastically and in the character of the music. Seeing this attitude and posture from Thomas the singers appeared to become more alert and responsive. The singers suddenly became more energized and the sound was clear, resonant, buoyant, and it had the appropriate character. At that moment, the singers appeared to have let go of any inhibitions and dedicated themselves to expressing the music. They appeared to be singing with their whole-selves, body, mind, spirit, and voice. In this selection the tenors and sopranos had problems making the transition into the top register and they continually produced a sound that was loud and forced. Thomas cautioned them to watch their approach into the high register by becoming lighter not louder. Thomas asked the singers to sing with a light mechanism throughout this selection. He asked for brighter vowels that reveal the teeth as they are being produced. Several times Thomas re-voiced or re-distributed the voices in the composition for the purpose of a better balance. For example, in some places he asked the Soprano II to sing Alto I and at measures 45-52 he requested that the second basses not sing at all. Thomas insisted that the singers work on articulation by voicing final consonants such as “d” in the word “and” so that the “t” of the next word “thy” could also be clearly and distinctly articulated. He asked that the word “right” be sung in the space of the “ah” vowel with no diphthong. Thomas worked to create the overall character of the piece by emphasizing its rhythmic elements. He constantly asked the singers to be mindful of the short and long articulation of rhythms and accents.

In Remembrance Thomas managed to challenge the choir in a non-threatening way through body movement and posture in this selection. There were times when he gave an instruction and then his body assumed a posture that communicated a challenge to the singers. He accomplished this by slightly bending his knees, extending arms out to his sides, almost like in a fighting stance, and by displaying an intense look of expectancy. This sent a clear signal to the singers that, although they were being challenged, he had confidence in their ability to produce the desired sound. He continually engaged the singers in this manner in order to prevent them from standing there singing notes completely devoid of the mental, physical, and emotional processes of creating something worthy of sharing with others.

In rehearsal Thomas does not hesitate to use gestures that are outside of the typical conducting patterns. He uses gestures that exemplify extreme emotional content. For example he used both arms with clinched fists pulled into his chest to portray the deep emotion that needed to be expressed in this selection. Thomas briefly told the choir about the events that moved the composer to write the piece because he wanted them to connect to the intensity and passion. Another profound moment in the final rehearsal came during the singing of Ames’s “In Remembrance”. The singing was beautiful and moving. Thomas achieved this in several ways with the singers. Thomas used a word from the text “lux” to get the singers to achieve the desired sound. He briefly defined the word as meaning light, in this instance a single beam of light. As he is modeled the word and sound he wanted he lifted his right hand to the center of his forehead and moved it slowly out in front of him creating the image of the single beam of light. His tone was clear, steady, and sung on a cleanly articulated vowel. Just before he asked the singers to produce the tone he counted off, breathed, said the word “light”, and his right hand made the same motion as when he modeled the sound. The singers then had an image and a physical sensation that represented the sound desired and reinforced through Thomas’s gesture. To achieve a better quality sound on the “u” vowel in “lux” Thomas used more imagery. He asked the singers to imagine that they had a McDonald’s milk shake in front of them and that they were sipping it through a straw. He asked that they articulate the vowel in the shape of the sipping lips. Again, this provided the singers with a mental and physical sensation to create a sound. When Thomas desired that sound again he prompted the singers by the gesture and the singers formed the lips to the sipping position. Thomas continued to address the issues of tone, vowel quality, and phrasing in direct relationship to space and syllabic stress (inflection), and articulation. Thomas asked that the “ah” sound on the final syllable of the word “aeterna” be a taller (vertical) vowel. When he explained this he also used his entire body to grow taller to give singers another means by which to understand the concept. Thomas stressed that “ooh” vowels should not have any hint of “ew” in them as in certain German words with umlauted “o” vowels. He talked constantly about syllabic stress in conjunction with space, for example, he explained that the second syllable of the word “gracious” is softer and it must be in the vertical “ah” position and the “o” in “Domine” should be pronounced “Daw” []. Generally, Thomas asked singers to omit the “r” in words like “Lord” and “tears”. One syllable words like “my” and “joy” were performed in the “ah” position as to eliminate the diphthong “ee” normally articulated by singers at the ends of these words. As it relates to articulation of musical lines Thomas asked that the two note slurs on the words “linger and die” be observed. He reminded the singers that slurs are created by making the first note stronger than the second. He explained further that each note must be articulated clearly but not accented Thomas addressed the issue of balance once during the rehearsal of this composition because he did not perceive that there was enough Tenor II in the opening statement by the choir. He asked the Baritones to join the Tenor IIs on the opening/beginning “Lux aterna”. Intonation became a problem at the end of the composition, especially in the Tenor section. Thomas asked the choir to tune to the horn particularly on the last chord, but the tenors, who have the third of the chord were still under the pitch. To help them tune Thomas asked them to sing the B-flat a half step above the third of the chord and then resolve to the third. When the tenors made the half-step resolution down from the 4th of the chord to the 3rd the intonation issue also resolved.

I’m Gonna Sing When rehearsing this selection Thomas told the singers that they must look different. The piece clearly portrays an emotion and character that is different from the piece that precedes it on the program. He wanted them to look different because of the impact that it should have on the overall sound. As Thomas spoke it was immediately noticeable that there was a change in his appearance; his whole body and face took on the character of the music. The gestures that Thomas used previously took on a different quality as well. For example, the motion for legato was not simply the typical horizontal movement that pulls from side to side; rather he used his whole body in a side-to-side movement with his hands that portrayed the dance-like, celebratory, but dignified quality of sound that he desired. The gestures used by Thomas did not appear theatrical or insincere; they seemed to be natural and in the moment. During the second day of rehearsals Thomas ended the rehearsal (before lunch) with this piece, which was beneficial for several reasons. The music was upbeat, the singers performed it well, and the singers were excited about having sung well. Thomas helped to facilitate this excitement by increasing the frequency of positive feedback to the rehearsal. This environment helped singers feel comfortable about making an emotional investment in the music. It appeared that individuals left the rehearsal feeling that they had accomplished something. The primary problems addressed in this piece concerned scooping up to the notes and getting the singers to not sing in a pop or show choir style. The singers were encouraged to sing the tones without the scooping through the use of gesture and modeling. Thomas’s gesture to indicate tones without the scooping resembled the “mi” hand signal used in the Kodaly Method. Thomas repeatedly sang the desired tone demonstrating with the hand and voice that phonation should start in the core of the pitch. The hand signal remained on an even plain providing the singers with the image that the tone should have only one pitch from beginning to end.

Ride On, King Jesus During the final rehearsal Thomas connected the singers to this composition musically and technically by first connecting them to the meaning and emotion inherent in the text and music. Thomas placed the composition in its historical context of slavery by explaining that the slaves probably heard a sermon about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and drawing from the elation of the crowd of people who welcomed him into the city yelled out the words “Ride on, Jesus”. Then Thomas explained the text from the perspective of an old lady who happens to be one of the narrators in the text. He refers the singers to the line “I was but young when I begun….but now my race is almost won”. He talked about how she might have tried to once conceal her joy about dying and going on to a better place but upon hearing the sermon she could not hide her happiness anymore. Thomas used the above scenarios to create accent/stress and dynamic contrasts in the music. However, he cautioned the singers that piano singing has to be just as precise and quick as forte singing. In addition, when he wanted well-articulated sound as in the moving eighth note phrase “no man can-a hinder me” he asked the sopranos to think about how Pattie LaBelle would use her shoulders to articulate.

Music When Soft Voices Die When rehearsing this composition Thomas took the time to work it out section by section. He used layering techniques by working with a section and then combining that section of singers with another. Thomas worked with the singers helping them to get accustomed to the

rhythmic weaving of the text by having them recite the text as the piano played the parts. This is an intricate piece that requires sitting and working out problems of pitch and rhythm.

Analysis of Rehearsal

Purpose of the Warm-Up The warm-ups had the primary purpose of preparing the singers mentally, emotionally, physically, and vocally for the rehearsal. The crucial information that the singers needed in terms of creating space in the back of the throat (lifted palate), tall vowels, breath, physical sensation of laryngeal height, singing one vowel into the space and position of another vowel, posture, and energy were verbally discussed and/or modeled while simultaneously being reinforced with gesture during the warm-up. When Thomas gives verbal instructions or models for the singers his hands, body, or face simultaneously display the same information. The warm-up facilitated the technical and musical work of the rehearsal and enabled it to move quickly to new levels because singers were provided with experiences that connected conductor’s gesture to sound and conductor’s gesture to a behavior that they could do physically to alter sound by watching the conductor. The warm-up also provided singers with behaviors that allowed them to self-correct or become more independently responsible for the music making process. General Concepts Thomas encouraged singers to take responsibility for musicianship and the music making process. One way that he achieved this was by asking questions instead of giving direct instructions. For example Thomas asks “what are we supposed to do here?” or “what did I ask for here?” Thomas gave the singers rules to follow that also enabled them to be more responsible for the music making process. For example, he instructed the singers to always listen to the instructions given to singers in other sections of the choir because it was likely to apply universally to the whole choir. Thomas identified this as the ability to “transfer”. Often, he reminded the singers to make a transfer. This also keeps singers alert in the rehearsal when their particular section may not singing. During the course of the rehearsal Thomas established other rules that facilitated musicality and proper inflection of words. He told singers that if the first syllable of a two syllable word was stressed then the second would always be softer in dynamic level. He also asked the singers not to start a phrase at the forte (loud) level. Thomas explained to the choir that the dynamic level must build toward a particular part of the phrase. Thomas stated that when a composer repeats text or musical ideas that he/she wants intensity. Furthermore, Thomas said that if the singers did not learn anything else from him he wanted them to be musical and to give direction to musical line, because he believes that this is the soul of expression. Although there were times when Thomas gave strong disapprovals during the rehearsals he never lingered long in that affect. He insisted that the problem be corrected and would work until the problem was solved. Many times he provided the choir with behaviors to remedy a problem. For example, rather than saying “you’re flat” he would remind singers of posture, pronunciation of vowels, or energy. See Appendix E Gesture Thomas’s gesture is indicative of his musical intent or expressiveness. When the music requires smooth, flowing, and legato line Thomas’s gestures are relaxed and fluid. He creates

fluidity and intensity in his gesture by adding resistance to the gesture as if the hand were moving through water. If the music requires a more bouncy or staccato articulation then Thomas’s gestures become smaller and pointed; the points of each of the beats in his pattern becomes clearly defined. One way that Thomas achieves syllabic stress is by moving the gesture forward and then back along the sagital plain. The sagital plain is the space directly in front of the conductor and extends back to the chest (imagine pushing a door open). His cut off and entrance cues are not perfunctory; they provide the singer with valuable information about the character, intensity, dynamics, and articulation of music. His cues are always in the character of the music. There are times when the pattern is abandoned in favor of showing expression or direction in the line. Melded gestures are also used to convey musical intent. Melded gestures occur when the pattern becomes less defined or precise in relation to the point of each beat. Thomas frequently reminds singers of tall vowels and the lifted palate or space in the back of the throat with a gesture. He achieved this by curving the hand resembling the formation of the solfege hand symbol for the syllable “la”. Usually when he is moving his hand upward with the index finger protruding slightly he is indicating that the sound should be light, lifted, forward, and tuned rather than heavy, in the back of the throat, and under the pitch. This gesture is normally accompanied by body movement such as the lifting of the chest and/or the stretching of the body indicating to the singers that there needs to be an adjustment in the body’s posture. The breath was indicated in Thomas’s gesture. This was accomplished by drawing the hand and arms apart across the body (as if pulling an accordion open). Also, this was achieved by opening the mouth and inaudibly drawing in breath as the upper body expands. This breath could also be seen in Thomas’s facial affect. Thomas, in his visual model, was always careful to take the breath in the character of what was about to be sung. This appeared to be extremely helpful to the singers because this aspect of breathing was also reflected in posture and facial expression. It made a difference in the tone produced by the singers. At times the sound made by the singers did not display in weight or quality of sound the intent of the music but when Thomas stopped them and asked them to breath in the character of the sound while he simultaneously displayed facial affect and body posture the singers usually produced the desired sound. During rehearsal Thomas used gestures that are the natural result of conversation. The hands move as if one were in an animated conversation or as if one were speaking with the hands. Often in his conducting class Thomas asked students to incorporate a gesture that came as a result of the student moving the hands, as in normal conversation, while explaining what was desired. The gesture, as a result is simple, natural, musical, and it is usually is not confusing to the singers. Thomas believes that it is sometimes more beneficial to reveal the musical intent or concept through a gesture that appears to be connected to the physical/spoken expression of that idea rather than remaining in a conducting pattern. This concept is extremely important because it allows the conductor to increase non-verbal communication. However, Thomas demonstrated that it is not just what’s in the gesture of the hands; it is hand gesture in conjunction with facial affect, posture, expansion and lifting of the chest, and attitude.

Body and Face Thomas’s body and face during rehearsal are fully engaged. His posture always provides the students with something to emulate. His body and face also reveal the overall character of the music. He uses his body and face as a tool to engage and energize the singers. A change in

his body posture and/or face is often the precursor to something that is about to change or happen in the music. This is important because it alerts the singers and they have the opportunity to recall and then execute. Of course, he uses his body and face as methods of approval and disapproval, usually in conjunction with verbal comments. During performance verbal communication is not possible and permits only the use of the hands, face, body, and overall attitude of the conductor. Thomas is tall in stature and his arms are long. When he makes sweeping gestures they are expressive and they create a sense of musical line and expression. This is evident in the rehearsal but it really takes on added dimensions in performance. The technical gestures that were used in rehearsal are not very pronounced and the gesture becomes much more artistic. The gesture appears as if it is the direct response of what the music is communicating to him in that moment; and he is translating that to the singers through the refined and artistic language using the hands.

Imagery Conductors mainly use gesture and imagery as a means to create desired sensations, sound, and/or articulation. However, some do so not realizing the physiological implications of gesture and imagery for the singer. The gesture and image being used should not come into conflict with the physiological processes that facilitate the desired sound. Good sound results from clarity of the gestures or imagery used. Thomas was clear in his use of gesture and imagery, in that, the use of neither appeared to contradict the physiological aspects of producing sound. Thomas was precise and careful in his instructions to the singers. The use of difficult technical terms relating to physiology and anatomy was avoided. In the instances when he did refer to anatomical and physiological concepts he was able to give concise and understandable explanations. His use of imagery was more straightforward rather than abstract and did not appear to send confusing messages to the singers. In any case, too much of this kind of talk in rehearsal is detrimental to pacing.

Pacing Thomas’s rehearsed the choir at a brisk pace. He used the time allotted to him effectively and resourcefully without wasting any time. As mentioned earlier, Thomas’s directions were brief and to the point. The longest explanations used by Thomas addressed historical or contextual issues of the music and came after the choir had a firm grasp of pitches, rhythms, and the basic feel for the piece. The choir’s responses to Thomas’s directions were usually immediately followed by approval or disapproval. Thomas often modeled sounds and concepts himself or he selected a student to model. Modeling also helps to eliminate drawn out explanations and gives the singers an immediate awareness of the desired sound or behavior. This helped the rehearsal remain brisk. Gesture, especially those established during the conductor’s initial warm-up with the singers, enables the pacing to move briskly as well.

Voice Thomas’s voice often sets the tone of the rehearsal prior to any singing taking place. His use of voice throughout the rehearsal is sometimes animated and sometimes appropriately stern but it is never dull, flat, or boring. His voice is always authoritative but never over bearing.

Sequencing Thomas effectively used every minute of the rehearsal as he addressed issues in a logical sequence that moved the singers closer to attaining the final performance product. There was clearly a hierarchy in place that was logical and effective. After hearing the piece in its entirety Thomas addressed correct pitches and rhythms first. After this, the emphasis appeared to concentrate on tone or sound, and vowels. Usually, dynamics and articulation were addressed when the previously mentioned elements had been solidified, unless dynamics were inappropriate or suspected as adversely affecting sound.

Intonation Thomas addresses intonation problems by providing analysis and giving the choir the tools/behaviors to adjust intonation. He typically did not use routine phrases such as “you’re flat”. He stopped the choir during rehearsal and demonstrated the correct physical posture required to produce sounds that are in tune. He also asked singers to listen and make adjustments to the distance between intervals especially in descending passages. Singers were encouraged to use the light mechanism especially as they negotiated in the extremities of their ranges. Thomas also resolved intonation problems by modifying or making adjustments to vowels. He explained that pitch is affected by the way we produce vowels especially if it occurs in conjunction with range issues. Singing in the extremities of the range presents its own set of intonation problems, some of which will only correct after physical maturation. Thomas also relied upon modeling pitch for the singers.

Modeling Thomas will often find a singer in the group who is displaying what he wants and use that person as the model to impart the concept to the other singers. When this approach was used it invariably caused the other singers to become energized and motivated because the model is one of them. Thomas believes that this kind of model is the strongest because it builds confidence. The students know the concept is achievable because a peer has executed it successfully. Thomas also modeled sounds and concepts.

Historical Information Thomas used the history or story behind the music to inform and motivate the singers. This appears to take place at the point that all or most of the technical impediments to the music have been worked out. Thomas seems to sense the precise moment when the singers are collectively capable of making the emotional investment in the music. His explanations tend to be very passionate, animated, and authoritative. The explanations always connect on some level to the life experiences of the singers. Thomas provided relatively extended historical information three times in the rehearsal, once at the singing of “Song of Remembrance”, again during “Let Thy Hand Be Exalted” and finally during “Ride On, King Jesus”. Each time he tried to connect to the singers through their own life experiences or knowledge. It was necessary so that the singers could have a better understanding of the character of the piece and so that they would have a frame of reference for the appropriate sound.

Singers were encouraged to produce sound that was consistent with the character, style, and text of the score. They were encouraged to change their facial affect to reflect the character of the music. The singers were also admonished to make sounds that revealed the musical intent of the score such as phrasing and articulation.

Phrasing and Articulation Phrasing was achieved by making the singers aware of word stress, syllabic stress, articulation of two note slurs, and the importance of knowing where the music is going or from where it is coming. Through his gesture and verbal instruction Thomas he constantly made the singer aware that music is not stagnant. Thomas continuously reminded the singers that giving direction to the musical line or phrase is the soul of expression. Thomas also instructed the singers to not make the first part of the musical line the loudest; they were to build in intensity and dynamics to certain word.

Movement Movement in the rehearsal may be used to achieve different objectives. Thomas has used movement to take the mind of the singers off of the technical requirements of a task or to create the sensation of flow and energy. An example of this occurred in the warm-up when the singers were asked to sing while moving their hands and arms in circles. Another reason may be to create musical articulation. This concept is demonstrated in the rehearsal of Hogan’s “Ride On, King Jesus” when Thomas asks the sopranos to move their shoulders in a Patti LaBelle-like fashion to get the proper inflection, articulation, and character of a musical line. Another purpose is to create in the singer the physical energy that is attached to sound. This concept is also used in the rehearsals with the American Boy’s Choir in the Althouse's “Cantar”. This is an example from another rehearsal. In working with the Boy Choir Festival Thomas brought the singers to a sense of understanding of syllabic stress, phrasing, and energy that is connected to sound through the use of body movement. He wants to achieve the correct syllabic stress on the word “cantar” he combines the use of body movement and imagery by asking the boys to pretend that they are throwing a Frisbee. Thomas used the first syllable as the wind up for the throw and he uses the second syllable for the release. This achieved the appropriate stress and provided musical direction to the phrase. However, the second part of the syllable descends which creates an unwanted emphasis. Thomas remedies this by asking them to put their music down and simulate catching the frisbee with an upward swing of the arm with their other hand, which eliminates the unwanted stress. Again, the result sounds natural and musical.

Blend and Balance Thomas achieved blend and balance by constantly unifying vowels and monitoring the dynamic levels produced by each section. During rehearsals Thomas re-distributed voices in the choir several times as a matter of re-enforcing what he perceived as “not enough sound” coming from a particular section. Sometimes balancing issues occur as a result of range. For example, if the tenors are low in their register while the other voices are singing in the more audible middle of their range.

Summary

Thomas’s philosophy, choral concepts, and rehearsal techniques are interconnected and are effective in every aspect of his involvement with the score, the singers, and the audience. These connections or relationships are easily observed as Thomas is able to utilize his thorough knowledge and preparation of the score to impart meaningful information that stimulates the singers emotionally, technically, and musically. The emotion is then transferred to the listening audience. Furthermore, these experiences along with his academic, professional, and life experiences continue to reinforce in his mind that music is a viable means to reach people. This idea about reaching people through music is indicative of a broader and more profound belief that music is powerful, transformative, and cathartic. Music is the vehicle through which he promotes his philosophical ideals about humanity. So, for Thomas, music is ultimately about people. Thomas’s choral concepts are consistent with his philosophy as well in that they render the music making process a nurturing experience for the singers. Thomas always appears to be aware of what he wants the singers to achieve in rehearsal beyond the music itself such as confidence, openness to other people, a stronger sense of self, or matters related to humanity and daily living. Thomas identifies the needs of the singers and then painstakingly selects music to which the singers will connect based on their skill, maturation/age, and life experiences. Again, Thomas is able to do this while simultaneously moving the singers to higher levels of technical and musical mastery. The rehearsal techniques employed by Thomas are logical and developmentally sequential. They form a coherent pedagogical practice that enables singers to become better singers and musicians. The rehearsal techniques also reflect Thomas’s philosophy in that they are designed to ensure that the singers are always successful and that intimate connections to the music are promoted by quickly resolving the technical and musical issues in ways that develop without demeaning or devaluing the singers, their abilities, or their life experiences.

CHAPTER III AN INTERVIEW WITH JUDITH WILLOUGHBY AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES SHE EMPLOYED

Two interviews were conducted with Judith Willoughby in Chicago, Illinois. The first interviews were conducted on March 18 and 19, 2005 and the second was June 25, 2005. A full transcription of the interview is provided. See Appendix D

Music Training and Professional Experiences

Youth Willoughby’s life growing up in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1960s was full of wonderful musical experiences. Willoughby’s family supported her musical interests and talent by constantly exposing her to music from the classical, jazz, and popular genres. In addition, the community, school, and church provided her with enriching experiences through opportunities to hear exceptional music performances as well as opportunities to perform. Even as a child she knew that music was to be her passion and calling in life. Willoughby’s parents and siblings were singers which leads her to believe that the family was innately musical. The family’s love of music is reflected in the broad and varied kinds of music that they listened to in their home. In fact, Willoughby believed her family to be “equal opportunity” listeners because they watched such diverse programs such as the Nat King Cole Show, the Lawrence Welk Show, and the concerts of the Cleveland Symphony Chorus with Robert Shaw conducting. Willoughby’s mother was extremely fond of the jazz pianist Hazel Scott and, at one time, wanted Willoughby to become a jazz pianist. Although Willoughby is the only member of her immediate family to pursue a career in music performance, other members of her family were musically active. Willoughby grew up with a cousin with whom she collaborated to create and develop little musical plays that they would present to their families. Her father’s brother, whom she never met, reportedly was a honky-tonk musician who played piano in bars throughout the south. Also, Willoughby discovered in her adult life that her cousin, Dr. Leona Wilkin, was the first African-American to serve on the music faculty at Northwestern. Now retired, Wilkin had a distinguished career at Northwestern as an outstanding music educator. In addition, Willoughby has a daughter, Allison, who is by all accounts a gifted musician and an accomplished singer.50 The innate musical talent that appears to exist in Willoughby’s family is only one factor that contributes to her overall abilities as a musician. Willoughby always lived in the midst of exceptional music and musicians. She began formal study of piano at the age of four with Leota Palmer. Willoughby studied piano from the age of four until she finished high school with Palmer. Palmer was the mother and first teacher of renowned concert pianist Natalie Hinderas. Natalie Hinderas would later become Willoughby’s teacher at Temple University. When Willoughby was sixteen she met and began to develop a close friendship with one of Hinderas’s pupils, Leon Bates, who is now an internationally established concert pianist. This friendship encouraged and motivated Willoughby as a musician and pianist. Willoughby’s abilities as a pianist and accompanist must have been evident in her youth because from the ninth grade to the twelfth grade she was the

50 Anton Armstorng, interview with author, 27 May 2005, telephone.

accompanist for Cleveland’s All City Chorus. This choir performed annually with Robert Shaw and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Robert Shaw strongly impacted the musicianship of Willoughby when she was a youth. Although, Willoughby believes that it is only in hindsight that she has been able to articulate what she learned from him. Willoughby remembers Shaw’s approach to rhythmic accuracy as the foundation for intone singing. She also recalls that Shaw had a tremendous respect for the printed symbols in a score and that he had a creativity that made the printed music symbols live. In addition, Willoughby believes that Shaw had a keen awareness of text and vowel formation that was crucial to his choral method. Willoughby was able to reflect back and then substantiate Shaw’s influence on her as a musician years after her high school experiences with him. Willoughby’s conclusions about Shaw’s influence on her were realized when she participated in the notable series of workshops conducted by Shaw at Carnegie Hall (Preparing a Masterpiece). Willoughby also remembered that she served as Shaw’s rehearsal accompanist during the preparation of one of the concerts with the Cleveland All-City Chorus and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Shaw, as a matter of practice, did not work with student accompanists but Willoughby wrote him a persuasive letter expressing her desire and skill. Shaw consented and Willoughby served as rehearsal accompanist. Willoughby remembers the courtesy and respect that Shaw extended to her when she served during the rehearsals.51 Willoughby’s development as a musician is also strongly connected to other memorable experiences she had while in the Cleveland public schools. The public schools of Cleveland provided inspirational and motivational experiences that nurtured Willoughby, who is also an ardent reader of books and poetry. Willoughby vividly remembers, at the age of eight, taking her first school field trip to Severance Hall to hear the Cleveland Orchestra. She recalls that the first piece she heard the orchestra perform was Minuette by Bocharrini. Willoughby asked her mother to secure a recording of the piece from the public library after hearing the live performance of the work. She remembers playing the recording incessantly upon receiving it. Willoughby believes that her passion for the big choral/orchestral works had its origins in her childhood. The “bigger” or the more “grandiose” the music, the more she loved it. However, she also heard big, wonderful, and grandiose music in other venues. Willoughby enthusiastically tells of hearing major choral works in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church of her youth. Rossini’s Stabat Mater; excerpts from Handel’s Messiah; and parts of Mendelssohn’s Elijah were part of the standard repertoire performed by the choirs in her church. Black people, she explained, have a strong affinity for music based out of the old-testament scriptures because it so akin to the experiences of the “trials” and “tribulations” of Blacks who were once slaves in this country. She also remembered hearing fine spirituals and gospel music in church. Willoughby was fortunate that family, school, community, and church supported her musical experiences. This support enabled her to be well prepared for the course of study she was to undertake as an undergraduate at Northwestern and as a graduate student at Temple University.

College Willoughby went to Northwestern University in 1967 on a full scholarship. She was not particularly fond of the school because at that time she believed it significantly lacked racial

51 Karen Rile, "Sweet Harmony," Inquirer Magazine 12 November 2000

diversity.52 While at Northwestern she studied piano with Wanda Paul and Gui Mombearts. It was during the summer break after her freshman year at Northwestern that Willoughby studied with renowned pianist Natalie Hinderas for the first time. Willoughby entered Temple University as a graduate student in piano performance in 1971. She studied piano with Natalie Hinderas earning the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance in 1973. In subsequent years after completing the master’s degree Willoughby studied with Elaine Brown of Temple University who had substantial influence on Willoughby as a conductor. Max Rudolph, Curtis Institute and William Smith, Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra also contributed to Willoughby’s knowledge and skill of choral and orchestral conducting; she studied with each of them independently at different times during her early career. She also studied voice with the noted mezzo-soprano Louise Parker, who was an African-American. Willoughby credits these studio/private teachers in particular as having made profound influences upon her as a musician and a person. Perhaps the most important and inspiring of these studio/private teachers was the famed pianist Natalie Hinderas. Hinderas was a student of Olga Samaroff at the Julliard School of Music and Edward Steuermann of the Philadelphia Conservatory. However, all of the above mentioned people had individual influences on Willoughby. Elaine Brown, with whom Willoughby studied from 1976-1978, further impressed upon her the importance of formal analysis of the score. Willoughby stated that Brown believed that music promotes human understanding by connecting human spirits, a view that is also reflected in Willoughby’s music philosophy. Brown had a way of communicating a great understanding of text through vocal color, articulation, diction, and style. Interestingly, Willoughby conducted for the first time when she enrolled at Temple University in 1976 to work on a second master’s degree. Prior to this time, her intent and focus was piano and she viewed conducting as an interference that prevented the practice of the piano. However, her first conducting class taught by Gail Poch (Temple University) proved to be very valuable. Through an embarrassing incident of accidentally tossing her baton to the back of the room while conducting she learned some important lessons. The first was the ability to think on her feet and stepping outside of the box of expectation. The second lesson learned from this experience was also extremely valuable because it provided her with an evaluative insight. Willoughby states that it is in the gap between expectation and reality (of the actual sound being produced by the choir) that the work of the conductor actually begins. Willoughby believes that the conductor must be able to evaluate and then provide instruction that moves the choir towards the desired result. Willoughby studied with other notable conductors in the years following her study with Brown. She describes her experiences with Max Rudolph and William Smith as thorough and beneficial. They were able to immediately identify problems related to gesture and were very straightforward in their assessments. She recalls that she was not pampered by either of them. Willoughby describes both of them as being rather mean but very supportive and as a result she developed a work ethic that became even more resolute. She recalls working diligently from one lesson to the next with each of these conductors. She resolved to diligently work out problems that occurred in her lessons. As a result she was able to secure maximum lesson time by taking

52 Malika Bilal, Diversity Set To Music: One NU Professor's View from the Podium, http//:www.medill.northwestern.edu/studentwork/Fall2003/NUdiversity (July 12, 2004). Article published in an electronic newspaper called Jeepers.

only new problems to every lesson. However, it was Hinderas who was the most influential in Willoughby’s development as a musician. Hinderas was the first person to recognize that Willoughby’s career in the arts would extend beyond playing the piano.53 The depth of respect and admiration for Hinderas as musician, teacher, woman, mother, and role model was immediately obvious and sincere as Willoughby spoke. She described Hinderas as “a musician whose performing medium was the piano but whose musicianship was universal and applies to all of the ways we express ourselves musically, including choral music.” Hinderas’ impact upon the musical and personal life of Willoughby was tremendous and remains with her to this day. Willoughby stated that Hinderas had an amazing ability in the way that she taught musical concepts and the manner in which she expressed herself. Hinderas also possessed a keen insight in her analytical approach to the score. She was intimately aware of its overall structure, its harmonic structures, and its motivic structures. Willoughby believes that this kind of analysis informs the performer so that effective and creative choices can be made in terms of color of sound, pacing, and style. Willoughby was able to later transfer and apply these concepts to choral music stating that the meanings of words are made clearer and are intensified by the way they are articulated and given vocal color. Furthermore, thorough analysis of the score reveals how vocal lines are intimately tied to the overall structures. Willoughby attributes her ability to negotiate the intricacies of choral/orchestral scores and her understanding of text treatment to Hinderas, even though Willoughby said that they never had any discussion of issues relating to text. However, Hinderas exemplified more than musical astuteness, she displayed life skills and character that provided a strong model for Willoughby’s life as a musician and mother. Hinderas exhibited exceptional ability in maintaining a career while keeping a balance between her personal relationships and most importantly, her family. Hinderas, who had given up performance to raise a family, resumed a concert career when she was in her forties. This made a lasting impression on Willoughby that she remembered as she negotiated decisions about her career and the implications of those decisions for her own family. Willoughby firmly believes that life experiences give credibility to the art and science of performing and teaching. So, Willoughby gained immensely from Hinderas’ model of an artist/teacher, the wisdom of her life experiences, and her character.

Professional Career Willoughby started her teaching career as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia public schools. From 1971-73 she was a long-term substitute serving every grade level. This experience proved to be very important because it taught her how to be an effective teacher. She recounted that she witnessed the disparity that existed between some schools in the district and learned how to teach without the aid of piano, guitar, or other equipment. She stated that she learned how to make music with the students in the moment but in a way that students could still learn conceptually. Willoughby served as tenured Professor of Music at the Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, 1974-2001. She founded the college choir while at Montgomery County Community College and she also directed a madrigal group. The madrigal group in conjunction with several other departments presented elaborate performances that

53 Maura LaGreca, "Willoughby Leaves Mark On Cultural Scene in Montgomery County," The Ambler Gazette, (Volume 119, Number 10), 7-13 March 2001, p. 1.

involved authentic costumes and cuisine from the style period of the music. From the start of her tenure she was immediately involved in the development of quality arts programs and enriching the cultural environment of the school. She, through hard work, eventually became supervisor of all the adjunct instructors in the department. From 1981-2001 Willoughby served as Artistic Director and Founder of the Choral Society of Montgomery County. This choir had a core of eight professional singers. The accomplishments of Willoughby and this choir are impressive. This choir performed in the nationally televised final concert of the Llangollen Eisteddfod. She prepared the choir for performances of Rachmaninoff’s “The Bells” and Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” with the Saint Petersburg’s Philharmonic in Russia. In addition, the choir won a gold medal at the Fourth International Music Festival in Sydney, Australia, toured Hungary and the Czech Republic, and performed several times on “The First Art” a nationally syndicated radio broadcast. Willoughby also secured a 70,000 grant from the Philadelphia Music Project/Pew Foundation. The money was used to present two regional premieres: Georg Phillip Teleman’s Der Tag des Gerichts and David Faneshawe’s African Sanctus. Willoughby served as Director of Cultural Affairs during her tenure as a faculty member at Montgomery Community College, 1981-2001. She founded and was curator of a multidimensional series that consisted of dance, drama, folk and jazz music, a speaker’s festival, and silent film festival. In addition, she was the curator of the Multiple Choice Art Gallery. Willoughby explained that she was responsible for implementing and assessing all aspects of these programs including grant writing, development of annual and long range marketing plans, and supervision of public relations efforts. Willoughby is noted by one of her colleagues who served with her on the Board of Directors of Chorus America as inventive, imaginative, and a creative thinker capable of facing challenge while harmoniously bringing people from various disciplines together to work; skills which she no doubt gained from her experiences as curator.54 Willoughby had many responsibilities but she still felt like she had more to contribute to the field. Willoughby resigned from Montgomery Community College in 2001 and at that time she was recognized by its president as having made many contributions to the college’s academic and cultural programs. The president also stated that the cultural programs were an integral part of the college community.55 Willoughby stated that she had two transforming experiences that made her aware of her potential to contribute something unique to the profession. In 1989 she had the opportunity to conduct the Philadelphia Singers and the Concerto Soloists, two extremely fine ensembles, in a workshop that was to have originally been presented in Philadelphia by Margaret Hillis. She overcame the apparent slight hesitancy she felt about attending the workshop because Hillis was unable to be present and had asked Michael Korn to substitute for her. Willoughby felt more at ease because the workshop was going to convene in Philadelphia and she already knew Michael Korn. The experience profoundly impacted her as a musician/conductor. She described the reaction of the chorus and orchestra in immediate response to her gesture or lack of gesture as being a revelation to her. She knew then that she had to aspire to attain new levels of music making. The second transforming experience came as a result of Willoughby attending a two-

54 Tom Hall, interview with the author, 17 May, 2005, telephone. 55 Karen Stout, President- Montgomery Community College, Blue Bell, to Judith Willoughby in reference to Willoughby’s resignation, 19 July 2001.

week seminar on Messiah presented by Alfred Mann. She acquired a much keener sense of the importance of how to work out the fine detail in the development of any musical activity, but especially score study. However, it was the first experience that probably proved to be remarkably more important. It caused he to become entrepreneurial in the way that she thought about her career. She realized that she would have to be creative and make opportunities in order to achieve her music aspirations of conducting the large choral/orchestral works. Subsequently, she started to create opportunities that enriched the community while simultaneously allowing her to further develop her skills as a conductor and an arts administrator. For example, she wrote and obtained a grant to present a concert version of Bizet’s Carmen. She described how she recruited and trained the children’s chorus, hired the soloists, and then conducted the performance with orchestra. Willoughby appears to have always had an adventuresome and entrepreneurial spirit, again, as evidenced by the letter to Robert Shaw asking for permission to serve as rehearsal pianist for a performance of the “Chichester Psalms” by Bernstein when she was fourteen. She had been told that Shaw would not work with a student accompanist but after receiving the letter Shaw conceded. Her strong desire to conduct major choral/orchestral works prompted her to venture into major performing projects. She conceived in her mind and brought into existence an organization that would provide her with the opportunity to attain tremendous skills on one side of the podium as a conductor and another set of skills on the other side as an administrator. Willoughby had already founded the college choir at Montgomery Community College but felt that she could develop beyond what that experience was able to provide for her. Drawing some motivation from Michael Korn who had founded the Philadelphia Singers she realized that so much more was possible in her community and founded the Choral Society of Montgomery County. She explained that this choir became a reputable performing force in greater Philadelphia area. She literally created her own opportunities to perform and in the process she developed the expert skills and business acumen of a seasoned arts manager/director.

Professional Organizations Willoughby held numerous administrative positions in important arts and choral organizations. From 1988-1990 she served as president of the Pennsylvania ACDA and the Pennsylvania Collegiate Choral Association, 1986-1988. She has served as Secretary of the Board of Directors for Chorus America. She was the founding Music Director of the Temple University Children’s Choir. She directed this organization from 1992-2002. This organization consisted of three choirs of treble, unchanged voices, and a mixed boys and girls choir. Her accomplishments with this choir include several performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra which she conducted, recording for the Silver Burdett Music Series, performing on live radio and television broadcasts, performances with the Oregon Bach Festival, appearances at MENC regional conferences, appearances at national and regional ACDA conventions. Additionally, as the director of this choir she has conducted performances, workshops, and exchange programs in Puerto Rico.56 Willoughby is noted as the first Black woman to secure several outstanding conducting engagements. Willoughby was the first African-American female to conduct a choir for the

56 This information appeared in the Indiana Choral Directors Association publication icdaNotations in a sections called “Meet the All-State 2005 Conductors”, volume 26, number 1, fall 2004.

national convention of the ACDA chosen through the blind audition process.57 Additionally, she was the first woman to conduct subscription concerts with the Temple University Children’s Choir with the Philadelphia Orchestra in their new performing arts center.58 There has not been an African-American female, since Eva Jessye to achieve the consistent notoriety that Willoughby has achieved. Since 2001 Willoughby served with tenure as Associate Professor of Conducting and Music Education at Northwestern University where she also conducted the University Singers. Her teaching responsibilities included choral, orchestral, and band undergraduate conducting, choral literature, choral methods (graduate and undergraduate), conducting and score reading, and teaching choral music. In addition, Willoughby also supervised student teachers. She was responsible for revising the undergraduate-conducting course, strengthening the choral literature offerings by lengthening the sequence, spearheaded seminars in conducting, and serves as advisor during the formation of the schools first student chapter of the ACDA. Willoughby was very involved in resurrecting the student chapter of MENC and helping it to develop and implement enrichment, outreach, and fundraising activities. She was involved in the schools acquisition of new recording and other materials for the library. She wrote grants that have enabled student to travel and participate in major conferences. Willoughby has conducted many all-states, festivals, and clinics and she conducts in some of the world’s most celebrated venues. Willoughby is currently Professor of Music (Conducting and Music Education) and Associate Director of Choral Activities at Oklahoma City University. She serves as Artistic Director of the Canterbury Academy of Vocal Arts. This is the youth program of the Canterbury Choral Society. The Canterbury Choral Society has a partnership with Oklahoma City University.

Philosophy

Willoughby believes that music possesses a quality that is, in and of itself, capable of eliciting and giving unique expression to the most profound positive attributes of humanity. She believes that music plays an important role in fostering attitudes and ideals that have compelling implications for daily living. In addition, she feels that choral music from diverse cultures has the potential to build bridges and encourage understanding between people, bringing them together. She also believes that the study and performance of music from other cultures positively develops sensibilities that are applicable to the performance of all music, including music of the western classical tradition. Finally, Willoughby believes that music, especially choral music, has a value that is crucial in the ongoing overall aesthetic development of human beings. Willoughby feels that music has unidentifiable qualities that feed the part of the human spirit that strives for good; children are particularly susceptible to music’s influence. Song, because there are words, is even more aesthetically powerful. Willoughby believes that vocalization is powerful and has the greatest potential to communicate because as children we all have had a common experience. Universally, the falling minor third has been found to exist in

57 This information appeared in the official brochure and concert program for the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Concerts, (2002) p. 10

58 Ibid.

most cultures as the first musical vocalizations of children. Willoughby believes that choral or vocal music effectively communicates because of this phenomenon. Willoughby, through her experiences with children, affirms her belief that there are qualities in sung music that arouse and nurture positive sensibilities in ways that are not fully understood. She notes that, especially with children, when singers are given the opportunity to choose the composition with which to end a productive rehearsal the piece that they select is always the one she perceives as more profound rather than an entertaining or popular piece of music. Willoughby asserts that even when they can not articulate the reasons for their choice the music has spoken to some part of their spirit that is good. Willoughby believes that choral/vocal music, with its applications of language, has the potential to help cultures build viable relationships with one another. One reason is because language adds another dimension to the music that reveals so much about the character of a people. Willoughby explains that on several occasions she has witnessed the intrinsic aesthetic values of music rooted in one culture transfer meaning and build bridges into a dissimilar culture. Music also effectively builds relationships within cultures that help them function on a day to day basis. Willoughby believes that the music making process, particularly in ensembles, teaches many concepts such as teamwork, tolerance, and respect; all of these are transferable to daily life situations and plays an important role in civic responsibility. Willoughby feels that humans thrive in communities because they are not, at core, solitary beings. So, they value experiences that permit them to share and work together towards a common goal. Willoughby states that aesthetic experiences associated with music are made more deeply human because they are shared experiences. She also feels that music facilitates the understanding of the ideals associated with work ethic and discipline such as realizing the value of long-term gain versus short-term satisfaction because music requires disciplined practice over a long period of time. Willoughby thinks that everyone has an innate right to aesthetic experiences. Again, these kinds of experiences are nurturing and cause people to look inward and then intuitively develop an intellectual and emotional sense of goodness. This has implications and benefits for society in general in that the values of a culture reside and are expressed in the music of that culture, particularly when text is involved, and constitutes a vehicle for the expression of those ideals that invigorate that culture permitting it to flourish.

Choral Literature Concepts

For Willoughby the issues related to repertoire and the selection of choral literature is an ongoing process that involves how she acquires new music; what music she retains for her personal library for future use; how she meets the needs of the singers through repertoire selection; how she arranges music on a program; and what genres of music she programs. Willoughby regularly reviews new scores and new editions of scores that are acquired from different sources thereby expanding the vast body of existing literature from which she draws repertoire for her choral programs. She selects from new scores only those that she perceives as having the ability to cause both the singers and the audience to reflect inwardly and be uplifted. Therefore, when Willoughby selects music to be programmed on a concert it is a meticulous process that considers the needs of the singers in terms of their musical development as well as their individual aesthetic development.

Willoughby obtains new music from various sources, such as recommendations from other musicians; music heard at performances in various venues; music purchased while attending conventions; and the purchase of compact discs of choral performances. Willoughby sometimes hears and is fascinated by compositions that are not notated. She often notates her own transcriptions of world music pieces that include both the voice and instrumental parts. In any case, she is only interested in the selections that appeal to her philosophical and musical sensibilities. Willoughby retains those scores that reflect, in some way, her philosophy that music should engage people mentally and emotionally in ways that stimulate and uplift the human spirit. Willoughby defines spirit as the ability of the music to provide satisfaction musically and emotionally. Willoughby states that she seeks out music that has the potential to bring people together. Willoughby looks for well-written texts that are universal in that they bring to mind thoughts and emotions that elicit feelings to which people can connect.59 She believes that texts should be presented by the composer in ways that speak to her emotionally. Willoughby feels that vocal lines must be singable so that even when they contain chromaticism or unusual interval leaps the melodic lines still have a sense of continuity and beauty. Willoughby believes that the composition should be crafted in a way that shows an understanding of the human voice that does not impede its ability to produce, affectively color, and articulate sound in a way that enhances and contributes meaningfully to the setting. Willoughby referred to this as the ability to make the chorus sound.60 Willoughby states that a composition should be well-crafted and display structural clarity. It should also embody an honest representation of text while not conforming to popular conventions that can cause the music to seem trite or offensive. Willoughby relies on structural intelligibility to help make crucial decisions about color of sound, dynamics, and style. Overall, compositions she programs should contain a balance of musical and technical challenges; and should balance other literature with which it is programmed. When Willoughby programs literature consideration is given to the audience that will hear the concert. Sometimes the audience may be mostly composed of parents of the singers. Sometimes the audience is composed of a cross section of people from the community at large and/or the business community. Willoughby explains that when selecting music for any choir there are general issues that confront the conductor such as age appropriateness of the compositions, the skill level of the choir, the musical concepts that need to be introduced or reinforced, and whether or not the music can be brought to performance standard within the specified rehearsal time. In addition, she is also concerned about supporting good vocal health while providing a quality choral experience for the singer. She chooses literature that may stretch the voice but not push it beyond its technical capability. Willoughby’s goal as a guest conductor is to help develop the singers through quality literature that is aesthetically pleasing and challenging while contributing to the musical and artistic growth of the singer.61 However, these issues are no less formidable with choirs that a conductor sees regularly.

59 Barbara Tagg and Linda Ferreira, “Fourteen Conductors Speak About American Choral Music,” The Choral Journal, 43, Number 8 March, 9-25.

60 Ibid. 61 David Brunner, interview by author, 22 June 2005, electronic mail.

Willoughby feels a responsibility to build the ensembles that she routinely conducts on a day-to-day basis such as the university and community ensembles. She designs programs for these ensembles that will strengthen them by incorporating a mixture of compositions that are accessible and those that are musically and technically challenging. In addition, Willoughby maintains that selecting and programming music at the college/university level should directly relate to the academic preparation of the singers. The choirs at the college/university level contain students who are music majors who need to be exposed to the music and performance practice of master composers of each style period. Of course, to some extent, this is true of every choir, however, it is imperative for choirs whose members are prospective music teachers. In any case, the conductor cannot successfully build an ensemble or design a concert program until he or she seriously considers the needs and development of the singers. As a guest conductor, Willoughby tries to ascertain as much information as possible about the history of the ensemble, its mission, and its overall program. She wants to know about the musical and the technical proficiency of the ensemble. She is able to do this through inquiry and by securing previous programs and recordings of the choir, if they are available. She understands that she will have a limited amount of time with the singers, so she is eager to have significant and meaningful interactions with them. Willoughby feels that one of her primary responsibilities is to help the students achieve new levels of performance. She also has to be a colleague and reinforce the training already received by the singers through their own conductor(s). In addition to knowing about the experience of the ensemble Willoughby desires to know the skill level of the accompanist for the choir when she is considering repertoire. Willoughby will send her tempi markings to the accompanist along with comments about technically difficult passages if the piece is challenging. When Willoughby programs compositions that have difficult accompaniments she often already knows or has been assured of the skill level of the accompanist. However, having considered all of these things Willoughby is not always sure of the preparation level of the ensemble she has been engaged to conduct. However, this does not alter her decisions about the quality of the experience she plans for the singers or the make-up of the program as it relates to different genres and styles of music that will be represented. Willoughby builds a concert program only after she has given careful and exhaustive consideration of choral literature found in both the western classical tradition and music from the world music choral repertoire. She also considers and consistently programs compositions that are in the western classical tradition but are infrequently performed.62 Willoughby believes that music from the western classical tradition engenders a free bel- canto sound that is healthy. Her concept of bel-canto sound is light, free from undue strain, and completely supported by the breath. It is this sound that Willoughby feels is the foundation on which the voice gains the technical ability to healthily produce various other vocal qualities found in music outside of the western classical tradition. Willoughby constructs programs that include music by women composers; music in two to four foreign languages; and music from the African American heritage. Willoughby states that she often programs Jewish music on her programs, especially where there are Christian pieces programmed. Additionally, there is an appreciable balance between accompanied and unaccompanied literature. When the music is accompanied Willoughby chooses literature that requires different and interesting varieties of accompanying forces or instrumentation. Most

62 Marian Dolan, interview by author, 2 April 2005, telephone.

importantly, Willoughby programs music that is accessible for most similarly voiced choirs. See Appendix I For Willoughby, the art of programming is a matter of pacing various tempi, moods, keys, and temperaments. She states that a program should contain elements that are smooth, savory, sweet, spicy, and crispy. However, these various elements are only effective if they are paced strategically throughout the program. Willoughby feels that by the end of a concert the audience should leave feeling like they have had an appetizer, a delicious multi-course meal, and a delightful dessert. Willoughby further states that she hopes that concerts conducted by her speak to the audience spiritually, emotionally, as well as intellectually. Another aspect of programming is order of the music according to difficulty. Willoughby uses different approaches to this aspect of programming depending on the whether the choir is one she conducts regularly or one that she is guest conducting. For example, with the Temple Children’s Choir where she served as conductor, she placed the compositions that had the greater technical challenges and those that required unusual stamina and focus at or near the beginning of programs. Willoughby normally opens her programs with an “extraverted” composition that serves the purpose of getting the attention of the audience and the singers. The first selection on programs for junior high and younger voices will normally be a composition that is energetic and in unison. Willoughby refers to the compositions between the opener and closer as connectors. The last piece on the program should provide an overall feeling of satisfaction for the audience. To program previously unknown or unfamiliar music into choral repertoire for any choir requires lengthy and detailed preparation depending on the difficulty of the music. Willoughby says that this can take a few days to a year. This process begins for Willoughby after she has decided what is to be performed. Willoughby has the ability to analyze the most complex scores, so she is undaunted by the intricacies of world music scores.63 She analyzes the macro and microstructures of the composition, which include harmonic structure, motivic ideas, melodic structures, texture, and the accompaniment. She then sings through the text in each voice part and then she conducts through the score. For all-state and festival choirs this process is undertaken, when time permits, three or four months before the event. Willoughby, after the initial analysis, usually will not come back to the piece until a month prior to the start of rehearsals and then she will work on it for about a week. She will study the score again the week that the rehearsal is to occur. Having done all of this, Willoughby feels that she knows the composition well. By this time she has also concretely identified those areas that she anticipates will present problems for the singers. Willoughby works out a pedagogical plan that facilitates the execution of anticipated problems and the overall way in which she will teach the composition. Again, part of the preparation process involves knowing as much historical information about the composition as possible. Willoughby believes that the conductor must have a solid understanding about the composer’s motivation for writing the composition, the circumstances or environment of the composer at the time the music was written, the event the composition was written for, and/or the function the composition serves. This information enables the conductor to help connect the singers to the music. Willoughby’s approach to the music is thorough in this regard. She secures as much detailed information about every aspect of the score. Willoughby also demonstrates this same kind of relentlessness in her efforts to bring world music to her singers. Willoughby is known to

63 Paul Caldwell, interview by author, 19 May 2005, electronic mail.

have painstakingly notated complicated instrumental and vocal parts from recordings making it accessible to traditional choral ensembles. She is noted as being consistently respectful and careful in her approach to notating and performing world music, more so than many of contemporaries.64 When transcribing she pays particular attention to aspects of the music’s authenticity. An example of Willoughby’s commitment to detail can be seen in her preparation of the scores for her trip to China. She programmed music by the female Chinese composer Chien Yi. She contacted the composer and over the course of days spent hours learning the Mandarin dialect, the history, meaning of idiomatic terms, and anything else that was relevant to the performance of the compositions that may not have been obvious in the printed score such as the timbre or color of sound and inflection of language. Willoughby understands that there are aspects of performance of world music that are not notated in the score but must be considered in order to attain authenticity.

Choral Concepts and Rehearsal Strategies Choral Concepts

Willoughby defines her role in the choral rehearsal as a facilitator who guides the singers in the creation of a product that is healthy, well produced, stylistically correct, technically proficient, and musical. She achieves this by requiring the singers to make practical use of the skills already learned from various instructional setting such as voice studio, theory, history, ear training/sight singing, and other classes that may develop musicianship. Willoughby’s approach to the choral rehearsal demonstrates thorough preparation and knowledge of the music, respect for the persons singing, care for the singing process, and commitment to the aesthetic, musical, and personal development of each singer.

Instruction Willoughby understood from her very first conducting experience that the success of the choir rests in the ability of the conductor to teach and consistently develop the choir, moving it through various levels of technical and musical achievement. She asserts that this challenging work begins when the conceived sound in the conductor’s head does not match the sound actually coming from the choir. Therefore, the conductor must possess certain knowledge and skills in order to produce a reputable artistic product.

Score Preparation Willoughby comes to the rehearsal having studied the score from the historical, analytical, and contextual perspectives.65 She knows about the life and times of each composer. If the score is by a living composer she consults and gains as much information as possible so that she can achieve the best performance for the singers and the audience.66 In addition, she is

64 Ibid. 65 Anton Armstrong, interview 66 Caldwell interview

aware of the contextual issues such as the intended function of the composition and the authentic performance practice of compositions that are outside of the western classical tradition.67 Willoughby analyzes each composition structurally and harmonically. Her interpretive decisions concerning dynamics, articulation, and nuance are made based on her understanding of how musical ideas function and how they relate to the overall structure of the piece. As a result of her analysis and contextual considerations she is better able to make choices about sound and style. However, Willoughby does not impose the sound of a choir on a piece of music rather she works for a sound that evolves organically out of the music.68 Willoughby is demanding and persistent in achieving sound but she always shows respect to the singers.

Attitude and Comportment During Rehearsal Willoughby’s demeanor and attitude during the rehearsal is authoritative but devoid of ego.69 She is never condescending rather when she speaks in rehearsal it appears to make her trustworthy. She communicates effectively and challenges the singers without being menacing. In addition, she considers the needs of the singers and makes realistic expectations of them. She is respectful of students and refrains from addressing the problems of individual students in the choral setting. She has warmth to her approach that promotes a healthy rehearsal environment in which productivity is more easily achieved.70 Furthermore, she respects the time of the singers by making sure the rehearsals start and end promptly as scheduled. In addition she utilizes every minute of the rehearsal efficiently towards the goal of the performance product. As a result of her score preparation that anticipates problems, there is a pedagogical plan to address technical and vocal issues that inevitably occur in the rehearsal. Other conductors have noted Willoughby’s attention to detail as observed in the phrasing, diction, and sense of ensemble attained by the singers under her direction.71 She also understands the demands that the literature places upon the voice and works tirelessly towards healthy and efficient use of the vocal mechanism. While at Northwestern University, Willoughby demonstrated support of the pedagogy that the singers brought to rehearsal from the voice studios and there was a standing and open invitation to every member of the voice faculty to attend any of the choir rehearsals conducted by her or her colleagues. Willoughby and her colleagues on the choral faculty also routinely attended meetings held by the voice faculty.72 In addition, she commits to keeping abreast of current trends and scientific research in vocal pedagogy. As a result of this commitment Willoughby places great importance on the warm-up and its value for preparing the body, mind, and vocal mechanism for singing.

67 Ibid.

68 Armstrong interview

69 Jean Ashworth-Bartle, interview by author, May 2005, telephone.

70 Ibid.

71 Janet Galvan, Eastern Division Chair of Children's Choirs -ACDA, to Judith Willoughby, Ithaca, 10, February, Personal Files of Judith Willoughby, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

72 Heidi Waleson, "Choruses and the College Voice Student," Voice (Summer, 2003)

Rehearsal Plan Willoughby states that the primary goal in a rehearsal is to have the choir singing as much as possible. She achieves this by adhering to a predetermined rehearsal plan, which is written on the chalk- board prior to the start of the rehearsal. The singing of literature in the rehearsal starts with a review of a composition that is known by the choir. Willoughby may not spend much time on this piece because it usually serves the purpose of furthering the warm-up and easing the singers into the rehearsal with a piece that is comfortable and not too difficult. After the first composition Willoughby states that she engages the singers in what she calls the “white heat” portion of the rehearsal. She says that the ‘white heat’ portion of the rehearsal is when the singers are the most alert and energetic. The most complicated and challenging repertoire is rehearsed at this time. Willoughby states that compositions rehearsed during the “white heat” time eventually become pieces that can be rehearsed as the first composition because rehearsing would have removed technical and musical barriers. Willoughby explains that as the rehearsal continues it becomes more taxing and challenging for the conductor to keep the choir engaged due to a natural loss of energy by the singers. The conductor must keep the rehearsal moving, so the pace and the rehearsal environment must be lively enough to keep the singers receptive and responsive. Willoughby changes the dynamics of the rehearsal by asking the singers to stand, sit, go into mixed formation, use body movement, or face each other and sing. The “white heat” period is over when the energy of the choir naturally begins to fade. The rehearsal ends with a cool down period that includes a composition that the choir knows well or can perform rather easily. This instills a sense of accomplishment and well being in the singers. There is a straight-forward process for introducing new music to the choir. Willoughby states that, if possible, they get to hear the composition first. Then she allows the choir to sing or read through the entire composition with text before rehearsing it so that they have a sense of the whole piece. The second reading is preceded by Willoughby making the singers aware of certain rhythmic and/or melodic material providing them with information that will facilitate more success in the next run through. One way that she accomplishes this is by asking questions that encourage singers to arrive at answers for themselves. She may supply insightful information or observations about structures within the piece such as melodic or motivic ideas and rhythmic patterns. The next reading is performed on a neutral syllable, eliminating text, so that students have one less element that may impede their reading of notes and rhythms. Although she explains that the students usually unknowingly have a real sense of the piece because the key rhythmic, intervallic, and melodic ideas as well as other potential problems were anticipated and addressed in the warm-up. After these initial readings Willoughby then begins to rehearse sections of the composition. In the Temple University Children’s Choir Willoughby used other techniques to introduce new music to the singers. She would sometimes ask the singers to read a new piece by using the Kodaly solfege syllables and hand signals. She would also pair the students so that an experienced singer, whom she called an “old soul”, was standing next to a “new soul” who was either new to the choir or a less experienced singer.73 Cassette tapes with each section’s part were given to students to take home if a composition was unusually difficult.74

73 Rile, p. 1

74 Rene Banacourt, interview by author, May 2005, telephone.

Rehearsal Hierarchy The rehearsal hierarchy typically used by Willoughby is pitch and rhythm, rhythm and pronunciation, and then dynamics and phrasing. In the festival rehearsals Willoughby worked on sound and vowel uniformity whenever the need presented itself. Problems with pitches and rhythms are remedied through the use of neutral syllables, removing the element of text. Willoughby says that she often uses solfege to address pitch issues, even in the university setting. During the festival rehearsal singers were asked to count-sing in order to clear rhythmic inaccuracies, for example 1-2-t-4 or 1-and-2-t-and-4. Instructing the singers to use staccato articulation as they sing is another technique that addresses pitch problems, especially as it relates to sliding. After pitches and rhythm are learned Willoughby states that she begins to work on rhythm and pronunciation. This element is crucial because it is fundamental in the attainment of uniform vowels. This is achieved by intoning text rhythmically on a single pitch. She accomplished this with the festival singers by modeling what she wanted from them. Rather than spoon-feed singers Willoughby encourages students to self-correct, as much as possible, during a rehearsal. When needed, she facilitates self-correction by asking questions so that the singers can arrive at answers for themselves. During rehearsal Willoughby’s score preparation was evident and facilitated the articulation of ideas that were immediately grasped by the young singers. In the piece by Rutter she asked singers to consider the dynamic levels of melodic ideas that occurred in question and answer formations. She also asked about recurring melodic ideas in general. She engaged the students with these questions to allow them to realize the appropriateness of the dynamic levels they were singing.

Choral Tone Willoughby has strong preferences for the qualities of voices when she is auditioning individual singers for her university ensemble. Willoughby feels that the soprano voice can make or break the ensemble because it is the most easily heard of the voice types within the choral texture. She prefers that the soprano voice be light in the high register, well controlled, and it should possess beautiful intonation. The middle range of the soprano voice should have more color and a fuller richer sound. Willoughby describes this as “plumminess”. She believes that the individual voices that comprise the soprano section, especially in the high and middle range, should have similar overlapping overtones in order to have good blend. The low range of the soprano voice should have clarity but not a lot of weight. The alto voice should also possess clarity and should have a richer hue as well. Willoughby equates the sound of the second alto to that of a female tenor. This is a more full-bodied sound but Willoughby prefers that it not be strained or chesty. She explains that she prefers the tenor section be composed of voices that range from lyric to stentorian which is robust and loud. She prefers that each tenor voice have some quality of the lyric and stentorian traits. Willoughby desires that the lyric tenors have muscle but not gruffness and the stentorian voices should be mellow. Willoughby loves the low bass voices. The bass voice should have a pointed sound that is not “wolfie”. It should possess resonance with plenty of overtones and the bass singer should have a keen sense of intonation. As important as these attributes of individual voices are they do not represent everything that is sought in a singer. For Willoughby, the basic characteristics that constitute her choral tone ideal are balance and beautiful blend. These two elements are basic to Willoughby’s preference for the sound of the choir regardless of the singing forces or voicing. Balance means equal weight and dynamics

in each section. She describes blend as the intermingling of various tints of lightness and darkness which produces a homogenous sound with no one element overwhelming the other. Willoughby believes that, for the most part, the repertoire itself determines the choral sound. The repertoire, if authentically performed, will determine the characteristics of the choral tone. Willoughby describes the ideal choral tone as possessing unified vowels, energy, forward momentum, and life. The choral tone should possess these elements throughout its dynamic range. She feels that the control of the breath is necessary to energizing and building forward momentum in the sound. Willoughby uses many different physical and mental techniques to get singers to access this breath energy. Some of these techniques are evident in her warm-up exercises such as lip trilling. Willoughby feels that choral sound, for children’s choirs in the United States, should not emulate sounds found in other countries when they are singing literature from the western classical tradition. A correct choral sound for a children’s choir is a well produced head voice with vowels that are aligned and energized by the breath. Choral sound in general should naturally derive from the music itself.

Sound in Different Acoustical Environments She prepares the choir for producing sound in different acoustical settings by incorporating exercises into the warm-up and rehearsal that address the issue. Willoughby says that the conductor must make the singers aware of how sound behaves in reverberant and dry spaces. In dry spaces the consonants must be exploded and then the singer must hold on to the vowel for as long as possible or the word becomes unintelligible. In a reverberant space consonants do not have to be overly exploded. In a dry acoustic Willoughby considers alternate seating or voicing. She arranges singers within the section so that there is more than one focal point for the sound in order to create a sound that has more punch. Willoughby explains that if the space is known the conductor can program music specifically suited for that acoustic.

Vowels For Willoughby vowels have distinct qualities of sound. She encourages the use of the “ah” vowel to open up space for singers. In addition, Willoughby instructed the choir to sing several different vowels with the tallness and space of the “ah” vowel so that the sound would have consistency. When she prefers a darker or heavier sound she utilizes the “ou” resonance space for vowel sounds. She feels that the “ee” vowel creates brightness; it creates a forward presence, and focuses the voice. The schwa [] creates more dusky sounds that are not as bright but too not dark or produced in the back of the throat. Willoughby encourages singers to be aware that space for vowels must be prepared ahead of time to avoid trying to create space suddenly. She also advocates that consonants that precede vowels must come before the beat so that the vowel is heard on the beat.

Intonation Willoughby lists fatigue, insufficient breath supply, placement of sound, tension, and lack of energy as factors that contribute to poor intonation problems in the choral rehearsal. She uses various strategies to help singers to become aware and then correct poor intonation. However, she did not use the term “flat” in rehearsal. In one instance, she asked the singers to identify which of two lines that they sang was better in tune. Willoughby provides students with tools, behaviors, and techniques needed to

overcome the intonation problem. If the intonation problem is a result of physical fatigue she immediately interjects some brief but rigorous activity to energize both the breath and the singer. Willoughby uses the lip trill to eliminate intonation problems, energize the sound, and to energize the breath and the singer. She believes that lip trills encourages deep breathing that incorporates the concept of breathing into the back. She stated that if the singer is successful the lip trill itself is evidence that the breath has been accessed.

Vibrato Willoughby encourages her singers to develop the skill of singing with flexible ranges of vibrato. She believes that vibrato is a device that colors the sound and should exist in the voice in varying amounts depending upon the literature being performed. However, Willoughby cautions that she never asks for a completely vibrato-less sound. She states that this sound would only be appropriate in extremely rare instances such as The Passions by Bach when Christ dies.

Other Aspects of Sound The non-musical attributes that singers bring to the choir are also important to Willoughby. She desires that singers identify with the mission and goals of the ensemble thereby bringing openness to the music making process as well as a good work ethic, perseverance, kindness, and a supportive attitude for the other singers. In addition, Willoughby appreciates curious singers. She tries to foster an environment where there is an appropriate exchange of important and relevant ideas. Willoughby, in the audition process, looks for the singer who has a strong desire, passion, and exhibits concern for the group ethic. The musical and non-musical attributes of the singers plays a vital role in the production of an ideal choral tone.

Choral and Orchestral Conducting Willoughby explained that chorus and orchestra can develop high levels of sensitivity to gesture however, a notable difference does exist as to how each of the ensembles responds to the conductor in general. Singers tend to be more “responsive” and “tuned” to imagery than instrumentalists. Instrumentalists, on the other hand, are keenly aware of what is in the score and will respond to imagery but only after their scores have been appropriately marked. As it regards marking scores in general, Willoughby stated that instrumental parts should be reviewed with principal players and then the scores should be marked, this includes dynamics and bowings. In addition, Willoughby’s experiences revealed that instrumentalist in the orchestral setting generally have a better sense of rhythm than choral singers. Furthermore, when chorus and orchestra combine the conductor should be mindful that the two ensembles become one entity. The conductor should make the effort to conduct whatever is important wherever the material is located, chorus or orchestra. Willoughby states that there should be a clear baton technique and the combined forces will greatly benefit from breathing together. Lastly, the conductor should be sufficiently prepared to for the rehearsal and he/she should have a plan that does not waste the time of the orchestral members.

Choir Tours Willoughby believes that choir tours are invaluable in the development of singers. She feels that some of the most significant development she has observed in the choirs that she has conducted came as a result of touring. She explains that the constant readjustment to performing

environments is a challenge to singers, particularly as it relates to their technical abilities. She states further that audiences have personalities and choirs learn this best when they are touring or have multiple performances of a concert. Willoughby explains that audiences are sometimes attentive and sometimes they are restless. Singers naturally give their best when they feel the audience is attentive and focused on them.

Communication with Choir As mentioned earlier, verbal instructions are sometimes given in the form of questions to the choir. This is a brief process that motivates the students to think and take responsibility in the music making process. In festival rehearsals Willoughby normally tries to engage the singers in a short discussion by asking them to describe or list the concepts used in the piece that might be applicable to other literature being sung. In working with singers, especially children, Willoughby avoids the use of terminology that often results in some of the typical vocal responses and behaviors from singers thereby reducing the possible negative effects to the singing mechanism and to expressiveness. For example, she uses the terms “heavy and light” for syllabic stress rather than the words stress and accent. She also uses the terms “heavy and light” to denote vocal production and a quality of voice rather than using the terms head and chest. This de-emphasizes the singer’s focus on the actual singing mechanism as the voice moves from one register to another. Willoughby states that she rarely, if ever, uses the term forte, especially with children. She says that “fuller” is more appropriate and does not connote pushing and screaming to the singers.

Rehearsal Strategies

Seating For Willoughby seating is important and if the sections are balanced she prefers that the sopranos sit off to her left, the altos to her right, the basses behind the sopranos, and the tenors behind the altos. Seating arrangement is used to achieve balance in the choir particularly if there is an imbalance in the number of singers in one or more sections of the choir. Willoughby often had fewer men in her choir at Northwestern consequently she adjusted her seating configuration so that the men were in the middle of the ensemble. However, Willoughby has found that mixed formations offers a challenge to the singers and builds their confidence. She explains that she tries to be accommodating when students prefer sitting in mixed formation. She said that it can be discomforting for the conductor in certain types of music like polyphony. Willoughby prefers sectional seating because she likes to know for cueing purposes where the singers are. However, she has used mixed formations when the singers have expressed a preference for it.

Voicing For Willoughby building an ideal choral tone initially starts during the audition process at the university because she is able to select the voices for the ensemble. However, after selecting the voices she relies on another technique called voicing to create balance and blend. Willoughby describes this process as identifying the voice (s) that will serve as the core sound or point of focus for a section. Around this core sound she will strategically place other singers whose voices possess some attribute that enhances the core sound. Sometimes voices need to be placed where they can be neutralized so that they do not stick out. Sounds that need to be

neutralized tend to be too bright or too dark, too heavy, or they have vibratos that are too fast or too slow.

Warm-Up Willoughby feels that the psychology of the warm-up is to create unity and bring group focus to the physical and mental energies needed to have a healthy and productive rehearsal. For Willoughby, warm-ups are designed to prevent unnecessary tension and strain by allowing the singer to gradually engage the singing mechanism. The warm-up regimen employed by Willoughby consists of several parts that address many skills such as breathing, physical/mental readiness and coordination, range, flexibility of the voice, and ear training. Generally, Willoughby begins the activities of the warm-up by asking the singers to spread out and to make space between them. This has several benefits for the individual singer and the ensemble. Primarily, Willoughby wants to impress upon the singer the concept that sound needs space in order to live. Students may not immediately grasp the intent or the concept but they can immediately sense an acoustical difference when they sing. Singers can hear their voices more clearly and they have a stronger sense of what their voice sounds like. Additionally, Willoughby explained that singers also tend to listen more intently and hear the other voices around them more clearly. Willoughby believes that when singers are not standing shoulder to shoulder they take responsibility for the sound and as a result the choral sound is not only different but also better. Some of the exercises are designed to focus on the articulation of consonants. Students, in a “your turn my turn” fashion repeat clear and well-articulated consonants subconsciously gaining insight into the anatomical structures, physiology, and the associated physical sensations that create them. For example, over emphasizing the consonant “t” brings an awareness of the tongue’s articulation or contact with the roof of the mouth and the teeth. This is important if the singers are going to be required to reproduce this consonant. This exercise also creates a natural engagement of the abdominal muscles that is so crucial for any well-produced sound. Again, these exercises heighten the awareness of the singer to the accompanying physical sensations associated with sound. Another part of these exercises consists of glides on neutral syllables, hissing sounds, and siren-like sounds. The glides and siren sounds typically extend into the upper range of the voice and are often accompanied by some type of hand movement. The hand movements help to create the energy needed for sound and it takes the singers’ focus off of manipulating the vocal mechanism. Willoughby explained that she routinely starts vocalization of the singing voice with descending “ou” vowels and then continues with hums and lip trills. These exercises are performed at comfortable dynamic levels between mezzo piano and mezzo forte and within a narrow pitch range. These exercises require steady breath, engagement of the abdominal muscles, consistent intensity, and also serve the purpose of focusing the voice forward. Willoughby listens attentively and when she feels it is safe she gradually starts to increase the pitch range of the exercises. She also uses coloratura exercises that require high and low voices to sing flexibly throughout their entire ranges. Willoughby explained that in the university and community choir rehearsals the last phase of the warm-up focuses on harmonic tuning, solfege, and ear training. This may involve the divided choir simultaneously singing scales that are a major second apart. Sometimes Willoughby concentrates on specific chord qualities such as diatonic, diminished, and augmented chords.

Willoughby demonstrated that often times the warm-ups are taken directly from the literature that is being performed by the ensemble. She provides an example by telling about the Temple University Children’s Choir and their performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra of Copeland’s “I Bought Me a Cat”. She extracted the various rhythmic patterns coinciding with the words “I bought” and made a game out them. The rhythm was problematic because the pick- up notes on the word “I” often differ in value. After several weeks of this kind of preparation the children did not make any rhythmic errors when they read the composition. Willoughby would often point out material or concepts in the literature that related to what the choir worked on during the warm-up exercise, especially when it related to intervals.75

Breath Willoughby always includes some type of exercise that calls attention to the breath. She believes that the breath is the foundation of singing. She reminds her singers about body alignment and the importance of taking the breath low and quietly into the body. An example of this concept is seen in her warm-up used during the Heritage Children’s Choir Festival when she asked the singers to close their eyes, lengthen their spines, and to slowly inhale and exhale. The request to lengthen the spine caused the singers to sit with ribcages lifted and shoulders relaxed; their posture was no longer slumped over or collapsed and it facilitated a low deep quiet breath. A reviewer remarked about the ability of the Choral Society of Montgomery Country under Willoughby’s direction to imperceptibly execute the breath, making phrases appear seamless during the singing of Roland Carter’s “In Bright Mansions”.76 Several techniques are used to make singers aware of the importance of the breath. The most prominent technique is rather inconspicuous, especially to the young singers. Willoughby incorporates short crisp well articulated consonants and lip trills into the warm-up routine. Both techniques immediately energize the sound by connecting it to the breath. Another technique used to help singers realize the breathing process, which is important for expressive singing, is to make them aware of what they should do in the time they are not singing. She achieves this in a mimic exercise by asking the singers to inhale during the entire time they are not mimicking; the inhalation of breath occurs over four beats in a rather moderate tempo. In order to provide the singers with an authentic context for the breath in singing Willoughby utilizes a vocal exercise requiring the singers to breathe/inhale over four beats of piano accompaniment prior to singing a short melodic phrase. She transfers this skill into the actual repertoire by verbally cueing singers when to breathe/inhale during interludes in the music.

Movement Another set of exercises focuses on physical preparation of the body. These exercises consist of bending and stretching the arms then the legs. The physical exercises also require the singers to tense then relax muscles in the face. The physical exercise incorporates rotation of the shoulders, gentle half rotations of the head, and loosening muscles in the neck by allowing the head and arms to hang loosely to the sides. Willoughby stated that rehearsing children requires a holistic approach for developing sound that encourages them to create and experience the “physical-spatial” dimensions in their

75 Renee Banacourt, interview 76 Phillip Howells, "US Singers Celebrate in Style," Tenby Observer, 6 July 2001, p. 1.

bodies for the desired sound. Examples were evident in the rehearsals but especially in the warm-up. The best example occurred when the students were asked to extend both hand in front of them one over the other and as their voices ascended the space between their hands also increased.

Choral Organization

Willoughby conducted the University Singers at Northwestern University. This is a mixed ensemble that draws its membership primarily from the freshman class of music majors, typically, these freshmen are voice majors. The ensemble is also composed of some upper classmen music majors, first year graduate students who are music education majors with a choral emphasis as well as any student from the university community who passes the audition. Every person who desires to sing in any one of the five ensembles at Northwestern University must audition. Auditions are normally publicized by placing posters around the campus, and by placing audition information in the packets that go out to all freshmen students. These are the primary recruiting methods used by the music department however students within the school of music also join the choir to satisfy ensemble requirements. Each person who auditions for a choir signs up for an individual audition time and then fills out an information card which provides background information to the faculty, and identifies their current voice teacher and previous choral or musical experience. The choral music faculty usually spends a week or more to complete the auditions. Students must prepare a song, of which the committee will normally hear only a portion. During the audition students must (1) demonstrate musicianship skills such as singing intervals that they hear melodically and harmonically (2) identify and then sing a specified note within any chord quality (major, minor, augmented, or diminished) and in any of its inversions, and (3) the student must sight sing. In addition, students sing a vocal exercise that demonstrates vocal range. Faculty members notate the information cards using codes that indicate voice quality and range. Every singer completes the audition process before the faculty makes a final decision as to the placement of any singer into an ensemble. Non-music major students have the opportunity to re-audition if they do not pass the audition but only after they have taken a remedial course that addresses the area of weakness. However, Willoughby states that she looks for attributes in singers other than musicianship skill. She explains that she needs to see desire and passion in a singer. She is looking for singers who will support the group and consistently work towards achieving its mission. The organizational structure of the University Singers is typical of many university/college ensembles in that students take part in the governance of its day-to-day operation. In the University Singers students elect the leaders for each section of the choir. Willoughby does not interfere with the election process because she feels it empowers the students. The University Singers do not have a choir president, nor is there a graduate assistant. All policies and requirements governing attendance at rehearsals and performances of the ensemble are strictly administered through the course syllabus. Students are allowed three absences per semester however they must still give notice of an absence by calling ahead of time. The performance schedule for the University Singers averages one to two performances per quarter. The University Singers often appears in concerts sharing the program with other university ensembles although it occasionally performs concerts as the only ensemble.

For ten years Willoughby was the conductor of the Temple University Children’s Choir. She accepted this position because there was an infrastructure in place that allowed her to focus her energies solely on the music making process. The parents of the children functioned as an advisory board and gave necessary support to the organization. In particular, this group of parents helped in guiding and assisting the new parents in understanding polices and procedures. Temple University provided assistance by assigning a graduate student to the choir. Willoughby appointed a section leader from each of the sections but of course, these sections leaders had no administrative responsibility. However, they were sometimes called upon to be exemplary in their ability to learn and sing their parts; they were called upon to model as part of a quartet.77 The audition process for the Temple University Children’s Choir required the children to prepare any song of their choice. During the audition Willoughby would ask them to clap back rhythmic patterns and sing back pitches. She would ask the students to repeat very short phrases in Latin, Spanish, German, French, and Hebrew, in order to ascertain their ability to listen and replicate sounds. Also, Willoughby asked the children to read age appropriate poetry so that she could determine their reading skill and to hear expressiveness. Willoughby explained that she did not require the children to sight sing, because the auditions were held during the fall of the year and students over the course of the summer became rusty and would need remedial help. So she treated everyone as if they could not read. Lastly, she held a short conversation with each student for approximately one minute to determine their reasons for wanting to join the choir. Willoughby explained that recruitment of singers into the Temple University Children’s Choir came primarily as a result of building valuable relationships with teachers in the public schools. She states that public school teachers sometimes worry about losing students who are skilled, and those who are leaders to other choirs that are community based. Willoughby explained that she demonstrated support, value, and respect for the music programs in the public schools by encouraging the singers in the Temple Choir to sing in their school choirs. Willoughby relied on the success of the choir to also serve as a recruitment tool. The choir and its director gained considerable national and international recognition after its performance at regional and national conventions of the ACDA. Willoughby described herself as strict, but fair, about issues of attendance at rehearsals and performances. She made sure the policies governing attendance were clear, and she held both students and parents accountable. She explained that parents were cooperative and supportive of her efforts in this and other administrative matters. The Temple University Choir Children’s Choir normally performed full concerts, one in the fall and one in the spring. In addition, the choir was engaged for concerts throughout the Philadelphia region for concerts. The choir traveled extensively and was part of an exchange program that allowed them to travel outside of the continental United States. In 1981 Willoughby became the Founder and Artistic Director of the Montgomery County Choral Society. This ensemble consisted of 80 singers from the community, eight of whom were paid professionals. The mission of the program was to provide enrichment and music education to the community. The process for entering the Montgomery County Choral Society was through audition and singers were required to prepare a song. Willoughby felt that preparation of a song demonstrated that a singer had a level of commitment to the overall process. Furthermore, she was convinced that it reflected a work ethic. The audition was similar to the auditions for other

77 Banacourt, interview

choirs Willoughby had conducted in that she would use a vocalize to determine specific attributes of each voice such as its range, tessitura, and ability. Willoughby says that she kept very detailed records of each audition and was able to provide specific reasons to singers who were not accepted into the ensemble. The choir had a Board of Directors who supported the mission of the ensemble. When the need arose they hired the necessary staff to work with the organization. For example, Willoughby says they hired a person to supervise it fund raising efforts for one of the overseas tours. Willoughby says that the choir had section leaders who were well informed, astute, and proactive. They were very much in tune with the choir members and they were able to address issues before they became problems.

General Weakness in the Choral Field

Willoughby expressed concern that there appears to be a reluctance of too many choral conductors to program music that is outside of the western classical tradition. Conductors most often program music composed by established masters such as Palestrina, Bach, Handel, Brahms, and etc.; although, this core body of literature has expanded to include multicultural compositions such as spirituals and folk music of some countries. She feels that this problem continues to be perpetuated because, generation after generation, teachers routinely teach how and what has been taught to them. Willoughby exerts that there is a world choral canon that is viable and extremely important and she acknowledges that the profession is slowly realizing this. Multicultural music is avoided by some teachers for several reasons: it looks and sounds complicated; it does not appear to be teachable; or it is believed to be unappealing to the singers. Willoughby acknowledges that to find authentic age-appropriate literature of this type that has integrity takes time; however she also knows that there are available resources. Also, Willoughby is sensitive to the limited financial resources of some choirs to buy expensive multicultural editions and the time it takes for conductors to search exhaustively for such scores. So, in the venues in which she conducts, she tries to facilitate the process by programming music that is accessible financially and technically. She programs music with which choral conductors can be successful when they go back to their choirs. Many of her programs are also designed so that accessible literature for every genre of choir, from church to university, is represented.78 The previously discussed issue of the choral canon is very strongly connected to choral sound and presents a problem that continues to be perpetuated in choral music. Willoughby maintains that in this country there appears to be a preference for choral sound that is based on the European model or concept. She believes that there is little tolerance for a diversity of sound contending that it is difficult to get people to accept sounds that are “vibrant but different” from the European models. Willoughby believes that a distinctly American sound is possible and could result from choirs if they would allow sound “to be true to what it is”; in other words, not making sound conform to a pre-existing notion of sound. With children’s choirs this can be accomplished by ensuring that the sound is well produced, there is proper use of the head voice, and vowels are aligned. Willoughby is confident that choral music education can be improved in this country if teachers are trained in choral pedagogy, repertoire selection, classroom singing, and vocal improvisation; students are involved in listening activities starting in kindergarten; and music

78 Marian Dolan, interview with author, May 2005

readiness is instituted for pre-kindergarten age children. Willoughby contends that attention given to these issues will make certain that there is the greatest potential for a strong chorus in the upper grades. Willoughby has observed through years of work that there are four areas that consistently surface as concerns for teachers in the choral field. First, some conductors have or have developed an inability to hear their ensembles. Second, there is a lack of attention to the proper preparation and execution of the score. Third, the conductor’s physical gesture, posture, and stance often get in the way of the ensemble. Finally, there is not a sufficient understanding and awareness of style. Willoughby believes that the ear of the teacher needs to be continuously monitored. She feels like teachers, particularly those who have been in the field for a long time, are not responding to what is going on in their ensembles because they do not hear it. Choral directors should be able to conduct the ensemble and listen to it at the same time. Willoughby believes that a method that is helpful for beginning conductors and with conductors who have been teaching for a while is to focus in on one concept at a time. She feels that one concept at a time is also easier for the ensemble. The lack of rigor in the preparation and execution of the score prevents the choral director from being effective. At the basic level the score should be prepared in a way that heightens the conductor’s awareness of the composer’s intentions. The conductor should not disregard the markings in the score and should insist that the singers adhere to what is printed on the page. The physical gestures, posture, and stance used by some directors actually get in the way of the singers making music. This is an issue when there is too much movement in the body or when the gesture does not convey needed information to the choir. Willoughby believes that some directors have problems communicating with the choir through gesture because they have become accustomed to interacting with the choir while at the keyboard. Finally, the performance of any kind of music is lessened if there is not an awareness of style. Knowing the characteristics of music from the various style periods is crucial. Willoughby contends that the approach to music for each style period is unique and can be learned best by listening.

Rehearsal: Heritage Festival in Chicago, Illinois

Literature Willoughby chose the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria” arranged by Jean Ashworth-Bartle for unison choir and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” arranged by Rutter for two part choir for the Heritage Festival. Although the compositions are from different style periods they are similar in that both compositions have beautiful lyric lines that sound extremely melodic although, the lines in both compositions have some relatively large interval leaps. In addition, the Rutter piece has shifting tonality that again, sounds melodious, but can be difficult for the singers to negotiate. The compositions make very similar technical demands on the singers requiring them (1) to sing long sustained phrases, (2) to have an unerring sense of pitch and rhythm, (3) to sing perfectly matched vowels and (4) possess the highest level of musicality. Willoughby selected two compositions that were uniquely suited for the singers and the rehearsal situation. It was evident by the choices she made in literature that she had taken the time to consider the abilities and sensibilities of these singers. Willoughby selected music that

provided appropriate challenges for the singers in direct relationship to the amount of time she would have to help them achieve a high level of technical and musical mastery. Technically, the compositions were within the ability of the singers but it also required the singers to work hard. However, Willoughby would not settle for just the technical aspects so she challenged the singers to work hard to make the selections musical as well. Aesthetically, the compositions appeared to speak to the musical sensibilities of the singers. The clear beautiful and flowing musical lines, although relatively complex, reflected a simplicity and honesty to which the children appeared able to relate and then communicate to the congregation.

Order of Program The two selections were performed during the regular Sunday services at the Rockefeller Chapel. The “Ave Maria” was performed before the homily and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” was performed as the choral benediction . Seating Seating for the rehearsal was a very simple process since the choir was divided into just two sections, soprano and alto. Willoughby requested that the sopranos sit off to her left and the altos to her right. During the performance the two sections were arranged in three rows with the sopranos on the right and the altos on the left.

Warm-up Willoughby started the warm-up, after the seating of the choir, by asking the singers to spread out, sit on the edge of their seats, and to sit tall; and then she asked the singers to close their eyes. Willoughby requested that the singers lengthen their spines, which had an immediate effect on their posture. The singers, with eyes still closed, were told to slowly inhale then exhale. Willoughby then asked the singers to stand and she began to give verbal instructions while modeling physical activities. The first physical activity required the singers to stretch their hands above their heads. They were then instructed, with hands still stretched, to bend to the left and then to the right. The next activity was a mimic (students mimicked Willoughby) exercise that utilized lifting and rotating of the shoulders and arms. This exercise required the use of the protruding tongue and the singers were asked to contract and release the muscles of the face, including the lip muscles. Willoughby then asked the singers to stand with weight evenly distributed on the feet. She stretched out her right hand bent at the elbow with the palm towards her face and made fan like motions eight times, which she repeated with the left hand. She then rapidly and in succession made the shaking movements with the right foot and then the left. This exercise continued in this fashion decreasing the number of movements for each limb from eight, to four, two, and then one. This portion of the physical warm-up ended with a brief stretching out by extending the hands over the head. The warm-up continued with the inhalation of breath and then exhaling on a hissing sound. The singers were instructed to repeat the exercise another time inhaling while simultaneously drawing the arms and hands inward towards the face. The exhalation was on a hissing sound while simultaneously extending the arms and hands away from the body. Willoughby told the singers to listen and respond by imitating her in a “your turn, my turn” fashion. They were instructed to use the listening portion as a time to also take in air. Willoughby then modeled various consonants mixed with other sounds consisting of glides, and

siren-like slides. The exercise also included large circular hand movements that outlined the up and down contour of the glides and slides. Willoughby then went to the piano and instructed the singers to take in breath over a four beat harmonically static (one chord) accompaniment and then to sing in ascending/descending triads the vowels oo-ee-ah-ou starting in the key of D major. See Figure 6.3. This exercise continued up by half steps. The singers were encouraged to keep the vowels vertical and tall with space on the inside of the mouth. To facilitate this Willoughby asked the singers to place the back of their hands to the sides of their jaws. The shape of their hands resembled the “la” as used with the Kodaly hand signals. She also helped to create an awareness and a sense of space by asking them to stretch their arms out in front of them one hand over the other and as they sang they were asked to increase the distance/space between their hands. The last exercise was a descending five note scale from the dominant down to the tonic note of the scale on the vowels “zee-ah”, the “ah” vowel was sung on the last note. See Figure 7.3. This exercise also started in D major.

Figure 6.3 Warm-up Exercise “Oh-Ee-Ah-Oo” in D major

Figure 7.3 Warm-up Exercise “Zee-Ah” in D major

Rehearsal of Individual Selections

Ave Maria The rehearsal of the literature began by Willoughby instructing the singers how to properly hold their scores while sitting with correct posture. The first selection was the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria” edited by Jean Ashworth Bartle for unison choir. The choir was allowed to sing through the entire selection before rehearsing particular aspects of the score; she believes that the choir should have an idea of what the whole composition sounds like. Willoughby rarely had to address wrong pitches and rhythms because the choirs were well prepared in this regard. Willoughby immediately started work on achieving uniform vowels, breath energy, intonation, forward focus of the sound, and musicality. Willoughby constantly

modeled the vowel sounds she wanted for each of the words with the students repeating after her. After the first run through Willoughby required the singers to lip trill the first phrase. She repeated this several times, each time calling attention to intensity or forward movement of the phrase. She then instructed the choir to sing only what they see in her gesture. After the choir sang the opening phrase again she asked them had they seen a diminuendo in her gesture, then she asked the singers had they sung a crescendo that matched her gesture. They agreed that neither the diminuendo nor the crescendo was in proportion to the gesture and then they successfully sang the first phrase again with approval from Willoughby. Willoughby continued to work in the manner described above throughout the rehearsal. She constantly asked singers to produce tall vowels. In addition, she asked that energy and intensity be a characteristic of every sound in all parts of the voice range. She asked the choir to sing phrases using just staccato notes. This technique addressed two issues simultaneously: the sliding that was occurring from note to note resulting in intonation problems, especially on some of the higher tones; and the lack of rhythmic accuracy of the ensemble. Willoughby concluded this portion of the rehearsal by asking the choir if they could briefly mention some things that they could carry or transfer into the other compositions that were programmed.

The Lord Bless You and Keep You The second portion of the rehearsal began with a complete run through of Rutter's “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” for two part treble voices. When the choir finished the run through Willoughby called attention to the main words that occur in the opening phrases. She did this by reciting text and stopping just before the main word to be emphasized allowing the singers to fill in the missing word. For example, she would say, “The Lord ____ you and ____ you, the Lord make his face to _____. She then, as in her warm-up, pronounced each of the words with crisp over articulation of the consonants appearing in each word (bless, keep, and shine) as the singers repeated. Willoughby then asked the choir to sing the consonants with the same energy and articulation as they did when reciting.

Analysis of Rehearsal:The Heritage Festival Children’s Choir

Purpose of the warm-up For Willoughby, a well thought out and engaging warm-up is a crucial aspect of the rehearsal process. She engaged the singers in activities that involved the psychological, physical, and technical aspects of preparation. Willoughby asked the singers to spread out so that there was space on either side of each singer. She did this so that they would, on some level, begin to conceptualize how space impacts their perception of sound. This is important to Willoughby because it relates to her choral tone ideal concept that sound should be vibrant and vibrancy of sound requires space. Furthermore, it is important because she believes that space enables singers to hear themselves and others better which give them a sense of their individual voice and how it contributes to the ensemble. Also, she asked that they close their eyes and sit quietly while slowly but deeply inhaling and exhaling. This calmed the singers and allowed Willoughby to start focusing their mental energies towards a goal and effort to achieve success in the rehearsal as a unit. Willoughby smoothly transitioned from the psychological aspects into the physical aspects of singing by asking the singers to focus their attention on breathing low into the body

and by asking the singers to sit tall and lengthen their spines. The posture of the singers immediately improved as evidenced by their lifted upper bodies and relaxed shoulders. Willoughby verbally reminded the singers of this posture throughout the rehearsal and she also modeled good posture throughout the rehearsal. Willoughby used physical exercises to help prepare the singers to be more alert and responsive throughout the rehearsal. The physical exercises were engaging and humorous which resulted in the singers being curious as they eagerly anticipated the next exercise. The activities were age appropriate and did not seem to exert any excessive strain on the singers. Willoughby shifted easily from the physical activity into the initial vocalization by first asking the singers to recall the deep breathing that occurred earlier in the warm-up; however, this time she asked the singers to exhale on a continuous hissing sound until all their air was depleted. This exercise and all of the vocalizations such as slides/glides, lip trills, consonant sounds, and hisses helped to heighten the singer’s awareness of the physical sensations associated using the abdominals, lips, tongue, and jaw while connecting breath, energy, and intensity to sound. Willoughby added movement to many of these exercises such as outlining pitch or sound contour with the hand, making large swinging circular motions with the arms to show energy or momentum, and spreading the arms apart to show space. The movements gave the voices a more free quality caused by the singers not being overly involved with the actual technical processes of singing. Willoughby continued the rehearsal with vowels and insisted that the exercises continue to rely on the concepts she established earlier relating to space, breath and energy. Lastly, Willoughby used the warm-up to make the singers aware and responsive to her gesture. She achieved this by verbally calling attention to the gesture and by repeatedly varying the musical intent of the gesture such as articulation, tempo, or dynamics within a particular exercise.

General Concepts Throughout the rehearsal Willoughby employed many different techniques to attain the sound she wanted. She gave instructions verbally and with gestures that constantly reminded the singers about the technical and musical aspects of sound that were achieved in the warm-up. These principally were concepts about space in the back of the mouth, the breath, and the momentum or intensity of sound. She employed techniques such as chanting brief verbal instructions on the pitch the choir was to start rather than have the pitch played by the piano. Willoughby relied heavily upon her sense of pitch and her voice to give pitch to the singers. The piano was basically used as an accompaniment, so parts were not generally played for the singers. She constantly called attention to her gesture by instructing the choir to watch the gesture and then sing what they perceived the gesture to indicate. When necessary, she isolated phrases and repeated them until the choir followed without her having to verbally explain; sometimes she would indicate changes in tempo or less frequently dynamics. She cautioned the singers not to assume that there would be no fluctuation of tempo. The rehearsal dynamic was changed frequently by requiring the singers to stand, sit, listen and/or identify something in the score or sound, or respond to questions. When Willoughby felt the rehearsal was tiring for the singers she re-energized them with physical activity. See Appendix F

Gesture Willoughby’s gestures appeared even, clear, communicative, musical, and effective. She is capable of giving every entrance and cut off precisely without making the gesture look confusing or cumbersome. Furthermore, her cutoffs did not obscure the musical flow of the gesture. The cutoff was never neglected even when it occurred on weak portions of the beat or when it appeared impossible to make the gesture due to the complexity of the music at that moment. In addition, Willoughby’s gesture is at all times controlled and artistic. However, there were times when the singers did not adequately respond to the gesture that indicated varying dynamic levels, tempi, and articulation. Again, Willoughby addressed this by asking them to be attentive and by isolating phrases and then taking liberties in the music to which the singers were not accustomed. She usually repeated this until the singer’s were errorless. At the beginning of compositions, Willoughby established the mood, dynamic level, and tempo with a gesture that is clearly in a metrical pattern. However, for this choir, her gesture did not continue in this fashion when the voices entered. Willoughby’s gestures indicated the expressiveness of musical line. Usually, when she returned to a pattern it was to execute an indicated or interpretive change in the tempo, to correct a dragging or rushing tempo, at cadence points, or to provide rhythmic precision. Her gestures indicated word stress, height of phrase, dynamics, articulation, and intensity of the musical line. Willoughby also used gesture to indicate space and tallness of the vowel. Other techniques involving gesture used by Willoughby were melded gestures and subdivision of the beat. The melded gestures, where there is no visible beat pattern, normally occurred to achieve a smooth flowing line from the singers. Subdivision of the beat normally occurred near cadence points and was very noticeable during a ritardando, particularly when the accompaniment had more notes than the vocal part. It appeared that she used subdivision to heighten the awareness of the singers and accompanist about their rhythmic relationship to one another. However, there were times that Willoughby achieved perfectly synchronized change in tempo between the ensemble and accompaniment without subdividing the beat. The latter appears even more elegant and artistic. Willoughby achieves this by gradually making the distance between beats larger when approaching a change in tempo that is slower. The breath was indicated in the gesture. In rehearsal Willoughby normally prepared the breath for the singers by asking the accompanist to play one-two measures prior to an entrance while instructing the choir to breath. There is normally some indication where singers are supposed to breathe in the gesture, the body or facial affect. Many times Willoughby could be seen breathing with the choir.

Body and Face Willoughby was poised, confident, and authoritative when she stood before the choir in rehearsal and performance. Her posture is erect and aligned but not rigid. Her body and facial demeanor is purposeful and sometimes somewhat intense but always pleasant. She manages to control every aspect of the rehearsal process without being overbearing in any sense. Her body is normally engaged in the music making process as well. The intensity, character, and mood of the music were communicated through the posture of the body. There were times when Willoughby turned her body in the direction of the section of singers to indicate that they were about to sing an entrance. At other times there was a slight bounce and leaning forward of the body for the purpose of articulation.

Imagery Willoughby used imagery several times in the rehearsal. For example she instructed the choir to sing to the top of the note not the bottom in order to improve intonation. Also, she rather humorously asked the students to open their mouths and let the sound fill it by imitating the lion from the Wizard of Oz singing “If I Were King of the Forrest”.

Pacing The pacing of the rehearsal was brisk but appeared to be just right for the age level of the singers, not too fast and not slow at all. Willoughby was persistent in attaining her desired results. If the choir did not respond to the gesture or verbal instruction she quickly reminded them of her intent. The initial pace of the warm-up starts in a rather relaxed mode and gradually starts to build in intensity. However, by the time the actual singing of the literature comes her tone of voice is much more excited and intense. This communicated to the singers her enthusiasm for the literature they were about to sing.

Voice Willoughby used an excited and expressive tone of voice when speaking to the singers about the music. Her voice always indicated a level of enthusiasm that drew the singers into the music making process. Feedback to the choir was prompt, positive, and appropriate. Willoughby did not hesitate to let the choir know that something could be done better. There was only one incident when she addressed a faction of the choir about being inattentive. Her comments, at that time, were strong and brief. After the comment she immediately turned her attention back to the music. She did not linger on the incident. She corrected a situation in a manner that did not intimidate them or erode their enthusiasm. Willoughby never scolded the choir for making errors and she always gave them behaviors and tools to remedy the problems they were experiencing.

Sequencing Willoughby did not have to consistently address wrong pitches and rhythms with this choir. She worked on uniform vowels, musicality, energy in the sound, and intonation. This appeared to be the general order in which she approached these concepts in the music.

Intonation Willoughby used several techniques to address intonation problems that occurred during the rehearsal depending upon what she perceived to be the cause of the problem. For example, if the problem was related to posture she, of course, would say “lengthen the spine” or something about the sternum being lifted. She always modeled good posture. She used lip trills if she accessed that the problem was related to breath or energy. Lips trills force the singer to properly engage the breath. Willoughby asked the singers to sing staccato notes on their parts when she had analyzed the problem to be a result of rhythmic inaccuracy or poor perception of the tonal center of a note. Willoughby also believes that intonation problems occur because there in insufficient lifting of the soft palate. She used the imagery of the lion from the Wizard of Oz to get the singers to create that lift and space. Willoughby asked the singers to count sing for rhythmic clarity and to improve intonation; because she believes that when pitches do not rhythmically align intonation problems occur.

Modeling Willoughby continuously worked for a well-produced sound during the rehearsal and she consistently modeled the sound and vowels she wanted from the singers. She would stop and recite text and ask the choir to repeat, in this way she was able to achieve uniform vowels very quickly. As mentioned earlier, she always modeled good posture. She also modeled her enthusiasm and passion for the music.

Phrasing and Articulation Musicality was achieved by constantly asking for heavy/light articulations and by asking the singers to keep in mind where the musical phrase was going. For example she asked “where are we making the crescendo, to what word and syllable?” Musicality was facilitated by awareness of dynamic contrast. She told them that the musical line was going somewhere and that it did not start off loudly but should gradually get there. Willoughby also emphasized dynamic contrast by making the singers aware of structure in the piece “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”. She asked the singers to be aware that the first presentation of the melodic idea should not be very loud since it is going to make subsequent appearances that will build dynamically. She reiterated this same concept by engaging the students in a brief discussion about sequences in the “Ave Maria”. Willoughby heightened the choir’s awareness of desired dynamic levels and melodic structures by asking the singers about the melodic ideas that occur in one voice and then in the other. She asked them to discern which idea should be louder. She made distinctions between the concepts of loudness and intensity by asking the singers to sing softer but with the same energy. Willoughby drew attention to the dynamics of recurring melodic lines by briefly explaining to the singers that when a melodic idea presents itself in one voice and then in another the intensity can be the same but the dynamic levels change as the voices overlap.

Movement Use of movement was especially obvious in the warm-up. Willoughby used movement to help singers supply the necessary energy and momentum to sound.

Blend and Balance

This was achieved primarily through uniform vowels and dynamic control of the singers.

Summary

Family, church, teachers, colleagues, and life experiences have helped to hone Willoughby’s beliefs and skills through the years of her student and professional life. However, some of Willoughby’s philosophy and musical skills were evident and functional in her activities as a child at play, long before she could express them verbally such as her openness to music of various genres and her willingness to share her passion with her family by way of musical presentations. In addition to her musical skills, Willoughby developed a keen business sense and an entrepreneurial spirit relatively early in her youth that evolved as a result of working in her father’s business during the summers. These business experiences would later become crucial as Willoughby began to apply entrepreneurial concepts to her professional career. She found ways

to acquire the skills and experiences she needed to become a more seasoned conductor while simultaneously providing her community with quality music. Willoughby was fortunate, as a young person, in that she had exceptional teachers, particularly females, who were professionally and artistically exemplary. Willoughby was especially fortunate to have been a student of Natalie Hinderas, an accomplished Black pianist, who not only influenced Willoughby’s development as a musician but also instilled in her valuable life skills. Willoughby has managed to fuse her experiences into a humble and compassionate person who gives the best of herself in order to make the highest levels of music making available to every student she teaches and choir she conducts. Willoughby came into national prominence as a result of her outstanding work with the Temple Children’s Choir however she has a background of successfully conducting large mixed adult and college ensembles. She enjoys working with all genres of choir. Willoughby’s philosophy is evident as she strives to reach and reveal the human spirit through music in hope that each individual has the opportunity to fully develop the aesthetic sensibilities that enrich their lives. She feels that music is an aesthetic that is vital to the development of the whole person because music provides a unique vehicle for the expression of profound human emotions, has the ability to transform lives, and is a source that has the potential to bring cultures together through sharing music. Willoughby’s choral concepts are extensions of her philosophy because she meticulously plans rehearsal and programs in order that the singer and audience may come away from the experience having reflected on some aspect of their humanness and felt a connection to the music intellectually and/or emotionally. Willoughby maintains a rehearsal environment that is conducive to the musical and personal growth of the singers. So, she works to ensure that singers take ownership of the music making process and the music by becoming proficient and confident in their ability to negotiate the singing of the music technically, musically, and emotionally.

CHAPTER IV

DISSERTATION DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

DISCUSSION

This research is based on a previous study conducted in 1961 by Douglas McEwen. McEwen’s study is titled “Music Philosophies, Choral Concepts, and Choral Techniques Employed by Selected Choral Conductors in Southern California Four-Year Colleges and Universities,” and his work is important in that it documents a set of values (standards) possessed by a select group of choral conductors. McEwen chose the conductors for his study because a group of their peers found them to be practitioners of the highest levels of choral artistry. In fact, McEwen asked college and university choral conductors to select the prospective study participants by identifying those conductors whom they believed “to be of outstanding superiority with respect to a composite choral tone, choral literature, artistic interpretation, conducting effectiveness, and choral precision and discipline.” McEwen, therefore, chose Roger Wagner, Charles Hirt, and Frederick Swan for his study and then concluded that they all had arrived at “an expression of virtual identical values which they feel to be central to the exercise of every act of musical leadership.” This musical leadership eventually extended to the whole of the choral profession in the United States as Wagner, Hirt, and Swan became highly regarded choral conductors and music educators. Each of the conductors in McEwen’s study left a legacy of knowledge and skill that still informs the choral profession. McEwen further concluded, in his study, that the “refinement of the artistic and technical discrimination of a conductor who possessed the capacity to grow in musical sensitivity is almost entirely dependent upon: (1) his initial knowledge of the significant choral works of the major compositional periods, together with an insight concerning the stylistic characteristics of which they are exemplary (2) his ability to discern and to identify himself emotionally with the inherent dramatic intent of the musical idea contained within a composition.” McEwen’s participants identified the above two concepts as the principal factors that impact: (1) the conductor’s choice of choral literature and the expansion of his repertoire within the framework of tasteful and cogent criteria; (2) the conductor’s rehearsal preparation and the anticipation of the choral problems which are related to the proper interpretation of style and to dramatic communication; (3) the rehearsal procedures and the technical devices which the conductor employs to achieve interpretive goals. These procedures and techniques include: a. The nature of his conducting gesture, facial expression, and spoken comment b. Emphasis upon the communicative importance of ensemble identification with the musical idea c. The tone quality or vocal texture desired d. Ability to maintain high morale and musical enthusiasm within the ensemble through the kind of exciting leadership inspired by conviction e. The decision concerning the relative importance of textual clarity and musical mood

f. Emphasis upon specific kinds of consonant and vowel quality g. Emphasis upon rhythm or upon legato line h. Choice of musical tempo and its subsequent effect upon sensitive phrasing i. Insistence upon the degree of subtlety of dynamic variation 4. The ultimate communicative intensity of choral performance as the conductor communicates with the listener.79 The values that McEwen derives from his study have strong validity or trustworthiness because each of the selected participants was Director of Choral Activities (or a similar title) at their respective institution, the guidelines for inclusion into the study stressed superior skills, and the participants were selected for inclusion by their peers. This is significant because each participant entered the study with considerable stature and reputation within the profession, at least in California. So, from the outset, McEwen had established that his chosen conductors were recognized as authorities whose values would be highly regarded and indicative of outstanding “musical leadership”. These values then, articulate a set of standards by which other choral conductors may cultivate and/or judge their own effectiveness and abilities. Therefore, the current study applies the same values, in order to reveal and document the “musical leadership” qualities of its participants. It is not the intent of this study to compare the participants in McEwen’s study to the participants in this study. Rather, the intent is to demonstrate that McEwen’s values constitute an essential core/body of thought and skill that is common to the exceptional choral conductors in both studies. The purpose of the current study is also to document the philosophies, choral concepts, and pedagogical practices of two African-American choral conductors in order to: (1) determine how these factors influence and enliven their artistry (2) provide minorities and women with exemplary models that they can emulate (3) inform the profession of the contributions that minorities and women continue to make to the choral art (4) provide an historical record of the accomplishments of choral musicians and educators who have and continue to set standards for the profession. While this study does not attempt to compare the music philosophies, choral concepts, and choral techniques of Thomas and Willoughby to one another, it is important to note that some aspects of their musical background and academic training were similar. They both possessed, in addition to their talent, a strong desire to attain a high level of skill and knowledge about music and, in particular, about the piano. Thomas and Willoughby each began their musical lives as pianists. In fact, both of them contemplated careers as concert pianists, and both earned degrees from Northwestern University in piano performance. In his youth, Thomas acquired his initial conducting experiences in his church while Willoughby’s initial choral conducting experiences came much later, as a graduate student. However, neither Thomas nor Willoughby initially planned careers as conductors. Thomas became a conductor after he decided he wanted to be directly involved in the music making process with people and didn’t want to live a lonely life traveling as a concert pianist. Willoughby, on the other hand, seemingly became a conductor through a process which evolved out of the choral and musical experiences from her youth, and her musical curiosity and adventuresome spirit. Thomas and Willoughby began their professional careers in the public

79 McEwen, p. xii- xiv

schools where they gained valuable practical skills and experiences relating to the art of teaching and conducting.

Some Perspectives About Race

It would be disingenuous not to address the issue of race of the participants since it was a primary criterion for the selection of subjects for the study. Thomas and Willoughby have a very strong sense of what they want to contribute to humanity and who they are as humans, musicians, and as African-Americans. Given that both conductors grew up in the 1960s and attended undergraduate and/or graduate school at institutions where there were few African- Americans; it is not likely that either came into the mainstream of the profession not knowing they were in the minority and why. Nevertheless, as it strictly relates to their professional lives as conductors, the extent to which either of the two conductors in this study is aware of their race and/or gender is in direct proportion to how others have directly or indirectly made them conscious of it. Thomas and Willoughby know, through their personal experiences and the experiences of others, that the cultural mainstream has not yet rid itself of the lingering misperceptions about race and/or gender. Anyone aspiring to become a reputable conductor faces many obstacles. However, the disproportionately low numbers of minorities, including women, who have national careers within the professional and academic mainstream strongly indicate that challenges exist that are directly related to race and gender. It is critical to recognize that race and gender can still preclude the serious consideration of a conductor’s skill and knowledge. Thomas believes, when he conducts events like all-states, festivals, and clinics that singers see his race and make assumptions about his musicianship. However, Thomas explains that he is not daunted by this and helps them to understand him by getting them involved in the music. Willoughby stated that she, as black and female, felt invisible to the profession for many years. Willoughby became “entrepreneurial” minded and sought out ways to further develop her skills while enhancing the cultural life of the community rather than be deterred by how people perceived her. Thomas and Willoughby support the idea that the prospective conductor must first strive to be an excellent musician and craftsman. In the university, this translates to thorough training in the western art tradition. This factor has compelled many blacks to establish first their reputations as conductors of western classical music. Thomas and Willoughby achieved this but also established a record of performance that consisted of a variety of genres and styles. Both stressed their strong desire to be “eclectic” musicians capable of mastering music of many styles. From their youth, Thomas and Willoughby were intimately connected to the music of their cultural heritage; however, they were also aware of their abilities to excel in western art music as well, that is, to be bi-musical. Many blacks especially those who are around the age of these two conductors, or older, are as well versed in western art music as they are in gospel and spirituals. Western art music, particularly vocal/choral music, of such composers as Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, and etc. are familiar to blacks. Costen points out that as early as 1828 Black Episcopalians and Presbyterians were performing choral music of noted European composers with pipe organ and other small and large instrumental ensembles.80 These churches had trained choirs that regularly sang unaltered hymns, anthems, and oratorios.

80 Melva W. Costen, In Spirit and In Truth: The Music of African American Worship (London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), p. 120-148

Exceptional blacks and women, such as Thomas and Willoughby, are helping to change misperceptions by remaining resolute in knowing that they have contributions to make to the profession, including their diversity. They represent the first generation of black choral conductors who are recognized within the mainstream for being versatile musicians who are extremely competent in western music traditions and diverse music styles including music of their cultural heritage. This strongly implies that 1) a conductor should be acknowledged for his/her outstanding ability to produce astute choral performances that stimulate the singers and the audience, regardless of the style of music 2) institutions should thoroughly train prospective conductors in a variety of musical styles and 3) outstanding choral conductors should be able to gain acknowledgement for conducting expertise in any of the various musical styles without first having to establish themselves as expert practitioners of western art music.

Conclusion Thomas and Willoughby articulated a set of values which they derived from their music background, academic training, professional and life experiences, and philosophical beliefs that they felt were essential to their craft as performance practitioners and educators. This study revealed that Thomas and Willoughby: 1. have a vast knowledge of the significant choral works of the major compositional periods and the stylistic characteristics inherent in those works 2. have considerable knowledge of choral literature not routinely performed from the major compositional periods as evidenced by a review of their concert programs 3. have an immense knowledge of multicultural or diverse music and have developed an awareness and sensibility to the authentic performance practices inherent in such music; in addition they have demonstrated unwavering commitment to the study and performance of multicultural music 5. have articulated criteria for the selection of choral literature based on their personal philosophies; and they meticulously select music for the ensembles they conduct, particularly ensembles they conduct as guests, by considering all aspects of the singers background such as their life experiences, and their musical and technical abilities as singers 6. thoroughly prepare scores prior to rehearsal by formal analysis, identifying and anticipating potential problems for the singers and instrumentalists, and by devising pedagogical strategies that remedy problems and potential problems 7. have developed a preference for choral tone that primarily depends on vowel uniformity, steadiness of pitch, even vibrato, ease of vocal production, and appropriateness of sound for each composition Furthermore, Thomas and Willoughby, in order to achieve interpretive goals, employ rehearsal procedures and technical concepts that: 1. facilitate communication of technical and musical ideas through gesture, facial expression, body posture, and verbal expression 2. heighten the singer’s awareness of aesthetic qualities, structures, musical ideas, text, stylistic interpretation, and compositional techniques/devices found in the score 3. energize rehearsals by constantly changing the rehearsal environment (standing, sitting, movement); use effective pacing and sequencing; and by modeling the energy and attitude they desire from their singers

4. communicate the dramatic intent of the score 5. adhere to the printed symbols in the score Thomas and Willoughby, as conductors and educators, are guided by the same values that distinguished Wagner, Hirt, and Swan as outstanding choral conductors. Then, the most notable difference between the two sets of study participants is race. Willoughby is further distinguished by gender. However, given the musical background, academic training, intellect, and professional experiences of Thomas and Willoughby there is not anything that indicates or suggests that race or gender could have precluded either of them from attaining or implementing the values. Therefore, on the one hand, race and gender have nothing to do with this study. The quality of musical leadership is determined by a set of values which one applies to his/her craft. On the other hand, race and gender become the two factors that clearly define one of the reasons for this study because misperceptions about ability and knowledge are invariably linked to race and gender. Given training, there are limitless possibilities for African Americans and/or women to attain the highest levels of skill and craftsmanship in producing western choral music at the professional level while simultaneously contributing to advancements in the field. These misperceptions about race and gender are also linked to views concerning diverse or multicultural music. The issue of multicultural music was not a value explored in any detail by the participants in McEwen’s study. McEwen wrote his study in 1960/1961 and, at that time, the debate of this topic had not yet achieved the momentum and significance that it has in the years that followed. However, the absence of multicultural music from the body of works that are routinely performed contribute to the misperception that it is of lesser value than western art music; and perhaps discounts those conductors who choose to explore diverse musical styles. Hopefully, Willoughby’s prediction will come to pass that the artistic children’s choral movement will benefit the choral profession and humanity because those children will eventually demand as performers, consumers, and/or teachers the diversity that was characteristic of their exposure and training. Universities, colleges, schools, and departments of music at institutions of higher learning in an effort to alleviate these problems should become more committed to the diversity of its teaching faculty; provide opportunities for all music students to study and discover diverse vocal and choral music from a global perspective; provide training to prospective choral and vocal music teachers that enables them to accept and successfully direct a wide range of musical styles as typified by Thomas and Willoughby. Some choral musicians come to teaching out of their great love for music or because they want to impart lofty ideals about universality, healing, the understanding of others, expressiveness, humanity, character, developing the whole person, spirituality, love, joy, community, and/or many others. Any of these are noble, commendable, and absolutely prerequisite. However, having these ideals is not a guarantee that the deepest meaning embodied in them can be imparted to others unless there is also a commitment to “stir” the spirit. Thomas and Willoughby believe that music must be relevant in the everyday lives of people and so they strive to make the end result of a performance to be about the quality of life. Music can be the synapse through which nurturing can speak inexplicably but profoundly into the souls and lives of people, causing them to be transformed, enlightened, and lifted above circumstance.

Recommendations for Further Research 1. More effort should be made to identify and illuminate the accomplishments of minorities (including both race and gender) who are making significant contributions to the music profession. 2. Research should be conducted that examines the diversity of choral music faculties in order to promote more appointment of qualified minorities to preeminent institutions of higher learning.

APPENDIX A

Dissertation Interview Questions

Music Training and Teaching Experiences 1. What colleges/universities have you attended?

2. What degrees did you earn?

3. Can you list any additional training (institutes, courses, or private study)?

4. What courses, in any of your studies, have made a lasting impression upon your development as a musician?

5. Please describe any conducting or performing experiences you had as a student that were significant to your subsequent musical development?

6. What organizations/choirs have you conducted and currently conduct?

7. Where have you taught (how long and what)?

8. What prompted each move?

9. What teachers/other conductors influenced you?

10. Please describe any choral concepts you have retained since being an undergraduate?

11. Have your choral views evolved largely from the practical experience of conducting “in the field”?

Philosophy 1. What is your philosophy of music as it relates to its nature and/or purpose, particularly choral music?

2. How have you arrived at this philosophy? (adapted from others, professional experience, undergraduate)

3. How does this philosophy affect your choice of literature? A) Has your music literature preference undergone change or growth? B) To what do you attribute this change?

4. Do you think that your philosophy is expressed in your interpretation of music?

5. Are you aware of elements which may have contributed to a performance in which your group attained an especially high level of aesthetic experience and communication?

6. In your opinion, what should be stressed during the early training of public school choral directors?

7. In what ways do you feel that your efforts are of value to society?

Choral literature Concepts 1. What evaluative process do you use to determine selections that are representative of good choral literature?

2. What elements do you feel contribute significantly to a conductor’s insight concerning literature to be performed?

3. Is text the predominant element that determines your selection of music for your ensembles?

4. What is your method of self-preparation prior to the choral rehearsal of a piece of music?

5. What kinds of skills, aside from musicianship, do you want each of your choir members to have in order for them to make a contribution to the ensemble?

6. How do you teach these skills to your singers?

Choral Organization Concepts 1. What is the general audition process for entry into your choirs?

2. What vocal elements determine singers for your choirs?

3. What non-musical factors strongly impact your evaluation of potential singers?

4. Do you prefer a particular seating arrangement?

5. What kind of organizational structure exists in your choirs?

6. Can you explain why this works for you/choir?

7. How do you attract/recruit students for your choir?

8. What problems have you had in recruiting the kinds of singers you want to have in your ensemble?

9. How do you keep and enforce attendance?

10. What is your performance schedule in any given semester/year?

11. What is your opinion about tours?

Rehearsal Techniques and Choral Concepts 1. Do you prepare yourself in any way for each rehearsal? A) Do you arrange the sequence of literature for purposes of calculated variety and pacing? B) To what extent do you predetermine how much a rehearsal should accomplish?

2. Do you think there is a school of choral thought/sound that is relatively new? (Is an old or a specific school now coming into prominence?)

3. Describe your choral tone ideal?

4. How do you prepare your choir to achieve your ideal choral tone in varying performing (acoustical) situations?

5. Describe the attributes of each of the voice types that you prefer to have in your choir

6. What methods do you use to develop your choral tone ideal?

7. What elements, aside from sheer tone, are involved in the choral sound for which you strive?

8. What is your theory or opinion about any special function or responsibility or choral conducting?

9. In your opinion, are there significant differences between choral and instrumental conducting?

10. What is your method of enhancing the response of the choir to your conducting gestures?

11. What do you believe to be the chief cause of poor choral intonation?

12. What remedies appear to be the most effective when poor intonation occurs?

Choral Problems and General Weaknesses in the Choral Field 1. What are the choral weaknesses which you most frequently observe? A) Do such weaknesses appear to stem from a basic inadequacy of the conductor? B) Are there implications of faulty teacher-training?

2. In the light of such weaknesses, could you recommend to the young choral conductor the pursuit of any particular study or experience which could make a significant contribution to his musical maturation and professional growth?

Other Questions 1. Do you specialize in any one particular type of music?

2. What experiences make you desirable as a guest clinician or conductor?

3. How has the climate changed for Black conductors in the U.S.?

4. Are there any fundamental truths that you now believe to exist concerning you as a Black female and your art that have come to you through sheer life experience?

5. If one should aspire to have a career similar to yours, what necessary experiences and/or mind set should he/she have?

APPENDIX B

Thomas’s Written Responses To Interview Questions

Music Training and Teaching Experiences 1. What colleges/universities have you attended?

Friends University, Northwestern University, University of Illinois

2. What degrees did you earn?

BME, MM. DMA

3. Can you list any additional training (institutes, courses, or private study)?

Wichita State University

4. What courses, in any of your studies, have made a lasting impression upon your development as a musician?

Undergraduate: ensemble, literature

Masters: conducting, private study, piano pedagogy Doctorate: Choral Literature classes, Romantic History, Performance Practice Class

5. Please describe any conducting or performing experiences you had as a student that were significant to your subsequent musical development?

In undergraduate school, meeting and working with: Jester Hairiston, Vincent Persechetti, Sally Terri, Charles Hirt, performance of Samson and Delilah with James McCracken and Sandra Warfield.

Masters level—Master Classes with John Browning and Natalie Hinderas, accompanying the Sherrill Milnes master classes

Doctoral: Performance of Elijah with William Warfield.

6. What organizations/choirs have you conducted and currently conduct?

I have guest conducted numerous choirs, including approximately 40 of the states’ All- State Choirs, ACDA Honor Choir, and combined choirs at the National ACDA. I have been the conductor chosen by IFCM (International Federation of Choral Musicians) to conduct the Directors’ Chorus in both the Sydney Symposium and the Minneapolis Symposium.

I have twice been the conductor of the World Youth Choir. I have conducted the International Students Choir in Belgium and a second time in Switzerland. I have

conducted choirs for the Department of Defense in England. The Women’s Chorus at the University of Texas, The Vocal Jazz Ensemble (The Varsity Singers) At Florida State University, the Madrigal Singers, Opera Chorus, The University Singers, The University Chorale/Tallahassee Community Chorus, The Chamber Choir, The Vocal Jazz Ensemble.

I was also the conductor for the University of Illinois Black Chorus.

I have also conducted twice the (Berlin Radio Choir) and by the time you publish your document the Netherlands radio choir.

Of professional orchestras, I have conducted the City of Birmingham orchestra of England, The Tallahassee, Symphony, The New York Chamber Orchestra, and the Mountain West Symphony in Salt Lake City Utah. I have conducted the orchestras and choirs at the Crane School of Music. I have also conducted the orchestras at the conservatories in Hanoi Vietnam and Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.

7. Where have you taught (how long and what)?

A combined total of 31yrs! I have taught choir and general music in Junior High School, Class Piano at Northwestern University, Choir at University of Illinois, Choirs, methods classes, and student teacher supervision at The University of Texas, Choral literature and conducting at the graduate and undergraduate levels, choral literature, and choirs at Florida State University.

8. What prompted each move?

Initially educational development was the impetus for the moves while teaching public school. The move from University of Texas to Florida State University was simply more opportunities professionally and having met the faculty and the Dean of the School of Music at Florida State University.

9. What teachers/other conductors influenced you?

Cecil Riney, Dorothy Craven, Margaret Hillis, Pauline Lindsay, John Browning, Harold Decker, Leonard Rumery, William Warfield, and Ben Johnston!

10. Please describe any choral concepts you have retained since being an undergraduate?

The ability to motivate and create energy in the rehearsal and performance.

11. Have your choral views evolved largely from the practical experience of conducting “in the field”?

I would have to say yes, however I learned tremendously as a student and I continue to learn as a faculty member!

Philosophy 1. What is your philosophy of music as it relates to its nature and/or purpose, particularly choral music?

This is very personal for me. Music, particularly choral music, is my tool to reach people!

2. How have you arrived at this philosophy? (adapted from others, professional experience, undergraduate)

This began at 4yrs old. It was nurtured through my church choir conducting experience and continued as I taught public school through college.

3. How does this philosophy affect your choice of literature?

A) Has your music literature preference undergone change or growth?

Yes, with knowledge as exposure, I continue to grow and make changes. This growth is both musical and personal

B) To what do you attribute this change?

The constant struggle of making sense of one’s purpose in life.

4. Do you think that your philosophy is expressed in your interpretation of music?

Yes,

5. Are you aware of elements that may have contributed to a performance in which your group attained an especially high level of aesthetic experience and communication?

This is in the rare moments where everything lines up. Knowledge of the music, acoustics, and the choir and conductor being inspired by the text and the music. There is one other element, when the choir is on once accord to succeed in transmitting that message to the audience!

6. In your opinion, what should be stressed during the early training of public school choral directors?

Classroom management (understanding behavior and motivation) is primary. Even with good skills (musical), success cannot be achieved without this ability! As it relates to those skills outside of music, the conductors ability to transmit that passion!

7. In what ways do you feel that your efforts are of value to society?

I have been blessed to be asked to do things that bring people together. i.e. the Maori and the New Zealand Youth Choir in New Zealand. I was brought to be the clinician in a

conference to bring those groups together. The Zimriya in Israel is another example. So I strongly feel music can be that tool!

Choral literature Concepts 1. What evaluative process do you use to determine selections that are representative of good choral literature?

I usually investigate the text, the quality of craftsmanship in the musical setting, Will it fit into my program and does it excite me?

2. What elements do you feel contribute significantly to a conductor’s insight concerning literature to be performed?

His ability to understand the composer’s intentions!

3. Is text the predominant element that determines your selection of music for your ensembles?

Most times, however, I’ve also performed pieces of “worth” with text that has no meaning, i.e.Past-life Melodies, etc.

4. What is your method of self-preparation prior to the choral rehearsal of a piece of music?

Study the music. Get it into my head and into my ear!

5. What kinds of skills, aside from musicianship, do you want each of your choir members to have in order for them to make a contribution to the ensemble?

A strong desire to succeed and a joy in the music making process.

6. How do you teach these skills to your singers?

I attempt to model them!

Choral Organization Concepts 1. What is the general audition process for entry into your choirs?

For the audition choirs, I simply hear them sing a song/aria that is comfortable and pleasing for them to perform. I always make it their choice. This gives me an idea of their preference for literature and what they feel makes their voice sound good. I then usually do something to analyze range. I often check tonal memory. I also like to give an exercise that demonstrates dynamic control of the instrument. Sometimes I include sight-reading. If I were doing the undergraduate ensemble, I would always include it.

2. What vocal elements determine singers for your choirs?

I tend to prefer lyric voices, however the personality of the singers and their willingness to be involved in the ensemble process also determine the singers chosen!

3. What non-musical factors strongly impact your evaluation of potential singers?

Attitude!

4. Do you prefer a particular seating arrangement?

For the most part, my choirs are usually in the section formation and occasionally with a modified mixed formation. This depends often on the music we are performing. I will frequently change formation. However for large choruses I cannot do that. Almost always my large choruses are in sections.

What kind of organizational structure exists in your choirs

I have two university choirs. With University Chorale/Tallahassee Community Chorus, there is a board of directors with an elaborate structure. Currently the board is a volunteer board with outside consultants. They are moving toward a paid executive director. In addition to the board is a paid accompanist, two teaching assistants and a musical director provided by the University.

With my Chamber choir, there is a graduate assistant, a volunteer accompanist, and a conductor. I will occasionally assign choir members to do sectional rehearsals, or to record pitch or musical errors in their respective sections.

6. Can you explain why this works for you/choir?

It is the most logical for the community chorus. It gives them ownership into the ensemble.

7. How do you attract/recruit students for your choir?

For the most part, singers attract other singers in any choir. We try to do good performances. People are generally attracted to success. Outside performances, i.e. Carnegie Hall or Smetana Hall in Prague, excite and create momentum.

8. What problems have you had in recruiting the kinds of singers you want to have in your ensemble?

I think perhaps in finding the singers that are comfortable in the ensemble setting and are willing to explore the versatility of their instruments.

9. How do you keep and enforce attendance?

This is generally spelled out in the syllabus for each choir.

10. What is your performance schedule in any given semester/year?

With the chamber choir usually twice each semester. This would be the same for the University Chorale/Community Chorus

11. What is your opinion about tours?

I think that tours can be a valuable experience for both growth musically and for esprit de corp.

Rehearsal Techniques and Choral Concepts 1. Do you prepare yourself in any way for each rehearsal?

Yes, I determine how many pieces are to be rehearsed and for how long.

A) Do you arrange the sequence of literature for purposes of calculated variety and pacing?

Yes I do.I generally begin with a piece that I know that they can sing.

I try to work on the most challenging piece somewhere in the second third of the rehearsal. In the last third, something easier to attain; and I like to close with something successful and generally up-tempo.

B) To what extent do you predetermine how much a rehearsal should accomplish? This is something that comes with experience. It is the balance of level of difficulty versus amount of rehearsal time. This is crucial in order to assure the success of the ensemble. I always take this in to account with each rehearsal. I consistently keep in my mind how much rehearsal time is left before the performance, then I evaluate where the piece should be at this point along that time axis.

2. Do you think there is a school of choral thought/sound that is relatively new? (Is an old or a specific school now coming into prominence?)

In the Choral Symposium several schools of choral singing in America were identified. I think that most conductors are an eclectic mixture of those schools. I also think that the European and Scandinavian sound has definitely influenced American Choral Conductors.

3. Describe your choral tone ideal?

I strongly feel the tone needs to be influence by the repertoire. If I am conducting a Finnish folk song, it must sound different than a Brahms motet.

4. How do you prepare your choir to achieve your ideal choral tone in varying performing (acoustical) situations?

I make the following adjustments in varying acoustical situations. In a reverberant acoustic, we may have to slow down the tempo. In a dry acoustic, the tempo may have to be faster.

5. Describe the attributes of each of the voice types that you prefer to have in your choir

I like lyric voices with even use of vibrato. I also like a voice capable of dynamic ranges and good intonation.

6. What methods do you use to develop your choral tone ideal?

I work a lot with seating and moving singers around to achieve the desired tone for that section. I also work with balance and I will at times ask for a modification of the vowel for color considerations. I will also often employ imagery.

7. What elements, aside from sheer tone, are involved in the choral sound for which you strive?

Diction and rhythmic precision.

8. What is your theory or opinion about any special function or responsibility or choral conducting?

I’m not sure I understand this question.

9. In your opinion, are there significant differences between choral and instrumental conducting?

No not really. In choral conducting, obviously, you are dealing with text. Text is not involved in instrumental music. The parameters of the conducting plan are generally larger (wider).

10. What is your method of enhancing the response of the choir to your conducting gestures?

I bring attention to the gesture and reinforce it with verbalization.

11. What do you believe to be the chief cause of poor choral intonation?

Often it is over singing and faulty production.

12. What remedies appear to be the most effective when poor intonation occurs?

Helping the choir learn to listen, and holding and identifying cadences.

Choral Problems and General Weaknesses in the Choral Field 1. What are the choral weaknesses which you most frequently observe?

A) Do such weaknesses appear to stem from a basic inadequacy of the conductor?

Over eagerness to become famous.

B) Are there implications of faulty teacher-training?

I think most teachers are models for their students. Giving attention to behaviors, both of the student and instructor. Implementing raining and understanding of human behavior. It is important that the program gives constant attention on skill development as a conductor.

I am speaking of course from a bias, but continuous experience with observational guidance by instructors, I believe will certainly help!

Other Questions 1. Do you specialize in any one particular type of music?

I think you are well aware that I arrange spirituals. I use to worry about being identified with that aspect and if it would be limiting to my career. It has not been. I work very hard to be comfortable in all style periods of western art music as well as folk music. My goal is to always be the eclectic musician as it relates to styles of music.

2. What experiences make you desirable as a guest clinician or conductor?

I think that it is the experience that the singers experience when they work with me. Hopefully, it is my humanness, energy, humor, and joy that they experience.

3. How has the climate changed for Black conductors in the U.S.?

There are more conductors working at all levels, both professionally and in the academic environment. I have great hopes that in my lifetime, that it will not be an unusual circumstance when singers experience a conductor that happens to be Black.

4. Are there any fundamental truths that you now believe to exist concerning you as a Black male and your art that have come to you through sheer life experience?

Never forget that you are Black. There will always be people that will have certain prejudices that they believe either about your musical skill etc. However never assume that is the case. Be the very best that you can be, and for the most part those biases will disappear. When I walk into a festival, people will notice that I am black. It is my job to help them see the musician, educator and person.

5. If one should aspire to have a career similar to yours, what necessary experiences and/or mindset should he/she have?

To be able to persevere. It is important to continue to grow both musically and intellectually!

APPENDIX C

Thomas Follow-Up Interview

Gerald: I would like to go back and get a little more detail on the questions concerning philosophy. In response to my question “what is your philosophy of music as it relates to its nature and/or purpose, particularly choral music?” you responded “choral music is my tool to reach people.” I would like to know in a little more detail what does this mean in terms of what a person actually gets from the…..

Thomas: What the person gets from the choral experience?

Gerald: Yes

Thomas: Well I think it is many things. If I had a moment, I could find some of the letters that I’ve received from members of the Community Chorus for instance. One of the members wrote me and said “this particular choir is my family, this particular choir is my church, and this is where I’m finding healing and where I find the joy of living.” You know many people talk about the joy of living but I think music can create that atmosphere about the joy of living, about being alive, about sharing, about giving. Mary Alice Stollak in an article describes choir as family. She and her husband wrote an article about this for the Choral Journal many years ago. I think it’s very important in today’s society. In the Upfront for choral music, it’s a collection of essays edited by Guy Webb. I think it was Ray Robinson’s article, if I’m not mistaken, that discussed the role of the choral conductor in the twenty-first century? And he said that we will have what we had in the twentieth century, but more of it. More broken homes, more drug addiction, and more wounded souls. I think that’s what music does, particularly choral music, when you think about how it relates to all social changes or all ills in this country. For instance 9-11 (September 11), what happened? Everybody sang. People who had not a clue managed to come up with Amazing Grace at 9- 11, that’s choral music. That’s what music with text and feeling is able to do. Now I used to think choral music was about what I made of it. Rather than letting it be the focus and me be the facilitator of that… rather than the recipient of that; and when you become the facilitator of course you’re a recipient too. But you enable people and that’s my basic philosophy Gerald. I try to live by that but sometimes different things creep in. Sometimes its ego, sometimes it’s insecurity, you know? When I’m on tap to it all benefit, ok, all benefit. When I’m not on tap to that and I let those other things creep in I’m not happy. I’m not doing what I think; pardon the expression…God meant me to do.

Gerald: Thank you. I watched the video tape “Body, Soul, Mind, Voice” and I recall some of the comments that you made on that tape as it relates to the selection of repertoire for that particular choir and some of the things that you had hoped that your choice of literature would accomplish with those young men. I saw your philosophy going beyond music into life.

Dr. Thomas: Of course, it is for me. It’s not that way for everybody else. I can’t claim that it is for everybody else. Having lived with music for so long, and what I mean when I say “for so long” is that so much of who I thought I was as a person was so tied up with music. Are they inviting me to the party because I’m the one who can play the piano, you know? Or do they really know me? And then I got to the point that I thought ok, I know me now. Now can they know my purpose? I think if somebody can leave that experience and want more of that kind of experience or feel enhanced from that kind of experience…that’s the purpose. Sometimes that enhancement is because there’s a new knowledge base for them. Sometimes it’s a chord. You know how you can get stuck on a chord or a certain chord tingles? Or it’s a certain feeling about a text. I have to buy into that text. You have to buy that it does mean something; that it is able to nurture. It doesn’t have to be definitive either or the most sophisticated poetry. Sometimes it can be really kind of bad poetry but have significant meaning. So that’s where I am. And with those young people, we had two choirs, there was The American Boy Choir, which is long established, it’s been probably America’s premiere boy choir, it just has been for all these years; and then we had the Newark Boys. And if you know the city of Newark and its transitions, almost through the sixties when Newark felt little bit like when we talk about Compton and those other places. Newark felt like a war zone. There were times that nobody wanted to go to downtown Newark with what was happening in that city. I think several things have happened in that city, the new concert hall in Newark is just incredible. The way the governor built that concert hall…the people who work in there have ownership, they really have ownership. I had ushers telling me which brick was theirs, I mean it’s amazing. Here we have an almost totally black school, choir school, so unusual. How these boys handle it…you and I both know that boys in music they’re going to fight a whole lot of issues and then you put it in a city like Newark…and these boys come. It’s an environment where they don’t have to be embarrassed about their sensitivity about music, about what music means, but yet they have to be able to fulfill that in all environments. He takes those boys in all these different public schools that are really rough and they have to perform and sing. Little high voices coming here or there but they’ve got to do it. It makes the boys strong and they feel a comfort in each other. And so I wanted to provide for them…and both groups are very fine…but we wanted to give them a multicultural experience as well as a western art experience…and see whether or not they could really come together as a choir, the two choirs. Could the participants learn to respect the gifts of both groups? We found that really easy, especially when we selected our soloist, oh they learned to respect each other, in a different way. There was complete admiration for this singer singing this or this singer singing that; how better than to bring two groups of people together. About ten years ago the New Zealand government sent for me because the New Zealand Choral Federation was going to do something with the Maori Nation and they wanted a choral director who would bring both traditions together. You know they have a very famous youth choir, the New Zealand Youth Choir, so they were to be one element and then the Maori Choir was to be the other. That’s the Maori Choir that performs in Auckland at the museum, they’re really quite fine. I was to be

the melting point with these two choirs. I will never forget climbing to the top of Mount Aotearoa where we made music there and where I learned to respect the beliefs of the Maori and they learned and respected even more the beliefs of Christianity, we came together in a most unusual time, that’s what music does, it’s amazing. I’ve been asked just today to go to the Amazon (Thomas repeats I’m going to the Amazon- with a quizzical look). I met….I wonder where that program is?….there where you see the Corso International des Regecia Coral…I did that in Brazil in Rio and there were conductors from the Amazon and as a result of that I’m going to go to the university in Amazonas in the Amazon. Again, that’s been my life; I am sent to do those kinds of things. And every time I assume that I am bringing something to people I am receiving much, much more.

Gerald: I know that you’ve been in Germany with the Rundfunkchor. I’m wondering how you take something that is not in the experience of a culture and make that have value for them? For instance, and I think you’ve used this example, if you have a text “Satan wears a club foot shoe and if you don’t mind out he’ll slip it on you” that’s not their experience, that’s not couched in language or vocabulary that they can easily understand, so how do you get that to live for them.

Thomas: The people in West Germany are acculturated in Lutheranism, ok, that’s number one. The ones that are in East Germany which is most of the Rundfunkchor…as one of the baritones said to me “ I learned my English by listening to John Lennon and singing spirituals in basements; because those were our songs, because we could not worship, the Russians did not allow open worship of Christianity.” So they had to do that in secret and the songs they used were “Go Down Moses” and all of our songs. You’ve got to remember that the spirituals and the songs created by the slaves somehow touch all the oppressed situations. Those songs find their way into those oppressed situations. That’s why in Israel they so identify with the spiritual because we so identified with them as the oppressed nation. So that’s not so unusual. The other thing about it is you have to explain things to people, that’s your job, you have to teach it. You have to explain it to them and then try to relate it to their culture and what they experience, you know? Sometimes it’s a far step to have them step outside of the box but I love to do that. I love to see them try and I learn so much from their culture. For instance, I will never forget how to greet a Maori. When one Maori man meets another Maori man or a man he wants to greet- you don’t shake his hand, you rub his nose.

Gerald: I want to go back and talk about your preference for voices in the choir; you said that you preferred lyric voices. I was wondering if you could expand on that a little. What other qualities lyric and _____?

Thomas: I like lyric and pretty, you know? I like voices that can show me that they can sing a line without a good deal of pressure, that there is sensitivity to text. I do like the lyric quality of sound because I think the lyric quality of sound lends itself better to the choral experience, unless you’re doing certain Bulgarian music because that voice has to stretch the most to become harsher. I think it’s just my

preference; I tend to like the more lyric singer for the most part. Nat King Cole I like, it’s smooth, it’s lyric, and I like that kind of voice; even Anita Baker, its smooth. Now don’t get me wrong I like Aretha Franklin too for certain things. But Aretha Franklin is not going to be my choice for the soprano section, that’s just not going to be my choice. I have a preconceived sound, now if you had asked me about….well, I’m more open to my mezzo’s because I like more color. I like the warmth of that color in the mezzo voice. The tenors, I tend to like the lyric voice. It doesn’t have to be big tenor, just those that can get up there and sing it in tune, nice and lyric. Basses can stand to be a good deal more robust. I’ve never had a choir yet where I’ve had enough. I was kind of surprised last fall I thought we got a lot of bass coming out of here right now…last night I kept thinking I can stand to hear a lot more bass but I would say overall lyric, because the lyric voices, I think, are easier to accommodate in the choral situation.

Gerald: Let me switch topics again very quickly. What do you think is the predominant choral tone ideal in America today?

Thomas: It’s shifting. It is shifting. What is going on is…with organizations like IFCM and all of these big contests in Europe, American choirs are going over and loosing those competitions and they’re adapting to win those competitions and they have been. So they’re getting a more European like sound than the American sound. I don’t mean like the sound you hear in Italy, it is more German and Scandinavian influenced.

Gerald: I know that multicultural music is very important to you. I would like to know about American choirs singing multicultural music producing authentic sounds.

Thomas: Well, see I’m still an educator, that’s the other predicament that I have. How can I get at the essence of this music without stripping the chords? Generally, when I look at this music there is a variation of what can be done. How old are my singers- are they capable of doing that, making that adjustment without hurting themselves? I mean I probably don’t schedule a lot of Bulgarian music with middle school age kids because I’m spending most of my time just trying to get the sound open, that would defeat the purpose, so probably I would do some other cultures that would align more. There are some people in this country…they just have a fit if they don’t sound like the Estonian children. They keep going until they sound like that no matter what it does vocally to the children…because you know kids are in different situations. Just like those little kids you see that have been in Pentecostal churches they yell their heads off and scream and scream and holler- no nodules, even though…..Robinson did come out with this scathing article about gospel music. But most of those little kids, no damage. But I can have a set of other little kids if they try that once they won’t be singing for months. It also has to do with strength of vocal chords even with classical singers, how long can those vocal chords really have that strength? Mr. Delp talks about strength of the voice.

Gerald: Ok thank you very much. I’m trying not to tax you

Thomas: That’s ok you got me now, I can’t go until you finish.

Gerald: Well we’re not going to make this too painful, I think the philosophical things were really at the heart of what I wanted to talk to you about today. Can you talk a little bit about your commitment to multicultural music and how it has manifested itself in the program here at FSU?

Thomas: I think in the early years they just learned to tolerate it, I mean in all honesty. I got a letter from a young African-American conductor yesterday and it just said “I just need your advice as an African-American conductor…I took my choirs on this contest cruise, we got all superiors, and I also took my gospel choir.” The clinician said “well it’s lovely to hear a gospel choir without forcing and with a nice tone but I really don’t have much to tell you as you wouldn’t have much to tell me about opera”. The young man said “I didn’t know whether or not to be offended by that statement… my other choirs had sung…is he implying that because I’m Black I wouldn’t know anything about opera. I said in a way yes…but we’re talking about cultural differences. You have grown up with that music just as Germans have grown up with that music. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it but you don’t have the history of experience with that music…and I said I think that’s what he’s trying to say that he doesn’t have the history of experience with that music; and he is assuming that because you’re Black you don’t the history of experience with opera. I said but the lesson to be learned from that is…that’s his problem, number one and number two is- never let anybody shame you out of your own cultural background. To be so…they just think of me as doing Black music…that’s their problem. Will I ever go and do a program of historically Black music? Yes. So, I don’t care …that’s me…you don’t get to take that away from me because I’m Black or make me feel bad about it.

Gerald: Well, do you find that the perceptions about black conductors in this country are changing for the good, for the better?

Thomas: Oh yes. I mean our shear involvement is different than what is was. In the early years I remember looking around and thinking where are they, especially growing up in Kansas. Well think about it, a kid growing up in Kansas you got what…Hampton on the other side of the world, Morgan State on the other side of the world, you got Baltimore, you got Virginia, you got Tuskegee, you got Alabama, you know you got those schools. There are no Historically Black Colleges in Kansas and the closest one is Langston down in Oklahoma and they didn’t have much of any kind of choir program, so I didn’t see a lot of Black conductors except those in church. And then when I got into graduate school there were a few. In my program…when I went into my program I was the Black doctoral student and Anton…Dr. Armstrong was the master’s Black student. They thought they were overrunning with the two of us. I mean I’m serious and for a long time you would go to the ACDA Convention and it was Anton-Andre-

Anton-Andre the bobsie twins; they’re the Black ones, then Judith Willoughby; now we got the three Black clinicians. Never mind people have been doing things for a long time, people like Albert McNeil. Then again, it’s making room. I have to make room for Rollo Dillworth and I have to be happy that there’s a Rollo Dillworth; as I am happy there is a Gerald Knight, and as I’m happy there’s a Jeffery Ames, and there’s a Jeffery Redding, and there’s an Isaiah McGee. I mean I’m happy, there can never be too many of us. That’s not going to mean that I’m not going to get a job. When I look at Director of Choral Activities we still haven’t busted a whole lot. You name the Director of Choral Activities of major choral programs in this country, and how many are Black. Who?

Gerald: At major institutions?

Thomas: At major institutions…

Gerald: Well I know from doing some preliminary research that at institutions not classified as historically Black, I think there are about seven. But at major institutions there are two or three.

Thomas: At major institutions…that’s just about it. There’s Robert Harris at Northwestern, there’s me here, and I don’t know another Director of Choral Activities at a school the equivalent size of ours. Now are we overrunning the field?

Gerald: No not at all.

Thomas: No, but I tell what has changed…when I go to ACDA now I see all those faces, that’s changed, that has changed and I think that if there’s any way that I have contributed to that change, I’m really thrilled. I’m really excited about that. But probably the thing that also got my heart was Ken Burg sent me a piece of music that he’d written, a spiritual called My God is a Rock; and the spiritual is dedicated to me. What the line says in the dedication…it says “to Dr. Andre Thomas a mentor to us all”…and I went OK.

Gerald: So it’s changing?

Thomas: I think so…I think so…well it’s up to you all to see how much more it changes. It’s not that I’m saying that it’s about time for me to die or anything like that; God forbid. But I am saying that there is another generation coming that will make further changes, further acceptance of things…there’s a whole other generation and a generation behind them. I mean they’re coming, yes. I want them to be competent!!! Ok. And it’s hard because there will be the stereotype. There always is the stereotype that we only know one thing, what we know from our background, so you have a double edge sword and it will always be there…for a while, it’s just going to be, but that’s okay…because I am convinced that when I walk into that room with those four hundred and ninety kids …I walk in that room and they see a Black man that walks into that room…and by the time…that

rehearsal keeps going they see Dr. Thomas but they see the Black man first. That’s who I am, there’s no way of me changing that…and then they see where that music goes from that point on.

Gerald: I was going to ask you about specific detailed techniques that you might use to address diction and rhythmic problems but I think I’ve been in enough rehearsals to…

Thomas: You could probably figure those out because…I don’t have that exhaustive amount or a crew of them…but diction I think is involved in two fold. Number one is the simple diction of being able to pronounce the words. It’s not so much a technique…it’s a score study preparation. I have to go through and look at what the dictions is actually doing, how it’s wedded to the music itself, and then how is it that the singers are going to be able to express that; and then how can I best unify that among a whole group of singers. You’ll find often that I’ll put things on that Shaw chord; that diminished chord and have us chant that to take away another element, only so that we concentrate on one element at a time which is the rhythmic diction. Over the years I used to have people come in and say the line and then we’ll repeat it and then we’d do that….but what I also found out was that in doing that…it doesn’t solve my problem. Anytime diction is given in the choral rehearsal it needs to be done in the rhythm of the text because that then makes it a little easier for the singer to assimilate it. Then the next step is, at least in my mind, do not put pitch as it is written immediately to that diction because that’s another level that the singer has to deal with at one time. I learned that from Robert Shaw during those ten or eleven years of preparing the choir for him. I learned that and I believe in that and I think that it’s just tough. It is something that I always struggle with, and I want my languages better. I want to remember my diction rules better. French…O God that is not my language. And for me I have to write out IPA…you know every word. If you saw my copy of the Badings you would see every single phonetical indication on every line because it’s just not my language. Probably the next sabbatical, if I ever take a real sabbatical…I’ll take a year and spend a whole year in one country and immerse myself in the language. That’s the disadvantage we have as Americans because Europeans live in one country and in twenty minutes they can be in another. And so often they know four to five languages and we’re lucky if we can get through English. It puts us at a disadvantage; I mean I think so when I look at my colleagues in Europe.

Gerald: I think that basically covers all of the outstanding questions that I had Dr. Thomas, see it wasn’t that long

Thomas: No, it wasn’t that long and you know, if I don’t fall off of the ends of the earth you know how to find me if you need anything else.

APPENDIX D

An Interview with Professor Judith Willoughby Northwestern University

Gerald: First, let me say thank you so much for agreeing to do this; this is a tremendous help to me. I’m really hoping that it will be a tremendous help to the choral profession. I hope that it will inspire others to do great things in music, choral music in particular.

Willoughby: Well you’re welcome, it’s my pleasure.

Gerald: The first questions are biographical in nature and have to do with your background and so we will start there.

Willoughby: I earned my bachelor’s degree from Northwestern in piano performance. I was a student of Wanda Paul and Gui Monbaerts. I earned my Master’s in piano performance from Temple University with Natalie Hinderas and then I went back to Temple to work on a second master’s degree in choral conducting with Elaine Brown. Additionally, I studied with many fine pedagogues and teachers who had information that I wanted to access. For example, there was a period of time that I studied with Max Rudolph who, at that time, was head of conducting at Curtis Institute, lived in Philadelphia and there were things that I really wanted to know about conducting in particular so I studied with him. There was a period of time that I studied with William Smith who was associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. There were many things that I wanted to learn about choral conducting and conducting in general that I learned from Maestro Smith. I studied voice with Louise Parker who was a wonderful mezzo, African-American mezzo. Unfortunately all of these people are now deceased. And along the way, I took many workshops, as we all do, at places like the Oregon Bach Festival in Saranac Lake.

Gerald: You mentioned Natalie Hinderas who was an excellent pianist and teacher, by all accounts. Can you just say something about her and what she meant to you as a developing musician?

Willoughby: Yes, I think Natalie was perhaps the most profound musical influence in my career, to this day, and I speak now as a musician speaking to another musician about a musician whose performing medium was piano but whose musicianship was universal, and applies to all of the ways we express ourselves musically, including choral music. I need to back track and say that my first encounter with Natalie was when I was four years old. I knew her as the daughter of my piano teacher Leota Palmer of

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Cleveland, Ohio which is where I grew up. For many years I saw Natalie’s pictures on my piano teacher’s piano. She always talked about Natalie. When I was about sixteen, I heard about one of Natalie’s hot young students Leon Bates who subsequently became a very good friend of mine. At that time, I only knew Natalie as my piano teacher’s daughter. At the end of my freshman year at Northwestern a new music festival was starting in Philadelphia and Natalie was going to be teaching at that festival that summer and so I went to Philadelphia to study with her the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. I felt a tremendous kinship with the ways in which she expressed herself and taught musically. Coincidentally, that was also the summer that Robert Page, with whom I sang “Carmina Burana”, heard my audition for Natalie’s graduate studio at Temple University in Philadelphia. Natalie really knew how to analyze music in a way that took into account structure, overall arching structure, harmonic structure, motivic structure and the ways that knowledge affected the choices one makes in terms of color, musical pacing, and style. Of course, as choral musicians, we know something else that really has a profound impact on the way we look at music and that is text. So we always have to look at text first in the selection process. Her approach to music, from that standpoint has stayed with me and really influences the way I analyze music today, especially the large choral/orchestral works, because one has to look at the totality, one doesn’t just look at the choral parts, one looks at the whole and the way the parts are integrated into the fabric. She taught me all of that. There are other ways in which Natalie had an impact on me. She was a woman who was a child prodigy, the youngest graduate from Oberlin Conservatory. She went to New York to study with Madame (Olga) Samarof when she was very young, and then came to Philadelphia to study with Edward Steuermann at Curtis and that is where she settled. Then in mid life she stopped playing professionally to have her daughter and raise her family. In fact Natalie’s daughter lives here in Chicago, Michele Monagas with her four daughters. Then in her late forties her career began to pick up again. The thing I remember about Natalie was that she managed to have this marvelous balance between her music making, her personal relations, and her family. This has been a model for me in that your life experiences inform your music making, this is part of what one brings to the art and science of both performance and teaching and you can’t bring that experience unless you’ve lived that experience. So that stays with me even until this day. I had the honor, joy, and also sadness of being with Natalie just several days before she passed away. She was also a deeply religious person and I spent that time just playing hymns for her. She was pretty weak at that time and didn’t say much, but I felt like we had gone full circle in our relationship because I had known her when I was a little girl. And now she was incapacitated, but in fact I was able to give back some of the comfort that she needed at that time.

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Gerald: Thank you for sharing that, you actually anticipated my next question. In addition to the music, great teachers impart to us so much about life…so you took that exactly where it needed to go, thank you. Let’s back up a little and talk about your pre- college experiences and what solidly landed you in the music camp as in “I am going to do this for life”.

Willoughby: I’ve always known that music was my calling as well as my passion. I come from a family that is, I believe, innately musical, although I was the first in my immediate or extended family to think about a career in performance. My whole family sang. I have a first cousin who sings. When we were young, she and I put on little programs for our families. I started playing the piano by ear, that classic story of the toy piano, and started taking lessons when I was very young. I was four and I studied with the same teacher until I went away to college. Music was a family activity and it was supported by my family so its importance was always reinforced in our home. Then of course it was also reinforced in my church. I grew up AME Zion Methodist and I remember hearing many excerpts of the great oratorios in church services, especially Rossini’s “Stabat Mater”, of course parts of “Messiah”, parts of “Elijah” all of these great stories, especially from the old testament that speak to us as black people, the stories of trials and tribulations and then liberation and meeting one’s maker. I also heard great spirituals and great gospel as well. This was part of the fabric of our lives. On my father’s side, I’m told, I had an uncle, my father’s older brother, a generation older, who made his whole living playing honky-tonk piano throughout bars in the south. He never had any formal training whatsoever. I have a cousin, on my mother’s side, whom I never met until I was grown. Dr. Leona Wilkins was a prominent music educator and a professor at Northwestern University. She was the very first African-American professor in the school of music at Northwestern. I had cousins who were librarians. I am also an avid reader. I have always loved poetry and I think that exposure was very important. Something else that was very important was the role of the public schools in my musical education, I remember clearly the first time I heard the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra when I was eight years old. We took school trips once or twice a year to hear the orchestra at Severance Hall and I remember the piece until this day. The first piece I ever heard the orchestra play was Boccherini’s “Minuet.” At that time we didn’t have a lot of LP albums in our home but the Cleveland Public Library had a record-lending program so I asked my mother if she could get that recording. I played that album to death! There were many other wonderful experiences like that. I also grew up singing in choruses, and hearing great choruses, it was a family event. Robert Shaw was employed by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra Chorus at that time so we all watched the Christmas program, which was similar to the program Mr. Shaw presented in Atlanta many years later when he was music director there. We always watched Lawrence Welk, and we watched Nat King

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Cole. But actually, I thought I was Janet Lennon, (laughing) I mean anything that had to do with music, we loved it (laughing). We were non- discriminatory, equal opportunity listeners; you know we just loved music. It’s interesting because my mother, in particular wanted me to be a jazz pianist. She said, “you can be like Hazel Scott” and she really was sort of encouraging me in that direction… my mother, the church lady, which is really funny. But I heard the symphonies and I heard “Messiah”, the bigger more grandiose the music was, the more I loved it. That was what really drew me to the classics because in fact, although I absolutely love jazz, it wasn’t big like huge choruses and huge symphonies. I really got a charge out of the fullness of the sound in classical music and wanted to move in that direction.

Gerald: Wonderful, we talked about your pre-college and some college experiences. Can you list any additional training like institutes….?

Willoughby: Yes, I remember two experiences that were transforming for me and really made me see the possibilities in terms of contributing something unique to the profession. The first was in 1989, I was working, had a young child and was just beginning to wake up to the musical possibilities but was feeling restricted because I had a young family. Margaret Hillis always hosted a summer choral workshop in Chicago and that year she was not able to do so. She asked a brilliant young conductor in Philadelphia, Michael Korn, who had just the previous year, founded the Philadelphia Singers, to sponsor that workshop. Michael and Miss Hillis were colleagues in the newly formed service organization, The Association of Professional Vocal Ensembles (which was later renamed Chorus America). It just so happened, speaking of full circle, Michael was the organist/choirmaster at Natalie Hinderas’s church, First Methodist Church in Germantown. I remember attending a party with Michael, knowing him as organist/choir master the year before he founded the Philadelphia Singers, in his choir robe, talking about this choir that he was going to start. Michael was a gifted organist. He was the only organist to ever have been chosen to perform on Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. He was trained at the Curtis Institute of Music. But when Miss. Hillis asked him to sponsor the summer workshop, I felt that I could attend because it was in Philadelphia and because I already knew Michael. This experience was transforming for me because the lab chorus for that workshop was the Philadelphia Singers and the orchestra was the Concerto Soloists which is the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Both ensembles are really excellent. The experiences I had as a conducting fellow in that workshop with a chorus and orchestra that immediately responded to my conducting gesture, for better or worse, made me understand that there was a whole other world of music making to which I should aspire to be a part. I was excited about that possibility but I really had not thought about this before. The workshop experience also inspired me to be

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entrepreneurial in the way that I thought about my career because, in fact, I had already founded a college choir at Montgomery County Community College, which was my first teaching job. I felt as if I needed to grow more than that experience was able to provide, and I wanted to conduct big works as well. When I saw how Michael founded this ensemble and then he went on to found the Bach Festival of Philadelphia and laid the ground work for the Philadelphia Singers Chorale which is now the resident chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra, I saw that there were a lot more possibilities in my own piece of the musical community. And so that inspired me to found the Choral Society of Montgomery County which became a major performing force in the nineties in the greater Philadelphia area, especially known for its more cutting edge repertoire and for tackling works that had not been performed in a long time or had never been heard in that part of the country. I am indebted to that experience of the Philadelphia Singers/Chorus America/Margaret Hillis Workshop that was held in Philadelphia. That was one experience. The other experience was studying with Alfred Mann. All musicians know Alfred Mann who was on the faculty at Rutgers for many years and who wrote the definitive book on the fugue. This is a text all musicians are exposed to in music theory. The text really took on a living meaning for me when I studied with Dr. Mann. I took a summer seminar with Dr. Mann on “Messiah”, examining all of the influences on the creation of “Messiah”. It was a two-week seminar. And I remember that first week Dr. Mann very slowly and meticulously laid all of the groundwork for Handel’s creation “Messiah”…its background. Again, it was meticulously presented, very slow and deliberate. Then, all of a sudden, when he finished the presentation of all of this groundwork, toward the end of the first week, Dr. Mann started pulling all of the pieces together and he was like a snowball rolling down hill. He was moving so fast that we could hardly keep up! That was exciting, but it taught me a lesson; and the lesson was how important the fine detail is in the development of anything one does in music, especially as it applies to score study and bringing to bear all of the influences on a composition because they all have an impact on the way you approach that work for study, performance and teaching.

Gerald: Thank you. Are there any particular courses within your degree studies that stand out in your mind as being particularly influencing or developmental?

Willoughby: I would have to say that the most profound influences for me have been the input of my private studio teachers. My studio teachers Elaine Brown in choral conducting, the small amounts of time I spent with Maestros Rudolph and Smith, and especially my time with Natalie Hinderas. I think that those influences, they stand out very vividly in my mind and when I think in terms of musicianship and depth of understanding and the ability to convey that through

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gesture, those are the teachers, even though they are not classroom teachers, those are the teachers that stand out in my mind. I will also be eternally grateful that Elaine Brown introduced me to the American Choral Directors Association. This opened my eyes to the resources available in a large community of like-minded musicians.

Gerald: Please describe any conducting or performing experiences that you had as student that were significant to your subsequent music development.

Willoughby: Well, you might be interested to know that I never had my first conducting experience until I was a graduate student.

Gerald: Really?

Willoughby: When I went to Northwestern there was no mandate to take conducting. I played for choirs at Northwestern and it wasn’t until I went to Temple as a graduate student that it was suggested to me that I should take conducting. I was actually rather irritated because at that time I was still focused on becoming a pianist, and I was just starting my studies with Natalie. I actually looked at conducting as something that was interfering with my practice. My first conducting class was taught by Gail Poch, who is now retired from Temple, and the first piece we all had to conduct was the “Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s Mount of Olives. I’m sure we’ve all encountered that war horse (laughs). It just so happened that I had played for everyone in the chorus (which was the class) because that was what I was used to doing, I was good at it and I didn’t mind it. I liked doing it. When it was my turn to conduct, one of my student colleagues played for me. However no one else could really play that piece and so while this student was struggling through the introduction and I was trying to move the tempo, I gave a very strong down beat with my baton. The baton hit the music stand and flew to the back of the room. And so there I was standing in the front of the class with no baton totally mortified and not knowing quite what to do. Think back to that time in your own career when just getting up in front of a conducting class like that was really sort of intimidating. That one experience, taught me a lot about thinking on my feet and stepping out of the box of what’s expected. At that moment I just realized that I had to say something. Mr. Poch very kindly found the baton and gave it back to me. I could see that he was actually trying to keep from laughing because it was funny, you know. If it had happened to anyone else but me, I would have thought it was funny. But I turned to the accompanist and said, “I would like you to take my tempo. Don’t worry about getting every single note but do keep the beat no matter what and watch the tempo changes even if you’re only playing one note in each hand.” I remember that from there, everything went well, and I was proud of myself for making lemonade out of a lemon.

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Gerald: Thank you for sharing that.

Willoughby: This taught me a lot about thinking on my feet as a leader because a lot of times we have an aural image of what should be happening. We’ve rehearsed it in our minds with the ideal ensemble and then we come in front of an ensemble, especially if it’s not our own ensemble, and what we get back is so radically different from the sound image that we have in our minds that in fact, that’s where the real work begins. You have to be absolutely ready to make something of musical value happen. This was the beginning of that process for me.

Gerald: That’s a perfect answer

Willoughby: It’s an answer…I don’t know about perfect but it’s an answer (laughs)

Gerald: Can you list the choirs and organizations that you have conducted over your career and the ones that you’re currently conducting

Willoughby: Well let’s start with what I’m doing right now. Currently I am an Associate Professor of Conducting and Music Education at Northwestern. I conduct a major ensemble, University Singers, which is, composed primarily of freshmen music majors and voice majors, although it is open by audition to any student in the university that passes the audition. Graduate first year music education majors may also be assigned to my ensemble, especially those who have a choral emphasis and a few upper classmen as well. But the ensemble is primarily freshmen. The first ensemble that I founded was the college choir at Montgomery Community College (MCCC). The college choir instituted madrigal dinners with MCCC’s hospitality management curriculum that were authentic in the presentation of choral music. I also hired the University of Pennsylvania’s Collegium Musicum to perform renaissance instrumental music as well as to perform with the college choir. I researched the music. We performed choral gems that were not really part of the standard repertoire. We researched the costumes, built a costume shop at the college so that the costumes were authentic. Additionally, the hospitality management department researched the menus so that the menus were also authentic. And those dinners became a huge success. They were a lot of fun, they were also educational, and the madrigal ensemble was a tremendous incentive for participation in the college choir, because everybody wanted to be in the madrigal group. In order to audition for the madrigal group you had to be in the choir. So it was a win, win situation. We made a lot of money. And that really helped to enrich the life, the choral life at the college. The following fall, in 1979, I founded the Choral Society of Montgomery Country (CSMC). I lead that ensemble for twenty years. The Choral Society had many exciting opportunities during our twenty

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years together. During that time it developed from what is often pejoratively called a community chorus, to a really fine ensemble that recorded, performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, mounted four international tours during which we took pieces like Britten’s “War Requiem” on tour to Australia. CSMC opened the National Conference of the Australian Choral Music Educators, sang at state MENC meetings, and presented the first complete performance of the Monteverdi “Vespers”, in Philadelphia, in more than twenty years. My last two years in Philadelphia, we received an extraordinary two year grant from the Pew Foundation to mount two major productions. One half of that grant was used to give the east coast premiere of Telemann’s last oratorio “The Day of Judgment” “Der Tag des Gerichts”. I commissioned one of the foremost Telemann scholars in the country Joan Cantoni to write two study guides, one for professional musicians and college students, and the other for families about this oratorio that represented “le fin du ciecle.” This was in 1999. The project continued by inviting Mr. David Fanshawe and his wife, from England for a week. Mr. Fanshawe’s residency with CSMC included participation in three performances of “African Sanctus”, including the first web cast of a live choral concert in Pennsylvania, a week of residency activities on world music, and a radio piece for Morning Edition on NPR. CSMC ended that year with a tour of Wales and a performance in the final televised Welsh BBC concert of the Eisteddfod in Llangolen, Wales. So that was one ensemble. The third ensemble, one that I founded, the one that had the most impact on my career, was the Temple University Children’s Choir. I founded and lead the choir for ten years. I confess that I actually became interested in children’s choral music because my own daughter loved to sing. And I could see from her work that she was constantly looking for places to sing that were going to challenge her. However, my first encounter with children singing happened before the formation of the Temple choir. I decided I wanted to conduct my favorite opera “Carmen”. I always knew as a female, and especially as an African American female that no one was going to give me anything. If I wanted something, I had to make it happen with the help of others who shared my vision. I always had a good track record writing and receiving grants from private and public funders (because I had a good grant writing teacher). And so I raised the money, hired the orchestra, and trained my chorus. I planned to train a children’s chorus to sing all of the fabulous music in French. So, I put out a call to all of the elementary school teachers in Montgomery County for this six week project. Over six Saturday mornings I was going to teach the children this music. I had room for eighty children on the stage and I would have been happy had I gotten thirty. In fact, over three hundred came for the audition and I had to find a way to cut this down to eighty children. That was the hardest, the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever done. We presented two concert performances of “Carmen” no cuts. I hired the soloists. This was fantastic and I was just smitten with the fun

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and challenge of teaching children to sing well. It was up to me to develop and manage every aspect of what was happening. I didn’t have the luxury of working with a large university with a lot of support systems in place. That actually was a good thing at that stage of my development because it taught me how to do all of the other things that we need to do organizationally, in terms of funding, in terms of marketing, and working with outside people to interest them in what is going on musically. But it’s also tiring and it was about that time that Temple approached me about starting a children’s choir within their Center for Gifted Young Musicians. Most of the young people in that center were, at that time, primarily string players taught by Temple, Curtis, and Philadelphia Orchestra faculty. The youngest wunderkind, Sarah Chang, who is a famous concert violinist today, had already made her mark in the center as a five year old. Temple wanted to develop a comparable children’s choral program and I knew I could do that. But also what attracted me was the fact that there was an infrastructure there so that I could focus on making the music. In 1991 I founded that ensemble and that was just pure joy. I was not thinking of anything bigger than working with this ensemble along with my other jobs in Philadelphia. But I had a pedagogy which I had developed from watching colleagues in the field, whose work I admired, reading books, looking at videos, listening to children’s music, and trying to figure out what was going on because, at that time, the children’s choral movement was about fifteen years old. I learned from the work of colleagues, those important early leaders in the field like Helen Kemp, Doreen Rao, Jean Ashworth-Bartle and others, who have devoted their whole lives to training children and sharing their knowledge with educators who also train children. I developed my pedagogy based upon what I learned from what they were doing, as well as the opportunities, and constraints of time and resources. In the early years the director of Temple’s Preparatory Division and I worked very closely together and, in year five we had met all of our original strategic goals for the choir. In our fourth year, I was encouraged by another close colleague, Janet Galvan, to submit a tape for the Eastern Division American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) Conference which was in Philadelphia. I had never thought of doing that. It wasn’t even on my radar screen. That performance happened because the ACDA conference was in Philadelphia, as Temple was a gritty urban school without a lot of resources for its preparatory program. Much to my surprise it (the performance) was one of the highlights of the convention and we were encouraged to submit a tape to the national convention the next year in San Diego. That convention changed our lives. We did what we had been doing every Saturday morning from October through April which is when our program ran and it was just routine for the kids in that respect, although the pedagogy that was used with the children helped them own their music. And when you look at tapes of that performance you can actually see that these are children, not high school students, they’re children and yet their artistry was very refined and very fresh. I

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believe that to be the most complete musician/conductor, especially for a treble ensemble, one needs, as a conductor, to be conversant and comfortable with the big repertoire as well; because the music making and pedagogy is informed on both ends, by that cross pollinization. When I looked at the repertoire that the students sang in San Diego, I was not looking at children singing cute children’s literature. My philosophy was absolutely consonant with that of Doreen’s and Jean’s, and Jim Litton’s at that time… that children should sing great repertoire and that they should sing with the musicality, understanding, technique, and stylistic integrity that that repertoire needed. I never articulated that to the children. We just learned that way, week in week out. That performance changed my life. I went, overnight from working in Philadelphia, working locally, guest conducting here and there, regionally, but basically making my garden grow as thoughtfully and as purely as possible in my own backyard, to having a national and then an international life, as a conductor.

Gerald: I think you’ve answered where you have taught and how long

Willoughby: No I really didn’t really answer that…I’ve taught at Northwestern four years. Prior to that I taught at Temple ten years in their Center for Gifted Young Musicians and concurrent with that which is, I have to say, where some of my greatest learning took place, was a job I held for twenty seven years at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC). In Pennsylvania all of the community colleges were created in 1964. There is a pejorative connotation that is often associated with community colleges but in the case of MCCC the college was sophisticated and finely tuned, especially in the terms of arts and arts education which was a major part of their mission statement. I also was blessed to be in the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania and the blessing that there was no one before me that had set any kind of rigorous traditions. It was also important to have worked for administrators, at the top, especially the last Academic Dean and President, Dr. Edward M. Schweitzer, who valued the arts, loved the arts in general, and particularly loved choral music. So, I was given a lot of freedom. I was given a lot of encouragement; as I grew in my understanding and skills I was encouraged to do as much as I wanted to do. I started as an instructor and rose to the rank of professor. I developed the whole academic curriculum there which is still in use to this day, which included the two choirs, the college choir, and within that the madrigal group, and then later on the Choral Society which was the other community based ensemble. Additionally, in 1988 I was asked to develop a cultural series for the school that would serve the whole county and Philadelphia region. This was a multidisciplinary series which included dance, drama, classical, folk and jazz music speakers, a silent film festival, an art gallery that produced seven shows a year, trips, and Montgomery County’s first and only poet laureate program. We collaborated with the

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schools of our county and faith communities to mount works for the Hispanic, the Asian, the Native American, and African-American communities, producing many residencies in all areas of the arts from one to seven days in length. I wrote many successful grants and served as lead presenter for grant applications in the Mid-Atlantic region for both Mid- Atlantic funders and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. I was co-chair of the Opera Vocal Panel for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. I developed many long range marketing plans and supervised public relations efforts. Not concurrently but at various times during this period I held leadership positions as President of Pennsylvania’s American Choral Directors Association, President of Pennsylvania’s Collegiate Choral Association, and President of Pennsylvania Presenters which was the service organization for all of the non profit presenters in the state from the Philadelphia Orchestra, the University of Pennsylvania through collegiate and community based non profit presenters. So, even though I was in the same place for many, many years I was fortunate to have a range of experiences that infused my artistic life and made me see choral music, I think, in a broader world perspective, and in relationship to the other arts, and its standing among the other arts and its professionalism comparable to the other arts. I think it’s given me a unique point of view about choral music and music making through choral music as an expressive medium. And I think it was just the luck of the draw of having been in the right place at the right time, having grown up working in my father’s business (he was a self made man, an entrepreneur and a real estate broker. I worked in his office every Saturday from the age of seven until I graduated from high school and summers when I was not away at camp or doing something with music). It just worked, you know I doubt if one could ever replicate it again because in fact it was a new school. When I started my career at MCCC the campus didn’t even have trees. They had planted trees the year before and the trees had died and the year after I was hired they had to replant trees again. While I was there, I chaired the major renovation of our arts presenting hall. I learned to read blue prints; I had to learn to talk to architects and contractors on behalf of my committee. So the range of experiences that I had at MCCC has really stood me in good stead for all or the work that I do. I honor that experience by talking about it, because in fact, in some situations when you have the luck of reporting to the president of your school, so that there’s nothing standing between you and the ideas that you have except the head person, and you are an effective communicator and worker as well as a sensitive, artistic person; you can make it all work. There is really an opportunity for growth, not only for yourself, but for all of the people that you serve.

Gerald: Thank you

Willoughby: Good. I forgot to mention that for three years I also taught in the

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Philadelphia public schools. I forgot about that. I was a long-term substitute teacher. At that time the Philadelphia public schools was divided into districts, as many big school systems are. Their music specialists were not district associated, they taught throughout the city. That was a great education for me because I was long term substitute in many different situations from the top magnet high schools, to the remedial high school, men’s school, and in these beautiful elementary schools with no equipment but just tons of children who wanted music. It taught me that you have to be effective with a piano or not, guitar or not, and a piece of chalk, and if you can do that you can teach and make music. There was such a disparity of resources among the various schools. It was such an eye opener that some of the schools with the most resources were not the schools that valued music the most. That was a huge education at a time in my career when I was just getting started and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, because it really taught me how to make music on my feet and how to make it happen so that the students were learning something conceptually. It was important that students take something away with them that they wouldn’t forget, and that they would value.

Gerald: Thank you. What prompted each move that you’ve made from one situation or from one academic institution to the other as you progressed in your career?

Willoughby: I think that what has always driven me is looking for opportunities for future growth. In fact, I’m thinking…I’m going to throw you a little bit of a curve…I’m actually thinking right now, of going back and getting my DMA at this stage of my career. Because in fact, if you are an intelligent person you can learn to do many, many different things and do them very well and that’s all well and good, but in the country in which we live, and especially in the culture of choral music in which we exist, I do think it’s important to model the total package, especially when there are not that many models for young people of color out there. I think of this differently as than I would if I were twenty five. I see it as the completion of something that I did not have the opportunity to do because I was too busy making the music…wanting to feel inside that I am the complete model for those students that are going to be the future.

Willoughby: Thank you

Gerald: I am going to come back and ask you a question about that later. I think that one of the most striking things as I looked at some of the preliminary information…your biographical information, when I was just doing some background work…I looked at all of your achievements and what you are accomplishing and you didn’t need the DMA. We’ll talk about that some later but it’s amazing and I think it’s a tribute to all that you have

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accomplished. What teachers or other conductors influenced you? I think we have basically covered that. Please describe any choral concepts you have retained since being an undergraduate…those things that you found as fundamental truths for you as a conductor that were formulated as an undergraduate that you have maintained to this present day.

Willoughby: Well I think that what I retained goes back farther than my undergraduate years because, in fact, for four years from ninth grade to twelfth grade I was the accompanist for Cleveland’s All City Chorus. Every year we sang with Robert Shaw and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. And every year he came to our rehearsals and he worked with us. The way in which he worked with us was so profound even though I had not conceptualized it at that time; it’s only in retrospect that I look back on his attention to rhythmic accuracy as a foundation for tuning, his respect for what’s on the printed page, but also his creativity in recreating that page. The music always lived, it was more than what was on the page but because technically we strove to master what ever was on the page which gave us the foundation to lift the music off of the page and make it live. His attention to text and especially how that sounds in terms of vowel formation, that stays with me and in fact I’ve came back to that when he was alive through the Carnegie Hall training workshop. It has been a more profound experience because I relived a way of approaching choral music I experienced as a teenager, with Mr. Shaw in Cleveland. I was actually not hearing his comments for the first time. I was reliving something I had heard when I was fourteen. It meant a lot more to me because I was reconnecting with something that I knew, but from the context of a mature educator/performer. My graduate training with Elaine Brown stays with me. Of course, she was a great scholar; she was trained by Julius Herford and opened up that whole tradition to her students. My piano teacher, Natalie Hinderas, used to say, because she was a student of Olga Samarof that we were Samarof’s grandchildren and that made us incredibly proud because there were, at that time two great Julliard piano pedagogues that people recognized internationally. One was Samarof and the other was Rosa Levine. So when Natalie would say to us you are Samarof’s grandchildren, we were proud because we felt that lineage. And when Elaine Brown shared with us the (Julius) Herford analysis and we actually studied the Bach’s B Minor Mass using that analysis, sharing her experiences and also seeing the relationship that existed between Elaine Brown and her former pupil, Joseph Flummerfelt, we understood, without really articulating, that we were in the presence of something very special. I was also influenced by the way Elaine, in her work, made that connection, an almost intangible connection, so that the music would bring people together. That philosophy was really her life creed…the ability of music to foster human understanding. But she didn’t do it at the expense of the music; she did it as an equal value of the experience that couldn’t take place until we were ready to become the music. Then we could

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connect humanity to humanity. That has stayed with me about Elaine and her teaching, those two things…the formal analysis and that connection to the human spirit. Then the other thing that stays with me, I’ve talked about it before so I’ll talk about it briefly, is this ability to communicate the deepest essence of the text through an understanding of vocal color, articulation, diction, and style…stylistic integrity. I received this from Natalie, even though we never read a piece of poetry together in a lesson, ever. But because of her sensitivity to harmony as a structural element of music, she was a supreme colorist on the piano. That information has stayed with me and informs my choral music, teaching and performance.

Gerald: Have your choral views evolved largely from the practical (academic) experiences or conducting in the field? I think that you’ve already touched on this.

Willoughby: Both. Once you start guest conducting something shifts a little. We’re idealistic or we wouldn’t be in this field to begin with. I mean…you know I’ve lived on the instrumental side and I’ve lived on the choral/vocal side and I think people who sing in choruses are really the most idealistic musicians, period. Part of it comes from the fact that the challenge and the joy of vocal ensemble singing, choral singing is that you can take people with raw but underdeveloped talent and if you know how to build an ensemble you can build a great ensemble. If you’re conducting a community based orchestra, that orchestra will never be any better than the quality of the instruction that’s going on in the private studio. But if you take amateur singers and you know how to teach them you can make them sound like a million dollars, the potential is there. There are many differences between the ways in which choral ensembles process rehearsal as compared to orchestral and instrumental players; having said that, all performers want to be inspired. Everybody wants to know that the person on the podium is prepared, competent, has a point of view, knows how to engage the ensemble, and move forward in the rehearsal process in order to get to the core of the music. Everyone wants that. It doesn’t matter if it’s professional, community based, collegiate, or children’s ensemble. They all want the same thing because everybody wants to sound good. Nobody wants to participate in an ensemble and have it sound bad. When you keep that in mind, this helps the process move forward.

Gerald: Alright, we are going to move on to the section that is basically philosophical. Some of these questions are general or broad, and so you may elaborate in any way you want. What is your philosophy of music as it relates to its nature and/or purpose, specifically choral music?

Willoughby: I think actually in its purest way I have a philosophy about music that is actually very similar to Christo and Jean Claude, creators of the “Gates of New York City”, in that music’s value is intrinsic, that its value rests in

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being there, that it does not have to be linked to any other art form or procedure or philosophy in order to have aesthetic value. Its value is intrinsic and rests in large part in being able to help us reach deep into our humanity in a way that is perhaps not expressible in any other way. It does not have to be quantified in terms of its value to the local economy or its value to those who are learning mathematics or reading in order to have value. It is an aesthetic and its value is intrinsic. Now having said that, choral music text changes that statement somewhat because, in fact, choral music becomes program music, immediately when text is added; it is no longer absolute, and that is alright too. You have heard that expression, “the final product is greater than the sum of its parts?” I think that is the power of choral music, and that is why, for example, when 9/11 happened, the greatest number of concerts to deal with the horror of that situation were choral concerts. There was always some marriage of music and text to help deal with that huge swell of emotion that we were feeling during that time. I think that we can also be very practical about music’s role in fostering attitudes about working in a communal manner. That is effectively implied in every ensemble experience, especially the choral experience, because there are many more people that practice choral music for the sheer love of it than one finds with instrumental ensemble genres. There is a spillover effect for young people in terms of developing discipline, of understanding the value of long term gain vs. short term satisfaction, and how that positively impacts other areas of their lives. I think there is an important attitude about civic engagement that is affected in a positive way because of the need to work together towards a common goal, and the striving towards a positive aesthetic experience that is a shared experience. In that sense it becomes, perhaps, more deeply human and moving because it is a shared experience. At the core, we are not solitary animals. We are living beings, who for the most part, seem to thrive in communities. I think choral music, in particular, because of language has a potential to really help us understand other cultures. It has the potential to foster meaning across cultures. I have seen this amply demonstrated. For example, I have worked in Asia, every summer for the last three summers, and in fact, those choruses sang a lot of Western classical music as well as folk music from their own cultures. I experienced human bridge building based on the intrinsic aesthetic values of the music that was not actually originating in the culture of the people that I was conducting. So I do believe very strongly in that power of choral music. I look at someone like your mentor, Dr. Thomas, who goes to Germany and teaches spirituals to the Berlin Radio Choir, a choral genre totally out of their tradition, yet they connect to it. Artists like Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes, and ensembles like the Fisk Jubilee Singers who popularized African American spirituals in Europe demonstrated the inherent intrinsic value of the music to bridge cultural divides. This response is proof of choral/vocal music’s aesthetic value as demonstrated by audience response because the music spoke to the

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deepest aspect of our humanity.

Gerald: So you have an audience in Germany who is listening to “Better mind, my brother, how you walk on the cross, and Satan wears a club-foot shoe.” That is not something that they can immediately connect with from a text standpoint.

Willoughby: True, but there are other indicators of what that means in the way the melodies are crafted and the darkness or the color of the actual tones, or weight of the sound, the rhythmic momentum. You may not connect with the text, per se, but, assuming that the piece is well-sung, and in harmony with the text, you will definitely connect with the deeper meaning without understanding the text, that is the power of music. The only other art forms that have that kind of power are art forms where we don’t necessarily need words all the time. Dance and orchestral music have that same power. Certain kinds of non-verbal theater can have that same kind of power. Fine art can have that same kind of power. Anything that that gives us more nonverbal content has that power. I do think that music is the most powerful of all and choral/vocal is the most powerful of the art forms because the voice is in the body and often develops similarly throughout the know world. When children begin to vocalize, they begin to vocalize the same way across cultures with that falling minor 3rd. It does not matter if they are Asian, or in Appalachia, or in Atlanta. They are developing essentially the same way, which speaks to a consonance in that aesthetic core that is going to inform our aesthetic experience.

Gerald: How have you arrived at the philosophy that you articulated earlier in the first part of the question? Is this a result of your professional experiences, your life experiences? Exactly how have you formulated that philosophy?

Willoughby: I think it is all of the things that you mentioned: practical experience, musical training, and sharing with colleagues. I am sure that you are having some similar experiences as well, because you are an educator and a performer who is now back in school for an advanced degree, but you are not a novice. When students are assigned projects, readings, and music to learn as an undergraduate, these are assignments that we need to finish schooling. We don’t have the resonance that comes from having applied this knowledge over an extended period of time, in most cases. Consequently, the philosophical tenets that we may embrace because they are given to us by our professors and mentors, or they are opened up to us as a result of our interactions with our professors or mentors mean very different things once we have come to it from life experience, from working experience, practical experience. When I re-read many of the books that were foundational to my understanding of music in general and choral music in particular, they take on a whole different meaning than

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when I read them as a student without much experience. I think everyone finds that to be true. So, it is a combination of training, experience, and as one progresses in the field, sharing with colleagues, and comparing experiences and discussing different experiences. Then your experience becomes even more important because you grow in understanding. Experience raises more questions, I think, for that person who is providing the leadership and the model, almost more than it answers many questions. That is when it really becomes important to have comparable colleagues that you can just call and talk to about the music and talk about your experiences. Real experience helps one to refine one’s philosophy about music in general, choral music, and the way in which it informs your work as a practitioner.

Gerald: How does your philosophy affect your choice of literature?

Willoughby: Well, a very important aspect of my personal philosophy is to explore the music that I consider to have value within a world context. So I will always love the great Western masterworks and the great choral orchestral works. In fact, I also look for that core canon of those works in the music of other cultures, to help me to deepen my understanding of that culture so with my deeper understanding I will be able to share world musics authentically whenever I am conducting or teaching. One thing I have learned is that the world is really a small place as well as a large place. It’s all relative! I now judge travel in terms of the amount of time it takes to get to Asia, 18-20 hours; anything less than that, like a trip across the country, seems like a trip around the block. It is the same with the musical aspect, the artistic aspect. In fact, there are so many tools now for accessing the really fine works of all cultures, that I feel that I am much more sophisticated in the choices that I make and in pursuing and looking for those gems and also learning how to perform them with authenticity to that culture. That is one of the ways in which I have grown.

Gerald: Do you think that your philosophy is expressed in your interpretation of music?

Willoughby: Yes, absolutely. What I mean by that is that I try to be very sensitive to the color of the sound as it is informed by the language. The various rhythmic subtleties that may not be on the page, but are absolutely important to that culture and to all aspects of the music making that perhaps cannot be notated on the page, as well as the context of that piece. In all of those ways, I think I am very sensitive to style and to treating whatever I choose with respect and integrity.

Gerald: Are you aware of elements which may have contributed to a performance

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in which your group obtained an especially high level of aesthetic experience and communication?

Willoughby: Yes, several. Audiences are very much like people. Audiences have personalities. And especially when you are on tour, or when you present a concert in multiple performances, one really becomes aware of the audience as a personality that evening. There are different audiences, such as a personality that could be very attentive to what is happening on stage, a personality that could be restless, a personality that comes with, “I am waiting for you to show me” challenging the performer to draw them in. In fact, I can think of several instances with the Choral Society, my Children’s Choir, and the University Singers, where in fact, they drew the audience in and the audience became active listeners. You can tell immediately when that happens because the movement and the restlessness stops; and it is just total quiet in the hall. The intensity of the attention and listening becomes an intangible challenge to really give your aesthetic best because you feel the intensity of the listening and you feel that the audience is in the moment. That is a boost that really, I think, makes the music making spectacular.

Gerald: Let me back up just a little bit. I did not ask this question, because I think it is obvious, but I just wanted to you to state it for the transcript. Can you talk about your philosophy as it relates to the music for the masses, the music as it relates to society and culture? Who has the right to perform or to participate?

Willoughby: Well, I think we all have the right to aesthetic experiences in our lives. That is our innate right as human beings. I think cultures that thrive are cultures that have strong aesthetic components and values in their lives. Having said that, and I think every child and every person as they grow up should have an opportunity to experience aesthetic experiences that so that they have a foundation for aesthetic living that they value as a part of their on-going expressiveness and development as human beings. This does not necessarily mean that every person who appreciates the arts is going to end up on a stage at Carnegie Hall or in Orchestra Hall here in Chicago. But the performer needs an informed audience as much as the audience needs the outstanding performer. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. I think it is important to know the difference between Little Kim and Denise Graves and what that means in terms of skill and training and in some way trying to elevate the human spirit through participation in something that is reaching to our core in the most meaningful way. I feel that those experiences are not going to happen unless they happen for the masses in public schools, because that is where the majority of our young people receive their first exposure to any arts experience. That is where I certainly received it, where my siblings received it, and where my daughter was also nurtured. I think it is more important than ever right

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now because we as a Western culture are very distracted by external stimuli. We are not always taught how to think analytically. Most importantly we are not taught how to listen, which is having severe repercussions for us as a culture, across the board. Mass media has blurred the difference between an aesthetic experience and a mass cultural experience that fosters celebrity, but not necessarily skill. Young people may not receive the kind of aesthetic training that is really going to make that artist’s voice unique and/or provide special experiences in the arts for audiences.

Willoughby: I think it is very important that everybody has a sensibility to the arts. I don’t believe in censorship at all. Period. I just don’t believe in it. I think when people are given the tools to make judgments, that most people select those things that people most people would perceive to have value. I know that when working with my Children’s Choir, that every time I gave them a choice as to what piece they would like to sing, as a closing piece in rehearsal, based upon good performance and work ethic throughout rehearsal, they never picked the piece that was the most pop oriented or the most cutesy. They always picked the pieces that were more profound. Always, I mean 100% of the time. And that was true for every level of chorus. I don’t care what age I get to be, I will always find something new to listen to in Bach, I will always find something new to listen to in the music of our most profound composers, or in listening to spirituals because at different points in life that music speaks to you in different ways. So it is both familiar and new simultaneously. That is a wonderful thing and keeps you coming back. That is why certain works are masterworks; because they continue to feed us. They are complex and renewing.

Gerald: In your work with the children, you mentioned that they always picked the piece that was more profound, not the piece that was at the top of the chart. Why do you think they did that? Did it speak to them in ways that they can not even articulate yet?

Willoughby: Because it is speaking to their spirit. Our expectations for young people are too low. When we give them the tools to help them develop their aesthetic sense, not tell them what is good, but give them the tools so that they can determine what is speaking to them, they can make informed choices. Anne Frank wrote in her diary, even when she knew that she was probably going to die, that in fact, she still believed in the goodness of human kind. I do believe that as well. There are evil people in the world, but I think at the core, human beings want to be good; they want to do the right things, want to help others and people will give during traumatic and devastating times by reaching out to others. I think a lot of this is spiritual, not in terms of theology, but just in terms of our humanness. When you find those choral works that speak to those unspoken qualities,

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goodness that has equal potential to be developed with the evil, children will select those musical qualities that feed their spirit positively. That is all it could possibly be, because children often express what they are feeling in very simple, but also very profound ways. Sometimes they don’t express it at all. They don’t know why, but they go for quality. They may know in their soul but they have not really thought about how to articulate the thought.

Gerald: In your opinion, what should be stressed in the early training of public school choral directors?

Willoughby: Well, that is a loaded question, because in fact, right now in the United States, most choral music education in the lower grades, where training should begin, in kindergarten and music readiness in pre-kindergarten and a singing-based curriculum are folded into the general music curriculum where the emphasis is also on Orff and Kodaly and eclectic ways of teaching general music. One thing we could do to strengthen choral music education at the lower grades, especially so that we could have a strong chorus in the upper grades, is to better train our teachers in actual choral pedagogy, repertoire selection, classroom singing, vocal improvisation, and listening in the elementary school grades, starting in kindergarten. General music teachers who are working with those lower grades must make sure that they’ve had choral conducting and choral pedagogy and have the skills to make music without always needing a piano. Age appropriate classroom singing should be encouraged. Children should hear recordings of other children singing, and they should know the sound of a healthy child’s voice. I know in my own Children’s Choir that sound changed a little every year. The children got older, or new younger children came in. The repertoire changed, but at its core the choir still had free, beautifully produced tone. The singing was in tune, the vowels were aligned, and then, of course, all the theoretical musicianship skills that go into that were also applied, and so the singing was beautiful even though from year to year it was not always the same ensemble sound. Canada’s sound model is different than that in the United States. Its choral sound comes from the British model, which is more of an English cathedral sound. We are south of Canada, we’re a bigger population and our many sounds are going to be different. So we should not try to emulate European sounds or South American sounds, but we should make the sound true to what it is. Make sure it is well produced, in tune vowels, aligned, head voice when appropriate, and then let it be what it is going to be for the culture that we live in and not try to make an apple into an orange. That is the beauty of all of us being different, but also melding that difference into a unified whole, if that is making any sense.

Gerald: In what ways do you feel that your efforts are of value to society as a

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whole, to music education, to music educators?

Willoughby: Well, when I read that question, my first thought was that was something society should tell me. In fact, I know what I try to do. Do I know if I am successful at that? It is hard to say. I think one of the reasons that I have always enjoyed working with children in addition to working with adults is that children are guileless. If you are making yourself understood you will know it because they will be engaged, and they are such mimics that they will immediately be able to do what you are teaching. Adults are harder because they don’t want to be embarrassed and university students are the worst because they often work to fulfill the requirements for a grade. They want their good grade, and so it sometimes becomes harder to tell. You think you know from the kind of performance you are producing, but I think perhaps, the greater measure comes many years later when people have passed through your programs and have reflected upon something that you had taught them in an encounter in a honor choir, festival choir, an all-state choir, or in a professional situation they come back and say, “You know, what you said, or what you demonstrated, I have used this and thought about that, and thought about our experience every time I used this. I want to thank you for sharing that.” Then you really know you have been effective. Sometimes I don’t know if I have been effective. I strive to be effective. If I am evoking the sound I want; I think I am effective. But if they come to the next rehearsal and they are not doing what was previously taught, I wonder if I was effective. There is a shared responsibility in all of this. There is a responsibility of me to know what I am doing, to know the music and have a pedagogical or rehearsal plan, to stay on a schedule, and make sure we are ready for what we have to do. There is also responsibility for the ensemble or class to make sure that they take and internalize that which is offered and make it their own, so that we can move ahead. I think sometimes the shared quality of that responsibility is not acknowledged on the ensemble’s side as much as it could be.

Gerald: In your experience, have you had the opportunity to work with students in a purely musical setting, in general music or chorus, and in subsequent years they came back and talked to you about life skills that they learned from that which was just seemingly music?

Willoughby: Yes, that has happened more, I think, in my Children’s Choir than it has with my university students, because in fact, the first cycle of university students that would be out in the field and have worked with me has really just happened. So, time will tell. I have had the response, actually, from teachers in the field who have sung with me in my Choral Society, because I have had that ensemble for 20 years some of them have noted very positive changes in their own work from things that we have done in rehearsal that they have applied in their ensembles, ways of thinking about

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the music and getting the music in their ensembles’ bones has changed for the better because of their work in the Choral Society. That input has been good and it gives me hope; maybe someone is learning something, somewhere. I think a lot of times you have to find your affirmation from within, especially when you are working day to day. Positive reinforcement is not always going to be there when you need to hear it. That is when it is also very good to have colleagues with whom you can share experiences. That is helpful in providing input to you as a conductor and educator; that you are on the right path with your ensemble or class.

Gerald: Is there anything that you want to say about philosophy that I may not have asked you?

Willoughby: No.

Gerald: Okay, let’s talk about choral literature now. What evaluative process do you use to determine selections that are representative of good choral literature?

Willoughby: That is a many faceted question. First of all, it has to speak to me emotionally. The text has to be universal. The melody or the major lines have to be singable. Structurally, the piece has to make sense to me. Then I look at musical concepts that I want to reinforce or introduce to my ensemble, and that may influence my choice of literature. My choices for my ensembles that I work with day in and day out may also differ from the choices I would make for an Honor Choir or All-State choir. In fact, I may program a stretch piece in an ensemble I am conducting day to day and build on that piece over time and even over a year or two, bringing in more sophisticated ideas as they grow in understanding of that piece for the purposes of developing musical, technical and vocal skills. In an Honor Choir or All-State I make some assumptions about the preparation level, but I also look at the way that piece is structured once I have determined that the piece is a piece worthy of that situation. Then I will see if it is rehearsable and if one can really bring it to concert level in a designated amount of time, if it is vocally the right choice for the age choir that I am working with, if the text is appropriate for that age, and also if it has audience appeal. If the audience is composed primarily of supporters of the singers, is it going to connect? I think that would be very important for an Honor Choir or All-State. Not that it isn’t important at the university level, but quite frankly, there are many things we can program at the university level because of what its teaching our students in order for them to be better teachers, and because in our own universities we are the authority. We don’t always have the accountability to the audience that we would have when we move into a more public forum. Therefore, some of our work could be occasionally more experimental, knowing that it may not be as polished as one would have it if it were in a public forum.

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But what are the students going to gain from it, how they are going to grow and stretch is worth the effort. So those are some of the similarities and some of the differences.

Gerald: Okay, I am going to digress just a little and talk about the choral canon that is perpetuated at the university and how that affects the teacher, especially that public school teacher who has to go into an urban situation and teach choral music.

Willoughby: I am still surprised at how closely our field sticks to the established canon of 30-40 years ago, given the amount of excellent literature that is available in world music. This is a rich time, but it takes a commitment from the choral conductor to really inform his or herself about what is out there and to find those resources that represent authenticity, integrity, and age-appropriate literature; and then use those criteria as a resource for your own repertoire selection. It also means that it is a time investment, in that you may not have been trained in many languages that you want to now conduct or sing. One may be reticent in moving in that direction, so that is why a little time investment is recommended. It is well worth it. I think this mindset is slowly changing. It is going to change in a generation primarily because of the maturing singers who have sung in adventuresome children’s choirs. We tend to teach as we have been taught. There is a whole generation of young musicians training in the field to be music educators, whose defining experience was in a very fine community-based children’s or youth choir. Those choirs are the most adventuresome, in terms of diverse literature, in the whole country. That is the background of emerging music educators, and they are going to seek more diversity in their university training. They will be more curious about diverse music, ask questions, and ultimately they are going to be the educators. I think that is going to open up. The reason I say that is because when I conduct All-State choruses, in particular, and I ask whoever is chairing that All-State to send me programs from the last three years so that I can see the flavor of past chosen repertoire, the repertoire is often fairly conservative and Eurocentric. Not always, but often.

Gerald: When you conduct All-States and festivals do you make the literature selections?

Willoughby: I make the selection, and I always do have something that is purely Western classical because I realize that that is the framework for developing a free bel canto sound, which is a good foundational base sound from which to build other vocal colors. I always have selections by women composers. I always try to have something representing my tradition as an African American because I feel that singers can learn something from authentic interpretation of that repertoire, which is vast. For the pure sake of time, I always try to have something new to challenge

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myself personally, although I may repeat a portion of a program within a year. From year to year, I try to make sure that I have a new core program. I always try to have, at least, one or two languages other than English, and I am always sensitive to the balance of accompanied and a cappella literature.

Gerald: What elements do you feel contribute significantly to a conductor’s insight concerning literature to be performed? You can talk about considerations that you may make for a particular chorus that you might know something about in terms of their history.

Willoughby: Well, I make it a point to find out about all of them before I say yes. That would be the first thing. If it were my own ensemble that I am going to have over a period of time, it is my job to build that ensemble. So this question is pertinent only in that I am going to design a program, I hope, that will help them build and strengthen ensemble areas that need strengthening. It will also balance with something that is going to give them a fairly immediate gratification so that they don’t feel like they are struggling all the time. It is also going to support good vocal health and ensemble experience. When I am on the road, I need to know what over time has been the technical and musical expertise of that ensemble. I do get programs from past years, but I also ask for a CD, so that I get a feeling for the history of that choir. One thing I have learned from traveling and guest conducting is that good in one community is fair in another community. It is all a matter of context. Good in one community may be outstanding by any standards; they may be modest. So I need to know from my own standards what that level is going to be, even to what the level of the accompanist is going to be, because that is all going to inform my decision about the program.

Gerald: Is text the predominant element that determines your selection of music for an ensemble?

Willoughby: Yes, if the text is not universal and not presented gracefully, then it does not have a chance. Also if the musical setting is hokey or it has pejorative elements; that also will make me choose another selection.

Gerald: What is your method of self preparation prior to the choral rehearsal?

Willoughby: Well, in the best of all possible worlds… today sponsoring choral organizations ask for music earlier and earlier, and so, the first thing is to look at music that I know can serve that capacity as well as music that I can use with my own ensembles. This is an on-going process. I try to set aside times to read through new music that people send me, and they either go in pile A or pile B. Pile A is something that I would consider for a second read, and pile B is “No” under any circumstances. Sometimes I

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will hear things at conventions or on CD’s that strike me as viable. When I finally have picked the program, I would actually like time to live with the program, so I do my first analysis very early on, maybe 3 or 4 months before. Then I just let it sit. I like to let it marinate. Then I will come back to it about a month before and really work it for about a week, and then I just let it go after that until the week of the event. Then I pick it up again. By that time I have it.

Gerald: So now, “really working” means what for you?

Willoughby: Okay, I understand your question now. I actually analyze that piece. I analyze the overall structure. I cannot get a handle on a piece unless I know the structure. I analyze the harmonic, melodic, the large form structure, the motives, the polyphony if there is any, and the accompaniment. I sing the text in all of the parts. I identify anything that I feel is going to be a problem in terms of the text with the music and begin to think of strategies to rehearse those in the most quick and effective way. I conduct through the piece after the analysis. I don’t conduct the piece first. After I have analyzed it, then I feel that I know the piece. And then I look for places that I know are going to be problem places for one reason or another, whether it is rhythmic, entrances, or difficult intervals, or whatever they may be. Then I develop some strategies for handling those things. Some of it I write on the music and some of it I write on paper, and then I just put it in a folder and let it sit for a while. I actually try to do that work early in the morning and also late at night. If it is brand new I like to do it early in the morning when my mind is fresh, and then I will review it late at night before I go to bed. I find that when I sleep on it, I have it. So that is the way I work. I play through the music as well. I play through the accompaniment to see what the accompanist is going to be dealing with, and I have been known to email accompanists, introduce myself, and let them know what I think the issues are going to be and to make sure that they have tempi ahead of time, especially if it’s a very vigorous accompaniment, so that they know what they are dealing with. I try to make sure that I know everything that is in that music and to anticipate what the problems are going to be. Of course, the more you do this, the quicker that piece becomes yours; it can only become your’s when you know the music. I am definitely a structural person. I work from large structure, macro structure to micro structure, harmonic structure, phrase rhythm, harmonic rhythm in terms of making decisions about what is important in the text, and how am I going to emphasize that, color it, what kind of succinct technical information I need to give the choir in order for them to have that happen, all of those things.

Gerald: After you have learned the music and you know the pieces; are you

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presented with barriers of how you are going to get the choir to buy into the music?

Willoughby: Yes, then it is really important to understand the history of that piece, or the context, the motivation for the writing of that piece, and to have in your mind some analogies to experiences that the they might have had that will help them understand the meaning of that piece. For example, I remember just recently conducting a high school All-State, and I had programmed one of Gwyneth Walker’s “Come all ye fair and tender ladies.” It is a beautiful setting written for a cappella choir and flute, and we actually had a conversation about what the song meant. It was really about unrequited love, but I actually had to lead them into a brief discussion about what that meant in terms of their own lives as high school students having a crush on this person or that person and being rebuffed. What has that to do with the birds flying away in the flute? I just asked them questions that got them to thinking about what the piece was about. That changed the piece, quickly, for the better.

Gerald: Have you ever experienced a choir that, for one reason or another, seemed to refuse what you were offering? How do you overcome that?

Willoughby: Persistence. They don’t understand, you know, you’re up there on the podium. Your will and your stamina is much greater than anything that they will ever have. You have to just not blink. I can’t remember a time when I have gotten none of what I asked for. You have to be a psychologist in those instances. Sometimes you have to approach what you want more obliquely instead of head on. You know, it is just like raising a family, actually. You know sometimes you can be very direct with what the needs are. Sometimes you have to approach it using psychology to get them to buy into your world. You have to have more than one way of getting them to come into the music.

Gerald: What kinds of skills, aside from musicianship, do you want each of your choir members to have in order for them to make a contribution to the ensemble?

Willoughby: I want them to have openness to the process, a good work ethic, perseverance, kindness, and supportiveness towards their colleagues in the ensemble, and a buy into the group’s goals; when I say work ethic; that also means taking responsibility outside of rehearsal. Curiosity, I hope that I can foster an atmosphere where we can have a free exchange of ideas in an appropriate way and where singers feel free to ask questions that are pertinent to our tasks.

Gerald: The next set of questions deal with choral organizational concepts. They

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will probably be a mixture where you can apply some to festivals, maybe, but basically I think they will deal with your ensembles at the university. What is the general audition process for entering into your choirs?

Willoughby: It varies depending upon the genre of choir. For the university, they come in and they can sing a portion of a song they have prepared. Also there is a significant amount of ear training, both melodic and harmonic ear training. They have to sing melodic intervals that they hear. Other times they have to identify and sing a note within a chord. The chord could be any kind of standard chord, major, minor, augmented, or diminished, and it could be played in any inversion. They would have to sing that back. Sight reading also has an impact on the audition, and that is basically it, because every fall, there are 5 choirs at Northwestern, and every fall, we have to hear every student who wants to sing in a choir. That takes over a week. They do sign up for specific times, and it still takes quite a while to complete auditions and that is how we make our judgments. Also, there is an information card that singers fill out, which is especially important if they are freshman coming in. The card provides us with the name of their voice teacher and it gives us their previous choral experiences. We use codes to indicate voice quality: heavy, light, or medium; also color: bright, dark, and medium; and range. One of the vocal exercises helps us to determine range. Initial judgments about placements are formed after the audition. But we really don’t make any final choices until all the singers have been heard. At the Choral Society, I always had the singer bring in a prepared song. It could be anything. It could even be a stanza of a hymn. I did insist on a prepared song because is spoke to me about their level of commitment to the process. If they were not willing to bring in a song, and we were going to learn something like the War Requiem or the Mozart Requiem, what does that tell me about their work ethic and their willingness to really dig for what they need? I would then also vocalize them to determine range and test their ear in a similar manner to what I have just described for the choral program at Northwestern. The children were slightly different. I asked them to bring in a prepared song. It could be anything, such as “Jesus loves me” or “Happy Birthday.” I always knew exactly what Walt Disney film was playing in the theatres by what they brought. Much to my surprise sometimes singers would bring in art songs from the Italian repertoire, appropriate ones. That was always fun to hear. I never, ever after the first year gave the children a music reading sample because I would ask the children all the time if they read music, and they would all say, “Yes.” Most of them could not read a bar of music, or if they read, their skills were so rusty from the summer that we skill rebuilding was needed. So I would treat every singer as if they are just learning to read for the first time. In rehearsal, singer’s reading got better every year. I gave them rhythmic patterns to echo clap and pitch patterns to echo sing. I would recite phrases in foreign languages, short ones, standard languages like Latin, Spanish, German, French, Hebrew,

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and have them repeat back what they heard. We sang in many languages every year. I was really listening to see how well they could listen and replicate. Those were our core languages that we sang every year. Finally, I would have them read a poem so that I could see what their reading skills were like. That to me is very important. I also wished to see what their expressiveness was like. Then I would have one minute conversation and ask them why they were here. That was always very telling because sometimes they would say “because my mother said I should be here” or they would say, “I don’t know.” This would make me feel terrific. Some would say, “Because I know you go on trips and I like trips.” The child that I was looking for was the one who would say, “I just love music, and I love to sing, and I want to learn how to sing better.” That to me was the ideal child. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t take the others, but it would usually mean to me that here was someone who would ultimately be a leader because they have the desire. That was important for me to know. Those were the processes that I used. Interestingly enough, I have never had input into the composition of an All-State choir, ever. No one has ever asked me what kind of choir I wanted to have. However, to their credit, the chairs that I have had for my ACDA Honor Choirs have usually asked me what I was looking for in a choir. More specifically than that, one of the finest chairs I ever had, Lisa Fredenburgh, who with me was chair of the National Women’s Honor Choir had a lengthy discussion about the vocal color and composition of the choir because it went from high school juniors all the way up to adult women. In fact, we had some teachers and students singing together, some mother/daughter combinations. I told her the kind of top I wanted on this sound, the kind of bottom, the mixture of bright, medium, and dark, and weight, and vibrato quality, and she got it to a “T.” I voice every choir that I work with regularly. I learned that technique from Frauke Haaseman, at Westminster Choir College. I do take the time at the beginning of each quarter to voice, or twice a year with the Children’s Choir, because of the way they grow, to voice them, to homogenize the sound and help create that foundational base sound that is so important to me to build upon. The chair of the National Women’s Honor Choir, Lisa Freedenburgh, took great care in honoring my request and that choir was already voiced when I received it because it had been done through the audition process. The first meeting of that Honor Choir was magical because there was a beautifully homogenized sound.

Gerald: What nonmusical factors strongly impact your evaluation of the potential singers? I think you may have alluded to that already.

Willoughby: I need to see desire. I feel that anyone can learn how to sing. I have never met a singer that really is a conversational singer. I have met untrained adults who have been told they could not sing as children and had totally undeveloped ears. The desire has to be there, the passion, for singing

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needs to be there. I think we have all auditioned singers who have a real chip on their shoulder or come in expecting to be the star. I am not looking for that in a choral situation, especially in my Choral Society because we always booked soloists, who were making their living in the field, singing for the most part, as soloists. Very rarely did I use members of the chorus unless it was for a very small role. I am looking for those people who really exhibit in their conversation bearing stance what I would consider to be a group ethic in the answers to the questions, looking for a group product, rather than someone who is coming in to be the star.

Gerald: What about the singer who has the passion and the desire and does not have the musical aptitude?

Willoughby: That is a very good question because we do get those singers as well at the university level. In fact, one of ways they can remediate is to take the group voice class that is offered for non-majors, so that they can develop those skills and then they can come back and re-audition. They will be at the university, in many cases, for four years; sometimes five if they have a double major. They’re bright students or they wouldn’t be at the school to begin with. Voice class will give potential choristers the opportunity to remediate those areas that need attention and if they really have the passion then they can come back to re-audition. It is always a very tough call in the community situation; particularly for the adults because these adults have a lot more baggage and don’t take rejection as well, no one takes rejection well. No adult takes rejection well. I always try to have a very specific reason, something that people can work on. If I know it is an attitude question there are often vocal concerns that are also evidenced within that attitude problem, and that is probably why that attitude problem is there. So I try to be diplomatic. I don’t accept or reject at that moment. I always send a letter. I take extensive notes about everyone so that I can reference those things that may have made them unsuccessful. I do give them the opportunity, if they would like to discuss it further, to speak with me for clarification. Not many have taken me up on it. Often times they will just go to another group. That is fine too. In the children’s case, if they were very, very close to making it, but it may have been a balance issue in the overall group, I will encourage them to come back next year. If they have some kind of vocal or auditory problem, which I feel is correctable, I would encourage them re-audition the next year. In fact, I did have over the 10 years that I ran that ensemble, applicants who were not successful the first year but were successful the second year. I try to be constructive in my comments. It is easy to accept people; one has to be particularly careful when rejecting people. I just try to treat people like I would want to be treated, be sensitive to their feelings, and give them some constructive comments that they can build upon if they should choose to do so.

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Gerald: Do you prefer a particular seating arrangement?

Willoughby: Yes, it really depends upon balance. If I have balance in my choir, I like to have the sopranos to my left as I look at them and altos to my right, the basses behind the sopranos, and the tenors behind the altos. If I have fewer men, which I often did at Northwestern, I would put the men in the middle with the sopranos again on my left, the bases, the tenors, and then the altos. With the figuration, the alto I’s would be on the outside, the alto II’s would be on the inside next to the tenor I’s. Then the tenor II’s would be next to the bass I’s. Bass II’s would be next to the soprano II’s, and then the soprano I’s.

Gerald: Do you ever use seating to achieve anything other than balance?

Willoughby: Yes, often times for my choirs. All of the choirs I have ever conducted have loved to sing mixed, and if balance is not an issue I often allow them to do that in rehearsal, in particular, because I find that it really gives them confidence about their ability to sing their parts when they are surrounded by the other parts, and they also hear the other parts better. To them it is like a badge of honor to sing mixed. Sometimes the sound is great; sometimes it is not as good as singing in sections, but I do experiment both ways. In fact, sometimes when we sing mixed it sounds better than when I voice them once they know the music. Then we will do it in concert.

Gerald: What are the advantages for having the choir sing in sections?

Willoughby: That I can always cue the same section and know that they are where they belong. It is a very comforting thing for a conductor. I want to cue the sopranos or the altos, and that for me is particularly important for baroque music. I mean, you know, I continue to cue that way, but I feel weird, I must say, because they are not there. They are all over the place, but it is a trade-off. You know, I am the professional, and if it is really this confidence and this spirit that they get from being able to sing mixed if they feel that this is the “ne plus ultra“, then I do it, because it is their sense of well-being and satisfaction and what they are producing musically which is more important than me being able to see a block of sopranos in order to cue them.

Gerald: What kind of organizational structure exists in your choirs?

Willoughby: Well, quite frankly, I feel that the finest organizational structures I ever had were in my Philadelphia choirs, both in the performing ensembles and the others. Let me just start first with the Choral Society. When I founded that organization, one of the things I did was to keep in close contact with Chorus America, with which I had been involved as a board member. One

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thing that I do know is what works best for an organizational structure. We were able to build a board of directors that really supported the mission of the organization, to do the strategic planning, all the things that funders needed to see in order to support our work financially, and the things that we needed to have in order to really do the kind of work we wanted to do. In that kind of organization there is a direct corollary between the amount of money that you bring in and the ambitious scope of the project that you are able to achieve. Even something as simple as having a professional accompanist as opposed to having someone who can volunteer, who may or may not be what you need for your ensemble. Also it has trickled down in many ways. Very early on we built a computerized database for that choir which still exits. When I left we had over 2000 titles in that database. Many of them had 80 to 90 to 100 copies of excellent editions because I made that a priority with the board, and the board made sure that we had the money so that I had the informed help that could work on it. I also brought a copy of that database to Northwestern, which became a model for their database. Another thing both choirs had in common was that they had very well-informed, musically astute, proactive section leaders who were the touchstones for their sections. In fact, anything that I was not communicating clearly in rehearsal was conveyed to me via these section leaders. I felt that I was always in touch with what the choir really understood. In rehearsal, that was very helpful to me because it helped me fine tune my rehearsal procedures in order for us to move forward more quickly. Also the organizational structure of the Choral Society was so well tuned that it enabled us to mount major tours. For example, when we took over 140 people to Australia, we developed a “Share the Adventure” campaign where we hired a fundraiser who had previously raised funding for State Department tours for the major orchestras in the country, then retired. We were able to develop a campaign that enabled us to raise a quarter of a million dollars in a year for that project. The project went very smoothly from the time we left the campus until the time we returned 2 ½ weeks later. It was just a well-oiled machine. I had one person who only checked Visa applications. Everyone had their assignment. It is not unlike what Dr. Thomas has now with the Tallahassee Community Chorus, a well-oiled machine, which I discovered when I was visiting Florida State University. That is the way those groups have to work because these are adults. They have lives. Many of them are coming from business industries, medicine. They expect professional organization, and if it doesn’t work, you are going to lose those people and the resources that they bring to the group. With the children, the greatest support for the work of those children came from the parents, who functioned as an advisory board rather than a board of directors. The section leaders in the Children’s Choirs, who I picked from each section, were my choice; whereas, the section leaders were elected in the Choral Society. I chose the section leaders in the Children’s Choir and the College Choir in

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Philadelphia. At Northwestern I allowed each section to elect their section leaders because everyone in that choir can sing. Sometimes their choices were good and sometimes not.

Gerald: But you never interfered with that?

Willoughby: I didn’t. You know I felt it was important for them to have that empowerment because they are very individual minded people.

Gerald: So at Northwestern, do you also have a choir president?

Willoughby: No.

Gerald: Just elected section leaders?

Willoughby: I do know that my senior colleague has choir officers for his ensemble. It is appropriate for that ensemble, I think, because they have a cadre of long-time community members who have a history with that ensemble.

Gerald: How do you recruit students for your ensembles at Northwestern?

Willoughby: Well, the recruitment is sort of built into the process. Quite honestly, one of the things that really came as a surprise to me about Northwestern is that in general, not just in the choral program, how much paper is used throughout the university to promote events. Before school begins the campus is flooded with posters about singing in the choirs. It goes out as a piece of information in all of the freshmen materials throughout the college as information. What usually happens is that those students who are in the School of Music, especially if they are a voice major; must be in a choir. They have to have 4 years in ensembles. If they are in another school at the university, 99% of the time, they have sung in All-State and had a great experience, or they had a great Children’s Choir experience that made them want to sing again. They find their way one way or another to auditions. Sometimes we get community people who have come from other ensembles. But the large majority of recruitment is through the process of getting new students on campus, and including that information in the mailing packets. In the beginning of every year I do get emails from people whose teachers may have said they should audition for chorus and contact Professor Willoughby or contact Professor Harris and see what the process is. I would say that ½ of 1% come to audition come that way; that is the way it happens. Children’s Choir auditions are really about relationship building. A great concern that any school or classroom teacher has is that you are going to take their star child out of their program, and they will be left without the leader of their program. Experiences in community-based program, for the most part, will be more challenging and in many ways more rewarding than the early public

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school experience because public schools cast a wide more inclusive net. Every child has the opportunity to be a part of that program. The community-based program or one in a Center for Gifted Young Musicians is highly selective. So, of course, you are getting those who really have the potential and are in their own schools the cream of the crop. So for me, it was really about relationship building. I made a point of demonstrating to classroom teachers by my actions that their programs were as important to me as mine was to me. I did that by always encouraging the students to sing in their school programs. I did not make that a mandate for membership in my choir because I can’t make students do this, but I would strongly encourage school chorus participation. If they were not singing in their school program, I would ask them “why not.” I would continue to reinforce this by saying, “You are the people who get it, you need to go back to your school and be leaders in your programs.” I stressed that also with the teachers, whenever I saw them. If they sent me great students, I would thank them for doing that. In fact, I built a network among public, parochial, and home school families (who have a whole different kind of network) who always sent students to the program. Some of them wanted to be in the program because of the prestige of the program. It was a very prestigious program because of the achievements attained by the instrumental program, even before the choral program began. So it was really quite something to get into that program. We have never had trouble getting children to audition for the program. My greatest challenges came from children that were coming into the program from other cultures where English was the second language. I learned from giving concerts abroad how different the concert going experience can be in other cultures. I could then understand the cultural context for some of the behaviors on my children’s choirs and I could address it since I knew where it was coming from. It is an educational process. Behavioral change has to be diplomatic and loving, but firm. I was very strict, but I was fair. The singers knew I was completely fair. But they also knew I was very strict.

Gerald: The next question has to do with enforcing attendance.

Willoughby: Well, that has to do with my strictness. For the university, the students have two unexcused absences per quarter. Excused does not mean that they don’t come and don’t tell me in advance. It means they should hold those 2 absences for a real emergency. The voice students have wonderful resources in Chicago and sometimes the dress rehearsal for Lyric Opera comes during a rehearsal. That could be one of their excused absences. I presented them a clear syllabus, at the start of every quarter, with the entire repertoire, concert dates, everything on it, including the expectations for the ensemble and what would earn them an “A”, what would give them a “B”, so forth and so on. There were penalties for more than two absences. Students with no absences could not wait until the end of the

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quarter and say, “Now I will take those absences.” However, they could never take those absences for dress rehearsal or performance.

Gerald: And that is a standing rule?

Willoughby: That was my standing rule. I adhered to it and evaluated accordingly. In the Children’s chorus, I had a similar of policy. In fact, I was more quietly, surreptitiously compassionate in the way that I administered that policy. Rehearsals started at 8:30 on Saturday morning, and we would have choirs back to back until 12:30. A lot of the success of that program rested on the ability of parents to get their children to rehearsal by 8:30 a.m. The older children would take public transportation or perhaps bring a sibling to rehearsal. None of the children wanted to be late because I started promptly at 8:30. There were no “if ands or buts”- we started on time; we ended on time. The rehearsal order was always on the board. They knew to have 2 pencils with their music. The first 2 weeks of choir I always stood at the door and singers had to show me their sharpened pencils and their music. If they didn’t have their supplies, I sent them away. Somewhere in the building they would find pencils, and then come back. Singers did not like to come in late because we started promptly, and people would be in their assigned seats. Children would have to get past all those people and it was just not a good situation. It wasn’t that I looked mean or anything, it is just that I ignored them. That was a form of discipline. I didn’t have discipline problems at all in that ensemble. It remains one of my happiest experiences over time because I could really see the development from week to week and the lights going on. If there was a student who had a perpetual problem with lateness, I would talk to the parent, and I would say, “this is what is happening to your child because you can‘t get him/her here on time.” I would tell them how the child felt, how upsetting it would be for them to come into the rehearsal knowing that they were late, knowing that everyone else was on time, that they had to climb over everyone, knowing that I disapproved of lateness. We are people and people make mistakes. If children forgot their music, or they were rushing, and they left their music in the car, and the parent drove away for three hours, we always had folders they could borrow and things like that. I didn’t make a point of stressing the support system. I made a point of stressing personal responsibility. Then we had that support system just in case we needed it, but it wasn’t the first alternative. The first alternative was to have all your materials and be in your seat and ready to go with music in order at 8:30. I was assisted by a very fine graduate student at Temple. My supervising parents and the head parent were the greatest support I had. Because I was so strict, it was quite a bit different than what might happen at public school simply because of the wider net that we talked about earlier. Those supervising parents were picked by me because those were parents who “got” what I was doing and why I was doing it. I would pick and then ask the director of the whole

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center to ask them and say to them that I had asked that they take an organizational leadership role as “supervising parent”. So when first year parents would leave the rehearsal upset because they had no pencils or whatever, then the other parents could explain it. I didn’t have to deal with it. If there was any kind of grumbling, these supervising parents would let me know. Then I could address it. That kept the peace. Those parents were so dedicated that when we sang in Oregon, with Helmut Rilling, we took supervising parents, in addition to staff, one of whom was a nurse. In fact, the only two parents I ever took on a trip, both of their children had graduated, but they were so into it that they wanted to go. We usually only took staff, but we were going to be in Oregon for 2 weeks, so we really could use these parents. They were so dedicated to the welfare of each child, that when we were in rehearsal one morning I remember clearly that the kids looked tired. I told those two parents that I thought the children needed to take a nap after lunch because they looked so bedraggled. They went back to their dorms and washed all the linens so that every child would have a fresh bed to sleep in so that they could take a nap in the middle of the day. That is dedication. That is selflessness, 35 sets of linens from the university dorm. That is the kind of caring and concern those parents had. There is no way you can run community-based program and travel without that kind of participation.

Gerald: What is your performance schedule in any given semester or a year?

Willoughby: Well, if it is a year when I am in residence, it is usually 1-2 performances a quarter. The thing that is surprising to me is that it is never a full performance ever. It is always half a concert or a piece of a concert. In the fall of every year all of the choruses perform together in Nu Voices. This concert gives the community and the singers an opportunity to hear all of the choruses at once. The concert is usually during Parents’ Weekend so parents can hear the totality of that program. Then we will share two performances at Christmas. That has evolved since I have been here. The first year I shared a performance with symphonic band, and I helped prepare the University Singers for symphonic chorus, which my colleague conducts. They performed two performances of Poulenc’s “Gloria”, so they actually had three performances that fall. Then University Singers became part of the Christmas program, so we co- conducted that Christmas program and my senior colleague conducted the choral/orchestral major works. The children’s chorus had one performance in the winter quarter. In spring, the Temple Choir would perform part of a concert called the Choral Gala, which would include three choruses. We would all contribute. I would also prepare choirs for my senior colleague. The Children’s Chorus and the Choral Society were both more satisfying because I performed many major works with the Choral Society and conducted them in their entirety, and there were also choral/orchestral works or things we were going to perform on tour. We

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not only had a whole series at the college, but we were also contracted to do a lot of choral work with the really fine chamber ensembles in town, or I would hire them to be our orchestra. I realized early on that there was no reason, except for tradition, that choral conductors always train their choirs and then turn them over to an orchestral conductor, who often knew less about choruses then we knew about orchestral ensembles. So after about two years, I stopped doing it, and I never did it ever again. If I was going to do all of the preparation, then I was conducting the concert! So working at Northwestern has been a real adjustment, to do parts of concerts instead of full concerts. The children performed frequently. Their work gave me an opportunity to conduct both the Philadelphia Orchestra several times and the Philly Pops many times, because those conductors were not used to working with children, and they did not know that these were really musicians who just happen to be children. So they said, “What do you do?” And I would say, “Well, would you like me to conduct?” They would say, “Would you?” Then I would say, “Oh sure.” And then there I was. Unfortunately, I have no tapes of these concerts because of the union regulations. Those were experiences that, for the kids, were a tremendous motivator to know that they were on that stage and they were performing with the orchestra, and their conductor was conducting, especially for the young women. I was proud to be able to show them that anything is possible. They worked hard. They gave one performance for Temple in the fall and one in the spring. We were contracted throughout the mid Atlantic region for any number of concerts. Every other year we went to Puerto Rico; and on alternate years the San Juan Children’s Choir came to see us, and so we gave many performances. I would say anywhere from 10-12 in any one year. It never felt like a lot to any of us because we would learn new things. We would recycle old things. You know, we kept mixing it up. It wasn’t that they were learning brand new literature every single year for every performance. We would do sets of concerts. We would learn a program in the fall and then we would contract it at 4-5 different places. So we were receiving fees for that work, but it was the same program that we had given at Temple. It was great because, as you know, the repeat performances are another form of learning that can only take place through performance.

Gerald: This is the last question in this set. What is your feeling about tours?

Willoughby: I think they are very important. The greatest growth of my College Choir, my Children’s Choir, and the Choral Society has always happened because of touring. When you are on the road you are performing concerts over and over again and have to adjust to different acoustics, have to pull yourself together no matter how you are feeling and give to that audience. The personal bonding that goes on is irreplaceable. I think every choir should tour, absolutely without question. One has to find a way to do it. In fact, we even started training our little ones, the Alpha

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Choir, who couldn’t even read music yet. Many of them were the sisters and brothers of members of the touring choir. We auditioned them, but we didn’t really. We took them through the process, but we weren’t rigorous because they were four and five years old. But we used all of the protocols of the older choirs that they were absorbing from their siblings. In fact, in spring we would give them a tour. The tour would be for them to take two hours, including travel time, and go to a nearby nursery school with kindergarten and give a 10-minute program. We would talk about the choirs, and that would be the tour. That was a great way to train the parents as to why we tour and what, musically, we hope to accomplish, as well as an opportunity to train the little ones about the whole process of touring.

Gerald: Given your exceptional experiences as an administrator, writing grants, and doing those kinds of things, does that ever come into conflict with the vision inside of you, as a conductor? Sometimes musicians get creative and ambitious but there is the administrator saying, “That is not feasible, that is not possible.” How do you balance the two?

Willoughby: It is easy because I have conceptualized many grandiose projects, but I have had a process for bringing them to reality. I have known what they are going to take in terms of resources, human resources and financial resources. I felt that if I was willing to put in the time to write the proposal, and the school was willing to support the writing of the proposal, then there was no problem. I just had to make sure that I allowed enough of the proposal for the administrative support, so that when it was actually time to realize the proposal that my attention was on the artistic side and not on the administrative side. Administrators only say no when programs are not in harmony with the institutional mission or are too expensive, or when they don’t have resources or they don’t think they have resources to develop the resources to support that project. I never had anyone say “no”, ever. I always let my administrators, meaning the president, know. I would always run everything by them. I would say, “I am really thinking of doing X, Y, Z.” He would say that it sounds fantastic. That would be the extent of our conversation because I never lost sight of who we were as an institution. If I knew that if someone like the president of the board of trustees or the head of our foundation, which was affiliated with the college, asked me what does this have to do with what is happening at the school, I needed to have an answer that would make sense to them. I never lost sight of that. That was part of the training I received when grant writing. As someone who develops programs, it always has to be tied to the mission of the parent institution. That needs to be first and foremost. You really get into troubles when you go your own way and forget about the people who are in the organization, which is the foundation of what you are doing. I never did that or had that problem. I have felt a little frustrated here, at least until I got this last grant. I actually have gotten

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two grants since I have been here, and I have been here four years, so I feel happy about that. The first was for the choral students, to help them to establish the first ACDA chapter in the history of Northwestern University. Peter Lutkin, who founded the school of music, was a choral musician and organist. There has never been a chapter here. I wrote a grant so that the students who founded the chapter were able to go to their first divisional convention, fifteen of them, totally free, everything paid for, traveled to their first convention. I am surprised to learn that choral centeredness was not a piece of the everyday practice, when in fact; it was integral to the founding of the school. That surprised me, so I did something about it. Then the second grant was one that has taken me out to see how some of the really fine programs administer their programs and educate their students. This has been really helpful for me to see.

Gerald: Do you prepare yourself in any way for each rehearsal?

Willoughby: Oh, absolutely, yes. Actually, I thought you were going to ask me an overarching question about my rehearsal process after I finish my score preparation. This is irrespective of the ensembles I conduct. I realize that my process is the same even though I may break it down into smaller steps for children, but I don’t skip steps for any of these ensembles. That is, first they get to hear the piece, then they get to sing the piece through or stumble through it or whatever that entails, but they do get a whole sense of the piece even with text. Then we will go back and read it again. I will point out anything that is going to help them connect, the repetitions, where the melody comes. Better yet, I will ask them the questions, and they will figure it out. Then we will read it again on a neutral syllable. Northwestern students are quick, so it is not an indication of the real world of rehearsal a lot of the time because they are quick to intellectualize and then produce. In all states with children and youth and also with my adult ensemble, I tend to pull out what I consider to be key motives either rhythmic and/or melodic. Even for the Northwestern ensembles, I will do this. I make those a part of my warm up. With the children I will do that over several weeks. So by the time that they get to that piece, they already have an understanding of the work even though they don’t know that they do. Then we will just begin to work in sections. I first work on rhythm and pitch, neutral syllables. Then we intone text on a single syllable for rhythm and pronunciation, and then we will begin to put it together. Whatever I have perceived to be the problems, usually that is where they are. A really good example of the way I try to prepare students in warm- ups for work is “I bought me a cat” by Aaron Copeland. Many phrases start with different anacrusis. Sometimes they start with an eighth note, and sometimes they start with a quarter note. Sometimes they start with a sixteenth note anacrusis. So several weeks before, my Children’s Choirs sang a whole set of those old American songs with the Philadelphia orchestra, I prepared for “I bought me a cat” by making rhythmic

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exercises out of the first bar of the piece proceeded by one or another of those anacrusis. We just did this almost as a game for a very short period of time at the beginning of each rehearsal. When they got to the piece, they made no rhythmic mistakes in the anacrusis from the first reading because they understood those anacrusis from weeks of drill. You know, they thought it was a game. So I try to keep it fun, but I think that there is also a time when one has to dig deep and that may not necessarily be a light bubbly moment. I think for all singers, including the Northwestern singers, the development of the ear as it applies to ensemble singing is very important. So I do a lot of solfege. That is one of the things that the Northwestern Singers really find to be a challenge because they may have these beautiful voices, and intellectually they can process, but they still can’t hear, and they have big voices. And so, my goal is to get them to hear and to really adjust to what is around them. With freshmen coming in that is a challenge. In fact, many freshmen have been the star in their high school, and they are used to carrying whole sections. So now they are just one of many who have been doing that, and they really have to pull back and listen and blend. It is a process, and it takes a year to get them to the right point. They never sounded in June like they sounded in October because they have learned how to work as an ensemble, and that’s a different skill than being a solo singer or being the core that is going to carry a whole section. That’s the biggest challenge I have with our Northwestern choirs is helping them learn how to control the sound, and to understand what it means to be in an ensemble, where in fact, the sound is already so big, and it’s so operatic that you have to really work on controlling it.

Gerald: You mentioned warm-up. Can you talk about warm-up as an advantage for the singer?

Willoughby: Oh, absolutely.

Gerald: Both physiologically and psychologically?

Willoughby: Yes. Well, let’s deal with the psychology of it first because it’s the psychology that affects me as a conductor as well. I truly believe first and foremost, the psychology of the warm-up is to bring us together as a group, to put us together on the same page, to focus our physical and mental energies in the same direction. That is true for me and my ensembles across the board. I think it is really important to start that warm-up very gently, to ease into the singing mechanism, even though they may have been speaking, and especially because they may have the music been using their voices all day. Actually, we usually start with descending “oooooh” hums and then lip trills, and we start with a narrow range, and I don’t force it; at whatever dynamic is comfortable for them, which usually sort of is like a mezzo forte or mezzo piano, not pushed or

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anything like that. Then we widen it intervalicaly depending upon what I am hearing, we will go to one of the more open vowels and begin to extend the range and make the warm-up more of a coloratura kind of thing, both up and down the range for the high and low voices. Then we go into warm-ups that help the tongue and the mouth and the teeth move more flexibly. Then we go into harmonic tuning and Solfege and ear training. That can take many different directions, depending upon the literature we are working with. Sometimes I have them sing up and down the scale a major second apart. Sometimes we are working only diatonic triads. Sometimes we are working with diminished augmented chords. I mean, I try to mix it up so that they never know what is coming next, and they have to think about it in a new way. That is where I will also bring in warm-ups that are taken directly out of passages that I think will be problematic or have been problematic in the music.

Gerald: Now what about breathing?

Willoughby: Breathing! I forgot the breath. Before everything is breath. And so, we actually always start about breathing. I have really sort of gotten into body mapping in the last couple of years. I just remind them about alignment and the depth of the breath for quietness of breath, just so that they get that working. It is tricky at Northwestern where they come in as really good solo singers and each teacher has a different studio technique, and so my first imperative is to do no harm and to be supportive of the studio. I find with the Northwestern choirs that I talk less about how to do it, because their studio teacher is going to do that, and I am not a vocal soloist, although I have studied voice. I find that I actually teach more basic techniques when I am conducting All-State and Honor Choirs. When I conducted with my Choral Society and with my Children’s Choirs, I actually taught vocal pedagogy more. So there is a big difference, for me, between what I do day to day and as a guest conductor elsewhere. I have to actually remind myself of this whole different approach. My focus with the Northwestern singers is more on the music and the actual challenge of singing that music and singing it well, because it is a program that historically has been built almost exclusively on performing major works. So that brings a different set of challenges.

Gerald: You mentioned something that is talked about quite often in choral music, the dichotomy that exists between the solo singer and the chorus singer. How do you accommodate those singers who may come to you and say, “Well, this is my instrument,” or the voice teacher who may believe that there is a distinct difference between choral singing and solo singing?

Willoughby: I think the purpose of a choral experience as an ensemble requirement within a university or college is to bring together all of the competencies that a vocalist is learning. In the studio they are learning how to produce

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sound and how to build a technique. In oral skills and theory, they are learning how to read music, how to hear music, how to replicate a symbol into a sung interval or pattern. In music history, they are learning, in a broad way, about style. It is my job in the choral rehearsal to help them bring all of these components together so that they understand how to translate this into musical performance that is accurate rhythmically and tonally, healthily produced vocally, and it is stylistically accurate. That is a lot. That is the challenge. A lot of singers have been taught to sing big, bigger, and biggest. They also have to do that within the context of an ensemble, where they are forced to listen and to adapt to what is around them. That is a big challenge, especially in a school where you have many, many singers studying privately, and where you have a highly competitive, and always a very strong vocal studio coming in to the school. We are helped somewhat, in that, a good percentage, not all, but a good percentage of the voice teachers have singing experience with and/or continue to sing with professional choirs in the area. So at least there is some model for the viability of that approach, because some studio teachers are involved with choral singing themselves and take pride in it. There are studio instructors, a few of course always, who are going to be looking for something, whether there is something there to look for or not, and that is where the competence that comes with the personal education of voice and the vocal mechanism and on-going attention to the latest research would be very important as a conductor, so that I can speak about the voice intelligently and counter any misconceptions about what is happening in rehearsal. Speaking to that, last summer I attended the Voice Care Network at St. John’s College in Minnesota. I had never been there. A lot of what they do up there not only has to do with healthy singing, but much of it has to do with healthy singing within the context of choral rehearsal and performance. I think that continuing education for choral conductors as well as a more enlightened understanding from voice faculty will produce a healthy student who is a fine solo singer, but also a fine ensemble singer. Most of the students that come to any school or conservatory program, with the exception of a very few, are not going to step right into major careers. They are going to have to make a living. For example, tomorrow night I am going to Lyric Opera, and I will be able to count the names on the program of chorus singers who are recent graduates of the vocal program at Northwestern. So, in fact, they are making their living, not from solo singing exclusively, but from singing in choruses as well. So they need to know how to do that and do it well.

Gerald: Let’s talk about rehearsal hierarchy. Do you have a rehearsal hierarchy in terms of scheduling pieces? How long are you going to schedule rehearse a piece, where are you going to place it in the rehearsal?

Willoughby: I actually thought you were going to ask me something else when you said rehearsal hierarchy, because the thing that came to my mind, which has

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been difficult, is that I have a love of all kinds of repertoire, and I was very used, on the East coast, to getting the latest information about what was out, and then just scheduling it for my Choral Society and doing it. It has been a challenge for me to sit on those impulses here, because my senior colleague and I get that information at the same time. If I say, “I think I would like to do this,” then he may say, “Well, I am going to do that.” Since he is the senior colleague, if he wants to do it, then of course, I have to find something else to do. That has happened quite a bit. So when you speak of rehearsal hierarchy, something else comes to my mind. I guess it is performance hierarchy that I am thinking about, a way of sharing resources, you know, so that everybody is a little satisfied, instead of one person being a lot satisfied and another person being grumpy. So what do you mean by rehearsal hierarchy?

Gerald: The scheduling of literature, where you are going to schedule music and how much time will you spend on it?

Willoughby: You mean within the rehearsal? The goal is to sing as much in rehearsal as possible, sing and self correct and move forward through singing. So I always try to start with something that is a review of something they know. We may not spend a lot of time on it, but to get everything working together, and then immediately before they flag, I try to get into that “white heat” period of learning, where they are tackling the meatiest and the pithiest repertoire and working out those knotty places and challenging them in different ways. For example, if you are working on a Bach motet, having everyone just sing their fugue entrances or their fugue answers, and making sure that it is right in tempo and all of that, or maybe not, just having everyone just singing episodic material. You know, you really have to pay attention to do that and keep it moving, so that there is no down time, and they are singing all the time. Then I try to have a cool down period by saving for last something that I feel is going to come together and leave a sense of well being about what has been accomplished. It could be that one day the piece that was the white heat piece, which, hopefully, will be the majority of the rehearsal, could be the opening, or could be the ending the next rehearsal. And also in terms of weight and tessitura of the piece, I try to be sensitive to that as well. My rehearsal’s, I am really sorry you won’t get a chance to see them. They are 3:30 to 5:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So, and that is another part of the hierarchy, in fact, that being the junior faculty member, I don’t get first choice. That is when they are scheduled. I was really so surprised and delighted to see the schedule at Florida State. It is also true for Michigan rehearsals, all of them are either right after lunch in the early afternoon before you get to that down time of the day. I mean, which tells me something about the value that is placed on that process because of where they are scheduled within the day. So I have an additional piece of trying to energize an ensemble that simply because of the scheduling is

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already beginning to flag. So I do incorporate as much appropriate body movement, and try to keep the pace going in terms of standing, sitting, and sometimes having them mix up. Sometimes I have them turn and sing to each other; just different things to keep them moving so that they just don’t go to sleep, until they get engaged with the intellectual challenge of whatever is there, if it is substantive. That is the way that works.

Gerald: Do you think there is a particular school of choral thought that is relatively new or… Let me ask you the question like this. At the turn of the 20th century there were six choral schools of thought…do you think we still have diversity in schools of choral sound now, or do you think it is just headed, basically, in one kind of direction? Is that a good question?

Willoughby: It’s too good a question, and it is especially troublesome coming after this most recent ACDA convention, because, in fact, I personally feel that there is little tolerance for diversity in sound. I have to think that because of what I heard. I think this is representative of our whole country because I have also sat on choral adjudication committees. In fact, it is often a struggle to get people to accept vibrant, but different sounding models, that are musically good, but don’t sound like a European choir… you know, with these artificially straight tones, there is no color; there is no life in the sound, which is different than just having out of control vibrato. I think in many ways our choral sound is going the direction of our orchestral sound. It used to be… I listened to the old recordings of French orchestras, German orchestras, the orchestras in this country and you could really tell the difference in the orchestras. I mean you could tell a French orchestra because of its woodwind quality. You could tell the Chicago Symphony always, because of the quality of the brass, the lush Philadelphia string sound, which you don’t really hear as much of it now, I mean there is vestige of it, but not the way it was when Eugene Ormandy was there. I think it was, in part, because there has been tremendous longevity of leadership in some of our major programs, and in some of those programs, they have also been insular, not sensitive to how broad the world has become. So consequently, you don’t hear any kind of nod to heterogeneity of world culture and how that could affect different kinds of music. I think it is going to be very important for this generation of conductors in mid career, who are beginning to step into leadership positions with programs of longstanding, to bring a new point of view into their work, so that people can hear different sound ideals as viable models.

Gerald: How does that, do you think, really tie back to the canons that we talked about earlier?

Willoughby: A lot of it. I think we need to understand that there is a world choral canon. And yes, the foundation for beautiful singing for us is the Western European bel canto style, but after having mastered that, there are ways to

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use your voice in healthy ways that are going to be more authentic representations of other cultures. I mean other cultures sing their music all the time, and they don’t go hoarse. So why do we necessarily have to go hoarse? Why are we damaging ourselves if we experiment with that style? We just need to know how to teach that style, spend more time with that style or those styles, so that we can get a more realistic recreation of the music of those traditions. And it will also be healthy. That was a tough one.

Gerald: Well, for a lot of reasons I knew that would be difficult. Describe your choral tone ideal.

Willoughby: Well, first of all, a balanced ensemble, whatever the voicing would be, I would want to have equal weight in each section. But beyond that, my ideal choral sound is determined by whatever that repertoire is. And in order to make that happen, I have to have the foundational sound that has a beautiful blend so that within each section I hear no individual voices. I just hear a beautifully blended sound that has … It is like getting your hair colored. You know you have tints of lightness and tints of darkness, but no one element overpowers the other element. And then from that I feel through the intention to buy information and placement of the sound, forward or back, or nasal or more resonant or whatever it happens to be. We can create a sound that is authentic for that piece.

Gerald: So in your audition process, what qualities do you like to hear in individual voices?

Willoughby: That is a good question. I do always look for… For example, let’s start with the sopranos because they are easily heard and can make or break your ensemble. What I look for in the highest voices is that they need to be high, light to medium, with beautiful intonation and well-controlled. In mid range, I like to have color and sort of plumminess to the sound, but the highs and the middles really sort of have to have some similar overlapping overtones so that there is potential there for a good blend. And the bottom has to have clarity, but not tremendous weight. Then going into the altos, the first altos need to have that clarity as well. I think of them with more purple glints, and then I think of the second altos almost like female tenors, but without a forced chestiness to the tone. Then I feel I have a tonal palette to create almost anything with flexibility. Tenors, I like to have a range in my tenors from lyric to stentorian and great connectors for those two, so that the lyrics have muscle, but not stridency, and the stentorian tenors are mellowed out. So I look for voices where I think can be created, when I have the luxury of doing so. When I don’t, which often happens as well, and then I really have to take an opportunity to voice them to try and create that sound. Basses, I love low

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bases that have point to their sound and aren’t wolfie, with beautiful intonation, resonance, lots of overtones.

Gerald: What is your process and reason for voicing?

Willoughby: What I do is actually make this note on audition cards. I look for the voices that are going to provide the point for the focus to the tone for the section, and I build around those voices. It is a real easy process. I just have everyone, depending on the part, start out singing a phrase, in a different key “My Country Tis of Thee,” but in reality I don’t even need a whole phrase because I can tell from two notes where that voice belongs. I will use certain voices to create a core sound for a section, and then around that, usually what I try to do is neutralize those voices that are either too bright or they are too heavy or they are too dark with their vibratos, too fast or something is going on. I will work with them until I can neutralize them and make it part of the palette so that it is not sticking out.

Gerald: Let’s talk about vibrato. Well, you know this has been a big debate.

Willoughby: It has been. Well, you know, I can’t listen to a colorless sound for too long. Let’s say for example, if you go back and you do any kind of historical reading about vibrato, especially there is a great deal of literature written about it in the Baroque period. You know, vibrato was used to color sound. There is a lot of writing about that. I find it very informative. I do think it is helpful for singers in an ensemble situation to understand the range that one can get with vibrato. In fact, especially with my college and adult singers, I will have them sing a note full out vibrato and then sing it 50% vibrato, 10% vibrato. I never go to none. I can think of about maybe three places in different literature where I would want no vibrato. Most of those are in the Passions, you know, when Christ dies. That might be a place. Then I would experiment with them to find ranges within like 10 and 40% and 30 and 70%, and I never go higher than that, because that is totally out of control and out of tune. I mean, it won’t tune. They have to develop a sense of what it means to sing with different ranges of vibrato. I approach it that way, very scientifically. So then, if I say sing with 10% vibrato here. Sing with about 25% here. They have some kind of context to adjust it. A lot of times I don’t think they know that they can adjust it. We experiment with it. I will say, “Sing this note with 100% vibrato,” and they actually hear it and they laugh. It’s funny. Scary. That is how I approach it. I try to have them experience the range of vibrato. The one thing I hate to do is point people out personally in rehearsal. There are always repercussions when you start doing that. I try to avoid it. When I find an incorrigible person, and I realize it is one person, and I don’t really need to continue to work the whole ensemble. Then I will email that person or ask them to stop in and see me and tell

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them what I am hearing and tell them what I need. I will work with them a little bit privately to see if they can move forward. That is another way to handle it.

Gerald: How do you prepare your choirs to achieve your choral tone ideal in varying performing acoustical situations?

Willoughby: Well, a lot of that preparation has to happen in your warm-ups and in your rehearsal situation, especially if you are going on tour. You have to make them aware of what happens in reverberant spaces as opposed to dry spaces. So you build that into that rehearsal process of exploding consonants more. “You know we are going to do this whole section and really explode the consonants more because if you were in a dry space you would have to do that.” And then they will do that, and they will lose the rest of the word. I will tell them to explode the consonants and still hold on to the vowel and not add that final consonant until you sing. So it is a process of actually, with short directions, of teaching them how to sing for an acoustic and then conversely. “Okay, so now we are in a cathedral, and this is what we really need to do if we were there, in order to make this clear as possible.” But then another part of it is me also making life’s choices for the spaces that we know we are going to be in. I have not tried to perform fast polyphony in a cathedral because why would you go there? You would have to perform something that has more line because that is what the space supports.

Gerald: Do you ever alter the placement of singers to accommodate an acoustic?

Willoughby: Yes, I think more so when the space is on the dry side. In that, I need to find a way when the space is on the dry side, instead of having a single focal point to the sound within a section of maybe having two, or maybe having a triangle of three, so that the sound has more punch to it.

Gerald: I think we have really talked about this next question. Describe the attributes of each of the voice types that you prefer to have.

Willoughby: I answered that.

Gerald: What methods do you use to develop your choral tone ideal?

Willoughby: Voicing and picking the right people to be in the ensemble to begin with if I have that choice. Also, I did say that my choral tone ideal varies depending upon the literature. But what I am looking for is a foundation that will support the layering on of these other choral tones which are based upon the repertoire.

Gerald: What elements aside from sheer tone are involved in the choral sound for

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which you strive?

Willoughby: Energy, what I mean by energy is a sense of the forward momentum, forward life of the sound, unified vowels, life and liveliness in the softer dynamics, energy in the softer dynamics. I think the most important thing to energizing that sound is knowing how to control that breath, so that sound always has forward momentum. It is always going somewhere. You are never just letting the sound sit there. There has to be a lot of different ways to get that idea across physically in the body, in the head, and into the voice.

Gerald: What, in your opinion, are the significant differences between choral and instrumental conducting?

Willoughby: There are differences and similarities. The most obvious one that everyone talks about is that choral conductors, if they are working a cappella, have the luxury of conducting the phrase down to the word if they choose to, if the text demands that. And that may not align with the bar line and who cares? Also I find that choral singers are much more responsive and attuned to imagery, where as, instrumentalists are much more attuned to what is on the page. If you really want to get beyond what is on the page, you need to put in on the score, and then from that you can move to imagery. But if you do this to an instrumentalist and they don’t see that crescendo in the score, they are not going to really play it, or they will ask you out right, “Do you really want me to swell there?”, because it is not on the page; whereas, choral musicians are much more responsive to that. Instrumentalists in general have a better sense of rhythm than choral musicians. So that is a skill you really need to work more with choristers. Something that is very similar for all good musicians, whether they are choral or instrumental is that they all have to prepare by breathing. I don’t care what you sing or play, if you breathe together, the ensemble will be together. And that cuts across the board. And the other thing that is very true for both groups, all of these other things being in place, is that both groups can be trained to be very sensitive to gesture, so that the communication becomes nonverbal from the podium.

Gerald: What do you think is the overall level of respect… afforded the choral conductor who has to conduct instrumentalists?

Willoughby: Well, I think that depends how you comport yourself on the podium. If you have done your homework, if you have looked at the parts and have all the markings on the parts, if you have taken the time to meet with your principal players and make sure that your bowings are accurate, if you have put in all of your dynamic markings, if you know your score, if you don’t ignore the orchestra when the choir gets on the stage, and you

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conduct the whole ensemble and what is important at any given point, instead of just looking at the choir and mouthing words, I think they are going to respect you. I have always had the respect of my orchestras, and I think most of the finest conductors do also. I think we are moving into an era where choral conductors are studying instrumental conducting technique in their graduate programs and instrumental conductors are taking time to learn how to conduct choirs. So this is what I mean by generation transformation that is evolving with the new guard. I think you have to have clear baton technique so that people can see what you are doing on the podium and follow it. I think you have to respect all of your performers’ time. Have a plan and don’t waste time. Don’t wait until the orchestra is there and ready to go to start trying to switch people around on the risers. Have the choir come first and get that settled. Have them sit down on the risers. Have the orchestra call maybe 15 minutes later so that when they come in, you can tune and get going. Make sure that your choir knows that if they have questions that are not pertinent to the rehearsal process between the two ensembles that they should wait until the rehearsal is over, and then you can handle those things. There are a whole series of protocols that orchestral musicians follow that are really not applicable to choral performance, that one must be aware of as the conductor, and one must educate the choir to as well; and another thing, be very sensitive to what is happening in both ensembles. I mean, if you have worked articulations and phrasing in your choir, put it in the orchestra parts so that you have a homogenized unit. The more of a musician you are with both ensembles, the more respect you will have from both ensembles. To me it is as simple as that.

Gerald: What is your method of enhancing the response of the choir to your conducting gestures?

Willoughby: Tell them to watch. That is really the biggest thing. And speaking to that, the more they have memorized, the better, especially with adults. It is really important that they memorize all their entrances. I don’t expect them to sing from memory because the orchestra does not play from memory, so why should they sing from memory. However, they can watch for important entrances just like an orchestra would watch for important entrances. I think that would be very important.

Gerald: What do you believe to be the key cause of poor choral intonation?

Willoughby: Fatigue, or an ineffective air supply, either it is not there or it is not consistent, steady, sound placement, tension, lack of energy, and not knowing the music. Say you have a rehearsal at 5:00 on a Friday and a concert at 8:00. I mean that it a full day’s work. That’s fatigue. I think those would be the main things.

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Gerald: What remedies appear to be the most effective when poor intonation problems occur?

Willoughby: Well, you have to take your cue from the choir about why that is happening. If I see that the choir is really droopy, then I am going to assume first, if they were having been singing in tune prior, that they are physically tired. So I am going to try and get their endorphins going. Sometimes you might have to get physical by getting them do jumping jacks, running in place, or something to get that air flowing, which gets their bodies energized. Sometimes that is not possible, but you can have them do some kind of motion in place that is going to get the breath flowing. That is what you need to do; you need to get that breath flowing, and it needs to move more deeply and more fully. Also I like to have an arsenal of appropriate humorous joke as sidebars. Laughter is always really good to help energize sound. You can also use the technical terms, but I think the psychology and physical activity works really quickly. Sometimes if you can just get them lip trilling their part instead of singing it on text, it is helpful, because it takes a lot more energy to lip trill it than it does to sing it, and that gets that deep breath flowing. I don’t like to say that I have any tricks, but if I am short of time, and you know, lip trills in moderation, work because they just have to use more of these muscles to sustain and control the breath flow and sound.

BREAK

Willoughby: I also forgot….poor intonation. Sometimes raising the soft palette will help the intonation. That was right before we made a break for dinner.

Gerald: We have two little short sections left, choral problems and general weaknesses in the choral field. What are the choral weaknesses that you most frequently observe?

Willoughby: There are two things… well; actually there are four things that I think are easily solved when the teacher is aware of them. Well, two of the four are easily solved. One has to do with the ear. That is the one that needs continuous monitoring, that in fact, teachers who have been in the field for a long time often are not really hearing what is going on in their ensembles. So consequently, they are not really responding to what is happening; and they are not really fixing the problem. Just the whole idea of being able to direct the ensemble and also simultaneously listen to the ensemble is very important, that is the first thing. The next thing that affects a conductor’s ability is the lack of rigor in the way they approach even the simplest scores, so that in fact, the markings that are on the page are not being followed. That is the most basic aspect. That is something that can be quickly corrected when there is awareness that it is an issue. The third thing takes longer. That is cleaning-up the physical gestures,

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posture, and stance. That also is affected by the fact that many teachers find themselves married to the keyboard. As a keyboard person, I can say they need to get away from the keyboard and mix it up a little bit so that the singers are not too dependent on the keyboard, especially since a lot of keyboards are out of tune in the schools or anywhere. Then the last thing is a long term issue. That is to develop an awareness of style so that the music really speaks. It is a long term issue having to do more with study under the guidance of a master teacher who can point out certain basic ideas about different periods and how you approach the choral music, how you approach the tone. Even some of our conductors who are really held up as models aren’t into that so much. For example, I just had an experience as many other people did hearing a national Honor Choir of close to 300 singers trying to sing a Baroque aria that should have danced. It was a choral arrangement of a Baroque aria. For me personally, that choice was inappropriate for the size of the choir because the choir was too big, it was like trying to put an elephant in toe shoes. It was just the wrong choice. Now I am not sure that many people in that audience picked that up, but when I think of allegro type movements in Baroque, I think of something that is directly related to instrumental Baroque dance music, which is where those forms, the faster forms usually come from. And Bach and Handel are replete with that in their faster choral movements. And so, I would really be very careful about a choice like that. So when a conductor makes a choice like that, they really don’t have enough information to be making that choice. So that is a matter of on- going study, I think and an opening of the teacher/conductor’s eyes to the many possibilities so that they can make their choices in a more informed way. So those are the four things. I think the ear is really key. We have all heard fine choirs where the conductor has little podium technique; and yet, their choirs sing very well. I believe the outcome is a result of pedagogy. The conductor may have three out of the four qualities, or two out of the four, but they use what they have effectively. Most important is that their ears are developed, and they know how to correct and to fine tune so that their students sing well even though there is very little that is being conveyed from the conductor in concert on the podium that would facilitate the music in performance. Have you ever seen conductors like that?

Gerald: Yes, it is thoroughly worked out in the rehearsal.

Willoughby: I am not sure what keeps that process fresh in performance. Is it the excitement of the moment? Or is it the singers’ connection to their teacher, whom they love and really trust? Or it could be combination of all of those things? Something is working. My philosophy is that when it is working, I don’t try to fix it. Ensembles who are adjudicated, tell me that, for the most part, the choir and the conductor are open to growth. Some may also be looking for validation, but the vast majority wants to get

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better. Perhaps I need to rephrase that. It is absolutely appropriate for a guest conductor/clinician to validate the work of the teacher. In fact, I try to be encouraging in that way. But looking for validation without also being open to suggestions is not completely helpful. That is a different thing.

Gerald: Do such weaknesses appear to stem from a basic inadequacy of the conductor, or are they implications of faulty teacher training?

Willoughby: Well, it is hard to know if a conductor is inadequate or if they haven’t been trained properly, in my opinion. I think it is incumbent upon the person who is training teachers to support the students’ strengths and to find strategies for shoring up weaknesses. I have trained teachers at Eastman for four summers, at Northwestern for four years, and at various other places. There are only so many problems when you have been teaching for a while. The root causes of so many issues are fairly similar. The solutions are also the same. It really depends upon the student’s willingness to make those changes. When I visited Florida State, Dr. Thomas said on the first day of his conducting class that he had one thing that he was really going to sit on the conducting class about. That was extraneous movement. He jumped right in with that from the beginning, and he was very soft spoken, but he was very firm about that. This is a problem that every conducting teacher has with his students. There is so much meaningless movement in the body and also in the gesture that it gets in the way of the music. So that got me to thinking at that very moment. I said, “Well, things are the same all over.” It’s just a matter of degree, and then it’s a matter of how much the student takes those things to heart.

Gerald: While we are talking about that, let me ask you as a conducting teacher, how do you help students to develop the ear while on the podium? That seems to be a hard thing sometimes, especially when you are learning and you are starting out, to really get your ears about you, to the point that they are functioning and doing what they need to be doing.

Willoughby: Well, I think that at the beginning and intermediate stages as they work at the podium, you really have to focus on one thing at a time. So if they are working on their gesture, and you also want them to analyze what is happening, you have to focus on one aspect of what they are going to analyze at a time. Then as they become more adept at identifying and solving problems immediately, then you can begin to layer on more things. One thing at a time is actually better for the ensemble too, to have them quickly hone in on one problem at a time, and have them correct it quickly and move on to the next thing. You are more likely to build consistency in their subsequent reiterations of the solved problems while also adding on new things. Then with ensembles that know you very well,

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and that you work with all the time that rapport is there, and you can add on as much as you know they can take. That is the beauty of having a relationship with that ensemble. I think at the beginning and initial stages… I teach conducting and score reading with colleagues to juniors in the School of Music, as well as to the masters students who have never had conducting. They must take it. I go back to the training I received from William Smith and Max Rudolph for the work that I am doing here. The thing that I liked about them as teachers is that they didn’t coddle me. In fact, sometimes they were, one could say, rather mean, but they were also supportive in the meanness, if that is making any sense, and absolutely effective. They did not want me to waste their time or my time, and they cut to the chase. They could hone right in on what I was doing, and then it was up to me to correct it. If I could not correct it at that moment, because it was a coordination issue, I needed to go home and practice it until I mastered the problem. Don’t come back into the next lesson with the same problem. Bring a new one. So that taught me to be good at analyzing gestures and what is not working. Sometimes it is very simple. You know, maybe you are just too pulled in instead of being out. Maybe your elbow has dropped instead of being lifted. Maybe your hands are spread instead of being more of a cup. Maybe you are gripping your baton and creating tension that is having an impact on other parts of your body. Most of the problems are fairly consistent and repetitive, even when you are dealing with new students. That is the value of taping a student each time and letting them keep that same tape and not erase anything, because then they can see that progression. As they get better they may feel like they are making no progress, because you reach a plateau, as we do in everything, and then you have to work and work to get beyond that plateau. Actually, if they can see themselves from the beginning and see how gradually they have learned to conquer certain things, then they can see the progress and know that they are really developing appropriately.

Gerald: In the light of such weaknesses, could you recommend to the young choral conductor the pursuit of any particular study or experience, which could make a significant contribution to his musical maturation and professional growth?

Willoughby: Absolutely, they need to observe as many conductors as possible. Observe good conductors working. Observe bad conductors working, and be very analytical about what is making the good ones effective, and what is hampering the bad ones from being effective. That is the best learning. I think the best learning is derived from observing people. Even now, I watch people whose gestures I admire and try to analyze what is making that gesture work. If it’s something I feel is really effective, I try to fold it into my vocabulary for myself. I feel even for myself that is still a learning process. I find that as I get older, maybe because my stamina is not as great, I have become more minimalist than I was. I was more

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flamboyant early on in my career. I do think there is a place for that flamboyant gesture, if the music demands it. I don’t believe there is a place for it just to grandstand. If the gesture is sincerely coming of out the moment and the music, and it is effective with the ensemble, that is important. I mean, we have all looked at tapes of von Karajan, who seemed to be sort of conducting through virtual gesture. You know, he is practically doing nothing, and yet, he is getting this sumptuous sound. Now it could have just meant that the Berlin Philharmonic didn’t need him, or it could have meant that they were just so tuned in to him. We will never know. Or we could also look at someone like Robert Shaw who conducted with his elbows. He did not have the greatest technique, but he many intangible something’s, many, many tangibles and intangibles, including an exemplary standard of technical and musical excellence. By the time you got to that point, and by the time he had brought in the lecturers on the meaning of the music, and just all of his singers having such faith, you’d do anything to try and meet that standard and sustain it. Different conductors communicate in different ways. Leadership can occur in many ways, I think. I don’t know if that is specific enough for you.

Gerald: Do you feel that you specialize in any one particular type of music?

Willoughby: I like all kinds of music, but having said that, I could actually spend a life time just on Bach, and the many ways of approaching African American spirituals and the huge range of contemporary repertoire that uses not only written music, but vocalizations; having said that, my tastes are very eclectic. I really do like all kinds of music. But when I need nourishing, I do come back to J. S. Bach. And then I also love Monteverdi. The thing I love about Monteverdi is that it is very much like jazz. The performance practice is very improvisational and the improvisation is generally overt, moving within a harmonic framework, but it still has that little archaic flavor in it sometimes. I find that very similar to jazz, especially free jazz. I just love it because of that. I see Monteverdi and jazz as being two sides of the same coin.

Gerald: Now do you have a preference for choir, in terms of age? Do you prefer working with children, or youth, or working with adults?

Willoughby: Well, I like working with all ages, but I have to fight to do that since I have left my former job. I really have to fight to do that because my breakthrough as it was, in the field, came through my work with children’s choirs. So everyone assumed that I had worked with children’s choirs my whole life, when in fact, that was the newest genre of choir that I had worked with. Every year I have to fight for the opportunity to work with different genres. Perhaps that word sounds too strong, but in fact, that is the way I feel, in that when people will call and invite me to conduct a

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choir, I will often ask them what other kinds are choirs are going to be on the program. They will tell me, and then I will ask if they have conductors in mind for those choirs. If they say “we haven’t asked people yet.” I will ask if they would have on objection if I was to pick another choir, and 50% of the time they say, “No, we have no objection. We didn’t know.” Because working with children’s choirs was the breakthrough for me, so they have no idea about this other piece of my career. In fact, in January, I conducted the Indiana High School All-State, the high school mixed choir. I give them a lot of credit because when they called, they called to ask me to conduct the mixed choir for All-State. I misunderstood what they said. I thought they were asking me to conduct the women’s choir, because I had conducted the women’s choir at the ACDA National. They said, “Well, you could conduct the women’s choir, but we really want you to conduct the mixed choir.” I said that I would love to conduct the mixed choir because the work that comes to me most easily is treble work, and all its configurations. I would really enjoy conducting mixed ensembles as well. I like conducting the big works. I think the best way to really fully develop you as a musician is to try and conduct at least two or three masterworks each year as well as octavos. Yes, octavos are challenging, but they simply do not always take the focus simply because they are smaller. They are miniatures. In the arc of continuity, the big scope, and how every piece fits in that big picture is a greater challenge in the larger works than in most, not all, but many octavos. You have the same challenges, but you have them in miniature because the forms are shorter. So I try to have this balance in my portfolio if I can. It takes some boldness on my part because of what people have seen me do in the field on the national level. I understand that. Also, I think because I am a woman, that sponsors expect women to conduct children and youth. Also I think my race has something to do with it. I don’t think it does as much now because I have a record of achievement. If anyone wants to look at it, they can see what I have done, but I do think I still have to put those ideas out there. I don’t think necessarily people will always think in that direction unless I gently jog their memory.

Gerald: Okay, here is the next question. What experiences make you viable as a guest clinician or conductor?

Willoughby: How would I know? I have no idea. I wonder that myself. Why me? Well, you know what, Gerald? That is a hard question for a guest conductor to answer. If you have any humility, whatsoever, how would you answer a question like that? I do believe I have a certain energy and a certain willingness to go for it. I don’t think I am a safe music-maker. I think that I am willing to take chances on the podium. I know I am musical. And I know I am always well-prepared. Beyond that, and I know that I am good at planning a balanced, and I think fulfilling program, for the most part. Now not everything works that you put on a

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program. You learn from that, and you don’t do that again. Beyond that, you would have to ask the people who sing for me and the teachers who recommend me what they find appealing because I don’t know how I appear to others. I don’t know why people ask, but I do know the things that people have told me. The one thing that does come a lot to me is that I am musical, and I am very persistent about getting at the deep meaning of the music. I don’t give up easily. I just keep at it until I get what is needed for the music, and that I try to be kind. I am very demanding, but I don’t do things to belittle or humiliate people. I try to be supportive of the sponsors and validate what they are doing in their communities because often in our own communities we are the prophets without honor. So it is important if you, the external voice coming in, especially when you have a platform like a good university job, or any kind of position that people perceive to be prestigious, that you come in ready to validate the work of the people who have hired you. I am very down to earth. I am easy to work with, in that I can roll with the punches that could happen anywhere at any time, but I am unforgiving of sloppy planning because that affects me, that affects the singers, and it affects the quality of the final experience. I try to make sure those things that could have happened, that would not be in all of our best interests, that I have asked enough questions ahead of time, and in plenty of time, so that those things can be fixed. I have also learned to say what I need in a nice way. Like if I know that I need a lavaliere mike, as opposed to a stand-up mike, even thought I might not always get that, I do say that that is what I need. Because I know that I am going to be more effective if I don’t have to pick a mike off the stand every time I need to say something. You learn those things from experience, really. But beyond that, I don’t know. I try to deliver a polished program, and I try to deliver an appropriate challenge. When that concert comes I try to provide a model both musically and visually that is appropriate for the experience. I had a funny thing happen in New York when I conducted the National Women’s Honor Choir, and that was: One of the young ladies, before we went on stage, came up to me. They were lined up, and she came over. I was sitting, just sort of gathering myself. She came up, and she says, “Ms. Willoughby, I just want to tell you, not only do you look beautiful, but the thing that has really sold me on you is that your shoes match your gown.” Hallelujah. That was interesting to me because I actually have seen a lot of outfits where the shoes don’t match the gowns. You will have these beautiful gowns, and you have black shoes or what have you. So what she was telling me was that I was a total package. Yes, I was deliberately a total package because that is what I need to be for those women, for that audience, and for myself, most importantly. I guess those would be the things. Beyond that, you would have to ask someone else. That’s an awkward question for me to answer.

Gerald: How has the climate changed for Black conductors over last 10 years or

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so?

Willoughby: Well, there are more of them than there was when I started out. I think those of us who are out there are having a bigger impact. I think we are definitely some of the most progressive voices out there. But there are many people with magic, whose voices have not been heard. The thing that is frustrating to me, although it hasn’t happened to me a lot, I have to confess, is that on the one hand I am proud to program spirituals, but on the other hand, I am not the keeper of spiritual and gospel tradition to the exclusion of Mozart, or Aguilar or Tormis or Pärt. Don’t pigeon-hole me. Or if I sit down to play, and I transpose, which I do, someone says, “Well, you must have played in a black church.” Well, why could I not just be someone incredibly talented who knows how to transpose? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I do not like those statements that can be interpreted as pejorative. But I just let them roll off my back. I think we need to work harder to develop our women. That is one reason I want to be a total package because I think the era, the time when people can rise to the top in our field without all of the packaging is dangerous. It is a dangerous thing to do because everybody, well, let’s say many are reaching for the top; although it is hard when you get up there because you have to maintain it. That is exhausting, but you can’t live your life thinking about that. You just think about the next project and how you are going to make that the best project that you can possibly make it. That’s how you live your life. I never, ever, really thought too much about, “Oh, I want to be famous. Oh, I want to be known.” I never thought about that. I always thought about how I can make this music really good, for the music, for myself, and for the singers. I knew that if I could do those three things it would be great for the audience. I still think that way. I think we have to have our heads in the right place. I think we have to reach back. It was a woman, not an African American woman, but as woman, nonetheless, who was the first person that encouraged me. I mentioned Janet Galvan, and she hadn’t heard my choir, but we had worked together, and she said, just based on that, she knew I had to have a good choir. So I keep my ear to the ground, and I try to be accessible, when people, especially young women and young women of color ask me questions, any question whatsoever. For example, when I was in Michigan I was introduced to their university singers. There was a young black woman in the ensemble. When I got back here, she emailed me, and she said she has never even known that there were African American woman conductors, and she was an African American student. I remember her because she came up to me after the rehearsal, and she was just a cute little thing saying, “I can’t believe you are a conductor.” So she had some questions for me, and I took the time to answer them as honestly as I could. She was thinking of her future. I left the door open if she had any more questions. So I think often times it is the little things that we do rather than the grand gesture, day to day, and just being faithful to our work and faithful to the

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task that has come to us that can make a difference. I also think those of us who have a national voice have the responsibility to speak out diplomatically when things aren’t working as you believe they should. I try to do that too, without burning bridges. I am very thoughtful. I have become especially thoughtful since I have been at Northwestern because I have understood that when I speak, because I am at Northwestern, it carries a ton more weight than when I was at the community college. So I really have to be careful about what I say and to whom I say it. You know there are some people I just feel comfortable around and I will say everything and then say, “Now don’t tell anyone.” But for the most part, I really sort of, keep my own counsel, unless I really trust the environment I am in because it can come back to bite you.

Gerald: Alright. And the last question. Are there any fundamental truths that you now believe to exist concerning you as a female, a Black female, and your art that has come to you through sheer life experience?

Willoughby: Well, there are several things. The first could apply to anyone, and that is to do your utmost to really be prepared so that when your opportunities come, you are ready for them. That is a daily process of discipline in your work, even when you feel that no one cares about your magic. That is a life long process for any conductor. Then there is also… I believe that women need to be entrepreneurial. I never in my life assumed anyone was going to give me anything in this field because I was black and female. For many years, just being black and female in classical music meant that you were invisible. I lived that for many, many years, where I knew my ideas had a potential to have an impact and a value beyond what was out there. People did not even see me when I walked past. Many of us are still invisible. And so I knew I had to make my own opportunities, and I decided whatever those opportunities were, that they were going to be the best that I could make them. And I was going to have a standard that was a standard for excellence that was not on a curve and that’s what I wanted to stand for. And it worked for me. I think for all women, we have touched on this, and especially for Black women who are either the nurturer or the sapphire or the whore, you know, I mean you have to find balance in your life, and you have to really take care of yourself. You can’t take care of other people; you can’t inspire other people if you aren’t healthy and if you don’t have balance in your life. That includes finding ways to renew yourself and networking with other African American serious musicians. They don’t have to be in classical music. They can be in any form of the arts because the issues are the same. It is only the means of artistic communication that changes. We are sort of at the bottom of the barrel, but climbing our way up. And I think we always just have to remember to reach back and help to develop emerging talent, and just be accessible when people ask us for advice or honest feedback.

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Gerald: Is there anything else you would like to add about anything that we have talked about?

Willoughby: Well, can I add it on the transcript if I think of something, even if I didn’t say it tonight? Because I feel like I am sort of beginning to repeat myself.

Gerald: I don’t feel like that at all.

Willoughby: You don’t? Okay, maybe it is just me.

Gerald: No, I don’t. So but when you read the transcript, you can certainly feel free to make any changes or additions.

Willoughby: Things look different on paper than they do when you are just speaking about them.

Gerald: Well, I am going to close by saying to you that I read a quote by Undine Smith-Moore and she was talking about André Watts and Natalie Hinderas, and I believe that this was back in the maybe 60’s or 70’s. She was talking about this whole issue of Blacks in classical music and the arts and how people perceive them. She said that for Andre Watts and Natalie Hinderas, she believed that their ability and skill, in and of itself was an agent for the social change. And so I want to end by saying, “Thank you,” because I think you’re excellence, and your skill is definitely a catalyst for a change of attitudes about women, Black women (in the arts), and Black musicians period.

Willoughby: Thank you.

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APPENDIX E

Thomas Rehearsal Strategies

Demanding that singers be attentive to gesture (watching)

Encouragement

Establishing/making a rule- i.e. breathe after a comma

Frequent shifts in rehearsal dynamics (seating/standing)

Good model vs. bad model

Holding singers accountable for their own musicianship- asking questions

Humor

Layering- rehearsing one section of singers and then adding others one at a time

Modeling (Teacher and Student)

Physical movement

Relating historical information

Repetition

Sections to face one another and sing

Sequencing- logical order of rehearsal; for example pitch and rhythm prior to phrasing

Speaking instructions in an affected lifted voice

Speaking text with accompaniment playing

Speaking the text

Tactile activities (hand to side of jaw/face, finger to larynx)

Take the expression from my face and put it on yours

Transfer- applying instructions given in one situation to another

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APPENDIX F

Willoughby Rehearsal Strategies

Asking questions- to allow students to take responsibility for their own musicianship; to encourage independence

Brighten your eyes- to attain energy and brightness to the sound

Count sing- to provide rhythmic clarity; when notes line up the intonation is better

Fingers in the mouth- to create physical space in the mouth

Heavy/light stress- to achieve accent on stressed syllables; refers to quality of voice (head/chest) and takes focus off of the singing mechanism

Layering- rehearsing one section of singers and then adding other sections one at a time

Lip trills- to create the breath energy, focus, and intensity to the sound; to improve intonation Partner-up- pairing singers off so that the experienced help the inexperienced

Singing in circles- to increase independence and to encourage singers to listen to one another Slides and glides- to render the voice flexible

Staccato note singing- to eliminate sliding from pitch to pitch; rhythmic accuracy

Staccato on neem- to center and focus the pitch eliminating intonation problems

Tactile activity- to connect the concept of a physical sensation to a gesture

You must prepare the space and not wait until you get there to try to achieve the space

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APPENDIX G

National Honor Choir New York Concert Program

Composer Composition Accompanying Instrument (s)

G. F. Handel “Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened” Piano, double bass, and oboe

Jeff Ames “In Remembrance” Piano and French horn

A. Thomas “I’m Gonna Sing” Piano, double bass, and percussion

Lar Edlund “Two Scandinavian Folk Songs” Piano

S. Chatman “Music, When Soft Voices Die” Clarinet

M. Hogan “Ride On King Jesus” Piano

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APPENDIX H

Thomas Performed Choral Literature with University Choirs 1999-2005

Sacred Reanissance Croce, Giovanni Buccinate in neomenia tuba Di Lasso In Hora Ultima Di Lasso Jubilate Deo (Psalm 99) Sweelink Chantez a Dieu

Secular Renaissance Donato All Ye Who Love Music Le Jeune Revecy venir du printans Traditional Tourdion

Sacred Baroque Bach 62 Nun Komm der heiden Heiland Bach Jauchzet dem Herren BWV Anh. 160 Bach Singet dem Herrn ein Neues Lied Bach Magnificat in D, BWV 243 Bach Lobet den Herrn, Alle Heiden (Psalm 117) Handel Let Thy Hand Be Strenghtened Handel Dixit Dominus Purcell, H. I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me Purcell, H. Lord How Long Wilt Thou Be Angry Schutz Jauchzet dem Herren

Baroque Extended Works Handel Saul

Classical Sacred Extended Works Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D Major Haydn Lord Nelson Mass Mozart Regina Coeli, K. 276 Mozart Requiem

Romantic Sacred Chesnokov Svete Tihiy (Gladsome Light from All-Night Vigil, op. 44) Mendelsshon Christus (excerpts) Mendelsshon Frohlocket, ihr Volker auf Erden Mendelsshon Kyrie Parry, H. I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me Stanford, Charles V. Justorum Animae Verdi Ave Maria

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Romantic Secular Brahms Brauner Bursche furht zum Tanze Brahms Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn Brahms An Die Heimat, op. 64 Brahms Der Abend, op. 64 Brahms Fragen, op. 64 Massenet O bon printemps Rossini Peches de ma Vieilessee Schubert, Franz Der Tanz Schubert, Franz Des Tages Weihe Schubert, Franz Liebenslust

Twentieth Century Sacred Bardos Cantemus! Basler Songs of Faith Bassett, Leslie Collect Busto Ave Maria Carrillo, Cesar O Magnum Mysterium Distler Singet dem Herr ein Neues Lied Edlund, Lars Gloria Fleming Lord of the Dance Hamlin, Peter Sing for Joy Ives Psalm 67 Jennings, Mark Crux Martinaitis Sanctus Mocnik, Damijan Christus est natus Penderecki Agnus Dei Poulenc Hodie Christus Natus Est Poulenc O Magnum Mysterium Poulenc Videntes Stellam Sametz, Steven Gaudete Stroope, Z. Magnificat Ticheli, Frank There Will Be Rest Vaughn Williams Gloria in excelsis Walker, G. I Thank You God The Three Kings

Twentieth Century Secular Bennett, Robert America the Beautiful Butler, Eugene Music When Soft Voices Die Chatman Music When Soft Voices Die Chilcott In The Heart of the World Clausen O My Luve’s Like a Red Red Rose Clausen Sigh No More Ladies Conte, David Invocation and Dance

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Dello Joio Song of the Open Road Edlund, Lars Two Scandinavian Folk Songs Effinger, Cecil Four Pastorales Hoekman, T. Harlem Night Songs Ikebe, Shin-ichiro War Song from the Folksongs of the Orient Jennefelt Warning to the Rich Lobos/Thomas Estrela E’ Lua Nova Mechem Blow Ye the Trumpet Mechem Danuel Orban O Mistress Mine! Passereau Il est bel est bon Pauling Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair Sanderstroem Across the Bridge of Hope Schafer, Murray Two Songs (Epitaph/Chant) Thomas, A. I Hear America Singing Valera Tiempo para un Tiempo Vaughn Williams Serenade to Music

Twentieth Century Extended Works Britten Ceremony of Carols

Copland Lincoln Portrait Dohnanyi Cantus Vitae, op. 38 Orff Carmina Burana Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms Taylor, Billy Peaceful Warrior Vaughn Williams Five Mystical Songs

Gospel Burleigh, G. Hosanna-Hosanna

Multicultural Galian, Oscar Salseo Traditional Tshotsholoza (South African) Paranjoti, V. Dravidian Dithyramb

Opera Gershwin Porgy and Bess

Oratorio Honneger King David

Spirituals Butler, Mark Glory to the New Born King Farrow, Larry My Lord, What a Mornin’

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Hogan My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord Hogan I Am His Child Hogan Ride On King Jesus Hogan Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel Hogan Ride the Chariot Hogan This Little Light Of Mine Hogan Walk Together Children Thomas, A. Band of Angels Thomas, A. Goin’ Up to Glory Thomas, A. The Kingdom Thomas, A. Deep River Thomas, A. Swing Down Chariot Thomas, A. When the Trumpet Sounds Thomas, A. Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells

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APPENDIX I

Willoughby Performed Choral Literature with Northwestern University Choir and Choral Society 1998-2005

Renaissance

Arcadelt Ave Maria Byrd Rorate Caeli Desuper Handl, Jacob Ascendit Deus Leck/Adeniyi E Oru O (Greeting and Processional) Palestrina Exultate Deo Palestrina Sicut Cervus Palestrina Tu Es Petrus Praetorius Low How a Rose E’er Blooming

Baroque Albrectsberger/Banner Te Invocamus Bach Furchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir, BWV228 Bach Lobet den Hern, alle Heiden, BWV230 Bach Cantata No. 79 Gott, Der Herr, ist Sonn, und Schild Bach Magnificat in D Bach Singet dem Herrn ein nues Lied (BMW 190) Handel Messiah Handel Music, Spread Thy Voice Around (from Solomon) Schutz Cantate Domino Sweelinck Hodie Christus Natus Est

Classical Biebl Ave Maria Mozart Requiem Mozart Vespers

Romantic Bizet Concert Performance of Carmen Brahms Der Gang zum Liebchen (The Trysting Place) Brahms Four songs for Women’s Chorus, Opus 14 Mendelsshon How Lovely are the Messengers (St. Paul) Watts Lullaby

Romantic Extended Mendelsshon Ellijah

Twentieth Century Sacred Britten Hymn to the Virgin Clausen Psalm 100

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Copland Help Us, O Lord Croker Gloria Festiva Faure Cantique de Jean Racine Hatfield Amazing Grace Henderson Cantate Domino Herbert Chorale Herrick Carol Johansson Examine Me Lutkin The Carol of the Beasts Pinkham Hodie Christus Natus Est Poston Jesus Christ the apple tree Powell Ascribe to the Lord Powell Go Tell It On the Mountain Powell Sicut Cervus Roxbury There is No Rose of Such Virtu Southall In Silent Night Wargo Carol fromVoices in the Midst

Twentieth Century Secular Carter The Harmony of Morning Debussy Salut Printemps Delibes/Nelson Call of the Flowers Dickau Three Songs from Shakespeare Elgar Fly Bird, op. 26, no.2 Finzi My Spirit Sang All Day Finzi Fly Singing Harris What Passion Cannot Music Raise or Quell! Holmes So We’ll Go No More a Roving Nygard From Tender Stem Parker Together (from the Hollering Sun) Tate Gate, Gate Tennyson Finale Tennyson Nocturne Walker Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies

Extended Works Twentieth Century

Britten Choral Dances from Gloriana, Opus 53 Britten From Fen and Meadow from Gloriana Three Songs Inspired by England Gloriana: Time Concord Time and Concord Country Girls Rustics and Fishermen

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Final Dance and Homage Britten Ceremony of Carols Fanshawe African Sanctus Faure Requiem Hindemith Six Chanson on Original French Poems by Rilke: La Biche Un Cygne Puisque tout passé Printemps En Hiver Verger Orff Carmina Burana Raminsh, Imant Songs of the Light: Songs of the Stars The Daybreak Song The Sower The Sun is a Liminous shield Yi, Chen Chile song Chinese Poems for six Girl’s choruses Night thoughts Picking the seedpods of the lotus The cataract of Mount Lu2 Up the Crain tower

Kay, Ulysses Choral Triptych Alleluia Give Ear to My Words, O Lord How Long Wilt Thou Forget Me, O Lord Pinkham Christmas Cantata (Sinfonia Sacra) Sousa, Conrad Carols and Lullabies: A la Nanita nana Alegria Campana sobre compana Carols and Lullabies Chiquirriquitin El desembre congelat El noi de la mare El rorro En belen tocan e fuego Los posadas Oh, my Belen Multicultural Bermel Kpanlango (West African Folksong) Klebanow Erev Shel Shoshanim

Opera

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Joplin Treemonisha (excerpts)

Spirituals Hogan I Can Tell The World Hogan I’m Gonna Sing ’till the Spirit Moves in My Heart Hogan My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord Hogan Ride on King Jesus Roland Carter In Bright Mansions Above Smith-Moore We Shall Walk Through the Valley Thomas I Hear America Singing

Anonymous Works Unknown Fanfare Unknown March Unknown Pavane Vespers of 1610

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APPENDIX J

Human Subjects Letter

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Periodicals

Custer, Gerald. "Provoking Meaning: Some Thoughts About Choral Hermeneutics." The Choral Journal 42, Number 4, (November 2001): 25-30.

Glover, Sally Louise. "How and Why Vocal Solo and Choral Warm-Ups Differ." The Choral Journal 42, Number 3, (October 2001): 17-22.

Gordon, Debra. "Introductory Vocal Pedagogy in the Elementary Classroom." The Choral Journal 42, Number 2, (September 2001): 19-24.

Graves, Dan. "Multicultrualism and the Choral Canon 1975-2000." The Choral Journal 41, Number 2, (September 2000): 37-46.

Ford, Joseph K. "Implications for Non-Verbal Communication and Conducting Gesture." The Choral Journal 42, Number 1, (August 2001): 17-24.

Meyer, Mary Jo, and Robert Nance. "A Passion for Learning: All About Andre Thomas." Notations (ICDA) 22/4 (June 2001): 1.

Smith, Elaine. "Portrait: Andre Thomas." Research in Review- The Florida State University (Summer 1996): 2-3.

Tagg, Barbara, and Ferreira, L. "Fourteen Conductors Speak About American Choral Music." The Choral Journal 43, Number 8, (March 2003): 9-25.

Unknown. "In the Spotlight: Judith Willoughby." The Voice (2001).

Unknown. Black-White Higher Education Equality Index. (1994). Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 5, 41-48.

---. “Ranking America’s Leading Universities on Their Success in Integrating African Americans.” Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 36 (2002): 87-98.

---. “Ranking America’s Leading Liberal Colleges on Their Success in Integrating African Americans.” Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 38 (2002): 77-88.

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White, Perry J. "Significant Developments in Choral Music Education in Higher Education between 1950-1980." Journal of Research in Music Education 30.2 (1982): 121-28.

Newspaper Articles

Howells, Phillip. “U. S. Singers celebrate in style.” The Tenby Observer, July 6, 2001

Rile, Karen. “Sweet Harmony.” Inquirer Magazine 2000.

Interviews

Willoughby, Judith Anne, interview with the writer, 18 and 19 March 2005

Willoughby, J. A., interview with the writer, 25 June 2005

Thomas, André Jerome, interview with the writer, 23 March 2005

Armstrong, Anton, interview with the writer, (telephone), 23 May 2005

Ashworth-Bartle, Jean, interview with the writer, (telephone) 21 May 2005

Betancourt, Renee, interview with the writer, (telephone), 9 July 2005

Dolan, Marian, interview with the writer, (telephone), 28, May 2005

Hall, Tom, interview with the writer, (telephone), 17, May 2005

Rivera, Jose, interview with the writer, 14 July 2005

Southall, Kevin, interview with the writer, 25 July 2005

Correspondence

Ames, Jeffrey, email correspondence regarding Andre Thomas

Brunner, David, email interview to the writer regarding Judith Willoughby, 11 July 2005

Caldwell, Paul, email interview to the writer regarding Judith Willoughby

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Websites

Bilal, Malika. “Diversity Set to Music: One Nu Professor's View from the Podium.” Jeepers, Evanston: Northwestern University, 2004.

Heninger, B. "Remembering Jester." The Voice, 9(2), 2000.

Unpublished Reports

Chase, Shannon. An Interview with Dr. Andre J. Thomas, Composer/Arranger. Tallahassee: The Florida State University, 2001.

Heiting, Kristine. University Singers: Rehearsal Observation. Evanston: Northwestern University, 2003.

Walsh, Heidi. Developing Children's Choirs: Written Reflection. Evanston: Northwestern University, 2004.

Brochures

______Program Notes: Hong Kong Youth Music Camp. (2002).

Letters

Albinder, Frank. Music Director- Washington's Men's Camerata, Washington, D.C., in reference to Women's Honor Choir: National ACDA Convention, to Judith Willoughby, Evanston, Illinois, 15 February 2003.

Almond, Frank. Director of Choral Activities, San Diego State University, San Diego, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee supporting Thomas's appointment to Endowed Professorship, to Fred Standley, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, 27, July 1999.

Armstrong, Anton. Conductor, The St. Olaf Choir, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee supporting Thomas's appointment as Endowed Chair, to Fred Stanley, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, 12 July 1999.

Galvan, Janet. Eastern Division Chair- Children's Choirs ACDA, Ithaca, in reference to Eastern Division concert, to Judith Willoughby, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, 10 February 1998.

Piersol, Jon. Dean- College of Music, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Letter to the Named Professorship Committee in support of Thomas's appointment as Endowed Chair.

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BIOGRAHPHICAL SKETCH

Gerald R. Knight is a native of Laurens, South Carolina. His family moved to New York where Knight attended public school for several years prior to returning to South Carolina to complete his high school education. He earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education from Benedict College, the Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and the Master of Music Education Degrees from the University of South Carolina. Knight has done further study at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Salzburg College, Salzburg Austria; and the Studio Lirico, Cortona, Italy.

For twelve years, Knight taught at Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina and also served as the Director of the Morris College Chorale for ten years. Knight taught four years at Alcorn Middle School in Columbia, South Carolina in the area of vocal/choral music education.

Knight has also served as organist, pianist, and director of music in churches of various denominations in South Carolina and Florida. In addition, Knight has performed frequently as tenor soloist in various churches, colleges, and universities throughout the southeast. He had the opportunity to perform the role of Checco in Cimarosa’s opera “Il Convito” in the Teatro Signorelli in Cortona, Italy.

Prior to the completion of the Ph. D. in Choral Conducting/Music Education from the Florida State University, Knight received a teaching appointment in the School of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

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