Headliner Sessions
Repertoire Challenges for Developing Singers - Dr. Judy Bowers
Rules for Expressive Singing - Dr. Judy Bowers
The Power of Teaching Patterns - Dr. Judy Bowers
Chicken Soup for the Choral Soul - Tesfa Wondemagegnehu
A Roundtable on Being a Choral Co-Conspirator - Tesfa Wondemagegnehu
Storytelling in Song - Tesfa Wondemagegnehu
Interest Session Information
Diversifying Kodaly Concepts
Emma Joleen Schopler, Early Years and Outreach Program, San Diego Children’s Choir; VAPA Music and Choir Teacher, Chula Vista Elementary SD
“The compositions of every country, if original, are based on the songs of its own people. That is why their folk songs must be constantly sung, observed, and studied.” (Kodály, 1964). How do we diversify a pedagogy that is widely misunderstood? Do we study Kodaly concepts because we think it makes us better musicians? Or is it because the composer, Kodaly, believed in teaching the music from every child's culture so that each voice can be heard, seen, felt, and expressed through a universal mother tongue called, music. Generally, when people consider the Kodaly pedagogy, it conjures up questions pertaining to fixed or moveable do, and why one is better or worse than the other, or why do we use "la" minor? Despite the solfege conundrums, the heart of Kodaly is teaching folk-songs that represent the students you teach. Herein lies the essence of this session, what are your folk-songs? Let us discover your song together.
The Art of Facilitation: Navigating Conversations Across Race, Culture and Difference in the Choral Classroom
Marshaun Hymon, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant, True Change Alliance, LLC
The importance of having conversations around race, culture and difference in the choral classroom is heightened. In order to ensure productive dialogue regarding these concepts, educators must build the necessary skills to meet the demand for an inclusive and equity-minded curricular approach. Through small and large group discussion, interactive facilitative practice and applied classroom scenarios, participants will leave this session able to: 1. articulate the key concepts of effective facilitation, 2. identify instructional components accessible to cultural and racial engagement; and 3. employ high-impact questions to drive integrated and relevant conversation in the choral classroom. These outcomes are sure to strengthen community, build empathy in choral singers and improve connection to concert literature.
Breaking Barriers: Performing Diverse & Accessible Music for All Dr. Jeffrey Benson, Director of Choral Activities, San Jose State University
This session will explore expanding the Western canon, focusing on women and BIPOC composers over the past 500 years who we will continue to perform, celebrate, and learn from. In addition to reading through scores and providing resources for use in rehearsals, accessible performance practice issues and critical historical implications will be discussed.
Better Together: Community Choirs and Mentorship
Kristina Nakagawa, Artistic Director, Resounding Achord & Vivace Youth Chorus
This session will show how mentorship in many different forms can be mutually beneficial for individual musicians, community and faith-based choirs, and educational organizations. Ideas will be presented on how you can add a mentoring program to your community or faith-based choir with little-to-no cost. Additionally, we will discuss how individuals, including conductors, singers, collaborative pianists, and composers can work with a community organization to gain the mentorship they desire.
How I Learned to Teach: Empowering Students to Lead Effective and Productive Sectional Rehearsals
Dr. Keith Pedersen, Professor of Music, Point Loma Nazarene University
This presentation will present "A Baker's Dozen for Section Leaders," 13 suggestions for how to lead an effective sectional rehearsal. These suggestions have been developed over 20 years of working with student section leaders at the university level, covering basic ideas from how to indicate where singers should start and how to bring a section in to the overall goal of sectional rehearsal: the maximum number of correct repetitions in the minimum amount of time. We will discuss the value of rehearsing/repeating shorter sections slowly and accurately, cycling repetitions to save time, keeping comments short, and touching all of the pieces on the director's rehearsal schedule. The presentation will conclude with John Maxwell's 5 Stages of Leadership as guide for growing young leaders.
Neurological Responses and the Thriving Voice
Natasha Valdes, Adjunct Music Instructor, Fullerton College; Voice Specialist, Mater Dei High School
No matter how many warmup exercises you practice or how hard you work at preparing your voice for that national competition, or the countless years spent in school and training, there are outside influences that impact the voice. These outside forces such as emotional imbalances, life stressors and physical and mental traumas impact a major nerve in the human body called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a critical nerve to the singer’s voice. It is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It regulates the gut and also affects the cardiovascular, immune, endocrine and respiratory systems. For the vocal performer, this is an extremely important anatomical feature of the body that must ignite properly for breath, phonation and resonance to work.
The brain is the control center of our body. It is responsible for muscle coordination, motor functioning and building habits. This control center influences the muscle’s ability to relax or tense up. The neurological responses of the vagus nerve are triggered by physical, mental and emotional experiences. Understanding how the vagus nerve ignites efficiently is of utmost importance to the voice student as it is the conduit to how messages are sent to and from the brain. The mental and emotional factors that impact this nerve can often be managed in order to prevent and avoid further damage. The focus of this presentation will be on the correlation between mental and emotional influences, and its impact on neurological responses as it relates to the vagus nerve and the systems of the voice.
Since the recent pandemic, schools are prioritizing open discussions in the classroom as well as providing resources on the importance of mental health in America. The American Psychological Association wrote a report in 2020 labeling the rising stress in America as “A National Mental Health Crisis.” Their findings reported a 19% increase in adults who said their mental health is worse now than it was last year. New research from the Boston University School of Public Health revealed that the rates of depression and anxiety continue to escalate as we approach 2021, climbing to 33.8% and affecting 1 in every 3 Americans. Although it is beyond the scope of our job as music educators to be “therapists'' for our students, we should strive to create safe spaces for them to thrive. Moreover, we should also consider how outside mental influences affect voice performance. If our objective as choral directors is to create unity with voices through the approach of healthy and flexible instruments, then we need to understand the anatomical features of the voice that impact vocal health and consider holistic tools such as meditation, mindfulness and other ancient practices that impact vocal sound.
Research has shown that our body reacts to triggers like anxiety through various neurological responses to protect ourselves. In the moment of fight or flight, the brain signals the body to prepare for battle or flee to safety to defend itself from danger. Such responses result in symptoms like shortness of breath, rigidity of the entire body, and lack of muscle coordination. As singers, this impedes our ability to have freedom of the vocal mechanism and maintain overall vocal health. One of the most critical nerves responsible for complete vocal freedom is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve extends from the brain down the pharynx, through the muscles of the larynx, past the lungs, and into the lower abdominal viscera. If the vagus nerve is triggered, the brain signals the body to disrupt our digestive system, shortens the diaphragm's contraction, locks up the laryngeal muscles, constricts the pharynx, and tightens the articulators. These symptoms are in direct violation of everything we are trying to accomplish in regard to healthy and sustainable vocal production. Holistically, if a singer is triggered mentally during practice or performance, they will experience neurological symptoms creating a strident tone or even resulting in MTD (Muscle Tension Dysphonia). One of the main ways to manage the healthy function of the vagus nerve is through deep breathing slow belly breathing, which is vital to our singer's ability to breathe efficiently for singing. Another method to calm the vagus nerve is through the mindful applications of singing, humming, and chanting, which are warm-ups most choral directors already have in their back pockets. However, given the knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the voice in conjunction with the mind, we have the opportunity to reframe our idea of these exercises to benefit our students holistically.
We will explore the mind, body, and voice connection through science and a pedagogical application. I will discuss the function of the vagus nerve, our body's neurological response to fight or flight, and how to address our students who are triggered through various neurological and mental reactions. There will be an emphasis on how to avoid vagus nerve damage as well as holistic treatments to properly coordinate the systems of the voice. Lastly, we will apply a step-by-step approach using psychophysical methodologies. The presentation will take a collaboration approach and include participation from the audience. There will be a combination of visual, tactical and audible teachings in order to create the optimal learning experience.
The Choir with Two Names: Bel Canto, Belt, and Beyond
Dr. Julie Ford, Director of Choral-Vocal Activities, Saint Mary’s College of California
At the August 2020 California Choral Association Choral Summit, Dr. Rollo Dilworth argued that American music education “continues to be problematic and in some ways antithetical to the principles of inclusion." He challenged educators to develop a broader, more inclusive approach to voice training to replace the historically Eurocentric pedagogical lens through which students are assessed and taught. This presentation outlines the non-genre biased approach at Saint Mary’s College of California, which uses a vocal science-based pedagogy to teach a broad spectrum of choral-vocal timbral qualities and genres. Our model of one choir with two names facilitates non-genre biased programming, as students learn bel canto, belting, and beyond by engaging anatomical and physiological vocal structures to impact breath control, timbre, amplitude, blend, tuning, range, and resonance. Vocal science pedagogy also promotes vocal health and works harmoniously with inclusive learning outcomes. We find this approach to be a productive alternative to the bel-canto centered methods that Dr. Dilworth cautions against. It is also highly effective for recruiting. As our profession rebuilds post-pandemic, multi-genre fluency attracts a broader constituency and aptly prepares singers (and tomorrow's educators) for a rich 21st Century musical landscape. Content will be organized around these questions: What does a non-genre biased vocal-choral program look like, what is the singer-experience (recruiting, auditions, assessments), and what are the benefits? The presentation will include anatomical body-mapping, warm-ups, application to specific choral pieces, examples of syllabi, instructional materials, learning outcomes, recorded examples, and ample time for questions and answers.
Emma Joleen Schopler, Early Years and Outreach Program, San Diego Children’s Choir; VAPA Music and Choir Teacher, Chula Vista Elementary SD
“The compositions of every country, if original, are based on the songs of its own people. That is why their folk songs must be constantly sung, observed, and studied.” (Kodály, 1964). How do we diversify a pedagogy that is widely misunderstood? Do we study Kodaly concepts because we think it makes us better musicians? Or is it because the composer, Kodaly, believed in teaching the music from every child's culture so that each voice can be heard, seen, felt, and expressed through a universal mother tongue called, music. Generally, when people consider the Kodaly pedagogy, it conjures up questions pertaining to fixed or moveable do, and why one is better or worse than the other, or why do we use "la" minor? Despite the solfege conundrums, the heart of Kodaly is teaching folk-songs that represent the students you teach. Herein lies the essence of this session, what are your folk-songs? Let us discover your song together.
The Art of Facilitation: Navigating Conversations Across Race, Culture and Difference in the Choral Classroom
Marshaun Hymon, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant, True Change Alliance, LLC
The importance of having conversations around race, culture and difference in the choral classroom is heightened. In order to ensure productive dialogue regarding these concepts, educators must build the necessary skills to meet the demand for an inclusive and equity-minded curricular approach. Through small and large group discussion, interactive facilitative practice and applied classroom scenarios, participants will leave this session able to: 1. articulate the key concepts of effective facilitation, 2. identify instructional components accessible to cultural and racial engagement; and 3. employ high-impact questions to drive integrated and relevant conversation in the choral classroom. These outcomes are sure to strengthen community, build empathy in choral singers and improve connection to concert literature.
Breaking Barriers: Performing Diverse & Accessible Music for All Dr. Jeffrey Benson, Director of Choral Activities, San Jose State University
This session will explore expanding the Western canon, focusing on women and BIPOC composers over the past 500 years who we will continue to perform, celebrate, and learn from. In addition to reading through scores and providing resources for use in rehearsals, accessible performance practice issues and critical historical implications will be discussed.
Better Together: Community Choirs and Mentorship
Kristina Nakagawa, Artistic Director, Resounding Achord & Vivace Youth Chorus
This session will show how mentorship in many different forms can be mutually beneficial for individual musicians, community and faith-based choirs, and educational organizations. Ideas will be presented on how you can add a mentoring program to your community or faith-based choir with little-to-no cost. Additionally, we will discuss how individuals, including conductors, singers, collaborative pianists, and composers can work with a community organization to gain the mentorship they desire.
How I Learned to Teach: Empowering Students to Lead Effective and Productive Sectional Rehearsals
Dr. Keith Pedersen, Professor of Music, Point Loma Nazarene University
This presentation will present "A Baker's Dozen for Section Leaders," 13 suggestions for how to lead an effective sectional rehearsal. These suggestions have been developed over 20 years of working with student section leaders at the university level, covering basic ideas from how to indicate where singers should start and how to bring a section in to the overall goal of sectional rehearsal: the maximum number of correct repetitions in the minimum amount of time. We will discuss the value of rehearsing/repeating shorter sections slowly and accurately, cycling repetitions to save time, keeping comments short, and touching all of the pieces on the director's rehearsal schedule. The presentation will conclude with John Maxwell's 5 Stages of Leadership as guide for growing young leaders.
Neurological Responses and the Thriving Voice
Natasha Valdes, Adjunct Music Instructor, Fullerton College; Voice Specialist, Mater Dei High School
No matter how many warmup exercises you practice or how hard you work at preparing your voice for that national competition, or the countless years spent in school and training, there are outside influences that impact the voice. These outside forces such as emotional imbalances, life stressors and physical and mental traumas impact a major nerve in the human body called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a critical nerve to the singer’s voice. It is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It regulates the gut and also affects the cardiovascular, immune, endocrine and respiratory systems. For the vocal performer, this is an extremely important anatomical feature of the body that must ignite properly for breath, phonation and resonance to work.
The brain is the control center of our body. It is responsible for muscle coordination, motor functioning and building habits. This control center influences the muscle’s ability to relax or tense up. The neurological responses of the vagus nerve are triggered by physical, mental and emotional experiences. Understanding how the vagus nerve ignites efficiently is of utmost importance to the voice student as it is the conduit to how messages are sent to and from the brain. The mental and emotional factors that impact this nerve can often be managed in order to prevent and avoid further damage. The focus of this presentation will be on the correlation between mental and emotional influences, and its impact on neurological responses as it relates to the vagus nerve and the systems of the voice.
Since the recent pandemic, schools are prioritizing open discussions in the classroom as well as providing resources on the importance of mental health in America. The American Psychological Association wrote a report in 2020 labeling the rising stress in America as “A National Mental Health Crisis.” Their findings reported a 19% increase in adults who said their mental health is worse now than it was last year. New research from the Boston University School of Public Health revealed that the rates of depression and anxiety continue to escalate as we approach 2021, climbing to 33.8% and affecting 1 in every 3 Americans. Although it is beyond the scope of our job as music educators to be “therapists'' for our students, we should strive to create safe spaces for them to thrive. Moreover, we should also consider how outside mental influences affect voice performance. If our objective as choral directors is to create unity with voices through the approach of healthy and flexible instruments, then we need to understand the anatomical features of the voice that impact vocal health and consider holistic tools such as meditation, mindfulness and other ancient practices that impact vocal sound.
Research has shown that our body reacts to triggers like anxiety through various neurological responses to protect ourselves. In the moment of fight or flight, the brain signals the body to prepare for battle or flee to safety to defend itself from danger. Such responses result in symptoms like shortness of breath, rigidity of the entire body, and lack of muscle coordination. As singers, this impedes our ability to have freedom of the vocal mechanism and maintain overall vocal health. One of the most critical nerves responsible for complete vocal freedom is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve extends from the brain down the pharynx, through the muscles of the larynx, past the lungs, and into the lower abdominal viscera. If the vagus nerve is triggered, the brain signals the body to disrupt our digestive system, shortens the diaphragm's contraction, locks up the laryngeal muscles, constricts the pharynx, and tightens the articulators. These symptoms are in direct violation of everything we are trying to accomplish in regard to healthy and sustainable vocal production. Holistically, if a singer is triggered mentally during practice or performance, they will experience neurological symptoms creating a strident tone or even resulting in MTD (Muscle Tension Dysphonia). One of the main ways to manage the healthy function of the vagus nerve is through deep breathing slow belly breathing, which is vital to our singer's ability to breathe efficiently for singing. Another method to calm the vagus nerve is through the mindful applications of singing, humming, and chanting, which are warm-ups most choral directors already have in their back pockets. However, given the knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the voice in conjunction with the mind, we have the opportunity to reframe our idea of these exercises to benefit our students holistically.
We will explore the mind, body, and voice connection through science and a pedagogical application. I will discuss the function of the vagus nerve, our body's neurological response to fight or flight, and how to address our students who are triggered through various neurological and mental reactions. There will be an emphasis on how to avoid vagus nerve damage as well as holistic treatments to properly coordinate the systems of the voice. Lastly, we will apply a step-by-step approach using psychophysical methodologies. The presentation will take a collaboration approach and include participation from the audience. There will be a combination of visual, tactical and audible teachings in order to create the optimal learning experience.
The Choir with Two Names: Bel Canto, Belt, and Beyond
Dr. Julie Ford, Director of Choral-Vocal Activities, Saint Mary’s College of California
At the August 2020 California Choral Association Choral Summit, Dr. Rollo Dilworth argued that American music education “continues to be problematic and in some ways antithetical to the principles of inclusion." He challenged educators to develop a broader, more inclusive approach to voice training to replace the historically Eurocentric pedagogical lens through which students are assessed and taught. This presentation outlines the non-genre biased approach at Saint Mary’s College of California, which uses a vocal science-based pedagogy to teach a broad spectrum of choral-vocal timbral qualities and genres. Our model of one choir with two names facilitates non-genre biased programming, as students learn bel canto, belting, and beyond by engaging anatomical and physiological vocal structures to impact breath control, timbre, amplitude, blend, tuning, range, and resonance. Vocal science pedagogy also promotes vocal health and works harmoniously with inclusive learning outcomes. We find this approach to be a productive alternative to the bel-canto centered methods that Dr. Dilworth cautions against. It is also highly effective for recruiting. As our profession rebuilds post-pandemic, multi-genre fluency attracts a broader constituency and aptly prepares singers (and tomorrow's educators) for a rich 21st Century musical landscape. Content will be organized around these questions: What does a non-genre biased vocal-choral program look like, what is the singer-experience (recruiting, auditions, assessments), and what are the benefits? The presentation will include anatomical body-mapping, warm-ups, application to specific choral pieces, examples of syllabi, instructional materials, learning outcomes, recorded examples, and ample time for questions and answers.