Standing Tall & Proud 2 • Cantate • Vol. 25, no. 2 • Winter 2013 CALIFORNIA ACDA Contents Articles 5 The President’s Pen: The Beginner’s Performance by Jonathan Talberg, President 6 Open Your Hearts, Heal Your Minds by Lori Marie Rios, President-Elect 8 Why Jazz Choir? by Christine Guter, Jazz Choir R&S Chair 10 Getting It All In: Teaching “The Other” While Preparing “The Performance” by Christopher Borges, Central Region Representative 12 Embracing Change, Lessons Learned by Steven Kronauer, Male Choirs R&S Chair 16 Losing Elijah, Finding Ourselves by Anna Hamre, Community Choirs R&S Chair WHEREAS, the human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding of itself through study and performance in Of Note... the aesthetic arts, and 4 Calendar, Advertisers Index WHEREAS, 18 Regional Conference Reports serious cutbacks in funding and support have steadily eroded state 20-21 Top Five for Your Choir institutions and their programs p. 20 - Children and Community Youth throughout our country, p. 21 - Women’s Choirs 23 California ACDA Directory BE IT RESOLVED that all citizens of the United States actively voice their affirmative and collective support for necessary funding at the local, state, and national levels of education and government, to ensure the survival of arts programs for this and future generations. “We are the music makers, and CALIFORNIA ACDA MEMBERS ARE we are the dreamers of dreams.” ENCOURAGED TO PRINT THIS ACDA ADVOCACY RESOLUTION IN ALL PROGRAMS. - Arthur O’Shaughnessy LEADING THE WAY Cantate • Vol. 25, no. 2 • Winter 2013 • 3 Official Publication of the California Chapter American Choral Directors Association Calendar CANTATE Volume 25, Number 2 2013 ACDA National Conference ............................Mar. 13-16 David Scholz, editor Dallas, TX [email protected] CSU, Chico Music Dept. All-State Honor Choirs .....................................Mar. 21-23 400 W. 1st St. San José, CA Chico, CA 95929-0805 530-898-6127 Summer Conference at ECCO .........................July 28-31 SUBMISSION DEADLINES Dr. Geoffrey Boers, headliner Fall Issue — August 1 (mailed September 1) Regional Conferences .................................. September 14 Winter Issue — December 1 (mailed January 1) Locations TBA Spring Issue — April 1 (mailed May 1) GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS The editor welcomes the submission of articles, announce- ments, reports, music and book reviews, job vacancies, and any other item of interest to the California ACDA mem- “Music was my refuge. bership. Articles should reach the editor no later than the established deadline and should include the following infor- I could crawl into the space mation: 1. Title between the notes and 2. Author’s name and phone/email address 3. Name of school, church, or organization curl my back to loneliness.” 4. 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I’m sure without too much coaxing you can replay the film in your mind: you and a pianist standing on one side of the room, your voice teacher, choir director, or—at some schools—the entire voice faculty on the other. Jonathan talBerg You were either prepared and excited or scared tion, intonation might be suspect, or the runs Dr. Talberg is President to death; ready and willing to sing, or horrified might be out of their reach, but they feel suc- of California ACDA. at the prospect of performing for your men- cessful if they’ve enjoyed the music, learned to He is Director of tors. That most basic of human fears, “I’m practice properly, and memorized their scores Choral, Vocal, and not good enough,” was held at arm’s length if in enough time to feel free to perform at the Opera Studies at CSU you had done your work. If you hadn’t, it was jury. Long Beach’s Bob Cole consuming you—keeping you from breathing, Conservatory of Music, from connecting to your core, from remem- The same is true for our beginning ensembles. Director of Music at bering your words. We have to challenge them by providing high First Congregational quality music they can conquer. They must Church of Los Angeles, We just finished two days of juries, and understand the text, physicalize the rhythm, and Artistic Director of throughout the process I was struck by how and engage in the harmonic progressions. the Los Angeles Bach like a choral concert the individual perfor- They need to know their parts backwards and Festival. mances seemed to be. Students with lots of forwards without being bored by too many experience, good training, and years of feed- repetitions. Choir directors are voice teachers; back always seem to do well. They help choose we are constantly building range, reaffirming their repertoire. They know how to stand, they the basics, expanding the knowledge base, and understand their breath support and their vocal engaging the artistic side of our singers. But, mechanism is under control. They’ve had four like all teachers, we must learn to plan more semesters of diction and they sound like pros carefully for our beginners than we do for our in French, German, Italian, or Russian. They advanced pupils. can pull almost anything off—and they know that it doesn’t matter whether they love it or I hope 2013 is an exciting year for you and your not, they treat each piece with respect, learn it choirs. And I hope that the foundations of carefully, and bring their ‘A’ game to the jury. excellence—musicianship, vocalism, ensemble, and artistry—are fostered in every rehearsal for The beginner’s performance, on the other every ensemble at every level of knowledge. hand, depends most greatly on the repertoire Our babies take more work than our big kids. I chosen by the teacher. Success hinges on think we forget that sometimes. ■ whether or not they’ve put in the time, learned the notes and rhythms, understood the texts, and are willing to ‘bring it’ to the performance. If they are engaged by their pieces, and if the music is within their reach, presents them with challenges and demands daily practice, they do well. If they love the melody, connect with a poem, or have learned to enjoy the ensemble between themselves and the pianist, they feel at ease. The beginners may not have perfect dic- LEADING THE WAY Cantate • Vol. 25, no. 2 • Winter 2013 • 5 open yoUr hearts, heal yoUr Minds I am always asking myself, “Is being a musician We are all interconnected. What I don’t know, and educator a choice?” According to a book someone else will. That is comforting. Knowing that I have been reading titled Change Your Mind that I don’t have to have all the answers makes and Your Life Will Follow by Karen Casey, it is it easier to navigate through lesson plans, select that we have only two real choices in life. The music, work on classroom management skills, first is to fall into despair, become numb, and write student learning objectives, find good and let fear have its way with us. The second is to wonderful multi-cultural music, or even look lori Mari rios open our hearts to those around us, to heal at some newly introduced Debussy partsongs. ourselves and each other by changing how we Whatever you’re looking for, we may have it Ms. Rios is President- respond in every interaction we have. for you. And if we don’t, we will try to find someone who does. Elect of California Much like our musical rehearsal every week: ACDA. She is associate we may often respond harshly to our music- This coming year alone we have several activi- professor of music at College of the Canyons, making as we look at the negative instead of ties. Look on page 4 for those events, and put Valencia, where she is the positive. And we ultimately spend many the dates on your calendar. Make them a pri- the music director of the hours trying to be better at what we are ority. You deserve it, and so do your students. Chamber Singers and doing. We are all teachers and students in each And so do WE!!! ■ Voices of the Canyons other’s lives. From some teachers, tolerance Community Chorus. is learned; from others, patience. Someone may learn what letting go means from us.