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It is wonderful to be a part of a family of like minded musicians who understand what it takes to create and maintain a safe space for musicians of all backgrounds and experiences. I’ve always wanted to be a part of an organization that values magnifying, protecting, and respecting marginalized voices and encourages access to music for everyone at every level. Music making saves lives. To be a part of an organization that is actively seeking to effect positive change and ultimately save lives; what more could I ask for. To me, "I am ACDA" means that my contribution matters. The way I make music matters. My song has a place. My story deserves to be told. I am you. You are me. GMCLA is partnering with “Disney '' to perform a “Disney Pride Concert” this summer. As a part of our Alive Music Project, we will have the opportunity to take a free preview concert series into schools this spring and perform the music of Disney with a motivational message of hope, community building, and anti bullying. I am excited for lgbtqia+ youth to see themselves represented on stage. What a blessing it is to get to provide representation for my community that looks and sounds like “joy.” 
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Being a member of ACDA gives me a community to be a part of. I have people to go to with my questions, share my highs and lows in teaching and I have people to make music with. To me, "I am ACDA" means that the community is as great as the individuals in it. What each person brings to ACDA is unique, special and everyone has something to give and receive from all the members involved. One of the best things that I've experienced in the classroom recently is that my students got to vote on a combined song for the concert finale and they are PUMPED to sing a catchy pop song with all the grades together. It's pretty cute to watch them all vibe as they're singing a song that most of them know already.  As a professional, being a member of ACDA allows me to keep in touch with my peers, by which I means other composers, it allows me to meet more people in the choral world and allows me to learn what is going on in that world. It also allows me to see the viewpoint of choral directors and understand how to better fit in their activities. Personally, it has opened the door to friendships and to integrate myself in a community of like-minded people. To me, "I am ACDA" means “I belong with choirs." Currently, the San Fernando Valley Master Chorale is rehearsing a new work I wrote that is an hour long called The Nightmare and the Dream which tells the story of the Jewish people from the Middle Ages to 1948. It is inspiring and dramatic and it is a very special journey to share with a choir, taking notes that have only been on paper and bringing them to life for the first time. It is akin to being an explorer or an adventurer going after a new frontier.  ACDA has always been a great source of camaraderie, resources, repertoire, and inspiration. Having the opportunity to connect directly with other directors and composers has lead to incredible opportunities for my students. When I was a student in high school, I never thought of composers as actual humans - they were just these ephemeral creatures that bestowed music upon the world that the rest of us never really interacted with. I’m happy to say my students now have had the chance to work with many of the composers whose music they are now performing! I am always telling people that anybody who has a voice should be using it to sing. ACDA is an organization that believes exactly that, and who works together towards that very goal. I am proud to be part of a community who are passionate about the power that music can have to change people’s lives.  I have been a member of ACDA for most of my 34 years as a choral educator in both the public school system and as a children’s and youth church choir director. I served several years on the WA ACDA board as the R and S chair for Children’s and Community Youth Choirs when I lived in Washington State. I loved the opportunity to mentor new choral directors, write for online publications, conduct honor choirs, and be a presenter on the state and divisional level. Through those ACDA activities, I have grown in my own understanding as a choral director and enjoy the opportunity to pass on what others have so graciously passed on to me. Going to conferences is a time to recharge, reconnect, and make new connections and create community. I am always amazed at how much there is to learn in this field and how many of us have our own niche or ideas that we never even dreamed of in our programs. Being a part of ACDA means I am part of something really big that changes the lives of other people. I am grateful every day that I get to make music with brilliant children and youth. I recently graduated with my masters in choral conducting and what I learned in that program has completely changed my approach to rehearsals, to the tone of my choir, and their understanding of the choral art. The amount of music that these choirs present during worship is beyond impressive. We recently enjoyed singing Eric Whitacre’s “Glow” with string quartet and Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium” during the season of Avent. O Magnum was done by our treble choir. We used Lauridsen’s solo version of the well-known anthem and it made the sound of my treble choir mature overnight. It was quite magical and the composer enjoyed the recording. We also use gesture a lot while we sing and having them connect that gesture to their singing and understanding of the music has also helped them to grow as choral singers.  Kaytie Holt - Saugus High School Choir Director and Music Industry teacher, Santa Clarita, Ca5/4/2023 Being in ACDA brings me close to my community of choir teachers, which is so important in this field. It is an incredible resource and network that both supports and inspires me!" "I am ACDA" means that ACDA is a diverse community, made up of every single member of a variety of backgrounds, ages, and skill levels, with each member just as important as the next. Right now my students are really enjoying creating a variety of music. I have so many students in multiple choirs; Show Choir, Concert Choir, and Jazz Choir. I even have students who also take Music Industry, where they learn how to produce and create original music in different DAWs (digital audio workstations). I think this is so cool and important because it is crucial to be a well rounded musician and singer in this industry, so having students singing classical, jazz, and contemporary music broadens their horizons and only enhances they choirs, as there is something to be learned in every genre.  ACDA is a priceless resource both personally and professionally. The network of people who are teaching, creating, and learning along with me is such a welcoming community that I’m proud to be a part of. Not only do I have incredible colleagues in ACDA but also trusted friends who are devoted to mutual success, but I am musician constantly looking to improve! In my first year at the official helm of this amazing group, I’m excited to welcome new singers and strengthen relationships with returning ones. We’ve done a lot of behind-the-scenes work with our Board to have the talent and resources to further grow into the amazing Long Beach community and continue to strive to bring Great Music to Long Beach and beyond!  Matthew Davis - Choir Teacher at Goddard Middle, Sandburg Middle, and Glendora High Schools12/19/2022 My favorite thing about returning to in-person instruction this year was seeing the excitement on the students' faces when they finally got a chance to sing with their friends again. I knew going into the year that I had to make sure the students were interacting with each other and singing as much as possible. The most difficult part of this year was managing 3 separate choir programs at 3 separate schools. As a first year teacher, I had no idea how I was going to manage all of these programs. There were a lot of things working against me like coming back from distance learning, learning how to do show choir, working with 3 different administrations, but throughout it all I kept the students as my primary focus and managed to make it through.It took quite a bit of adjusting, but I finally managed to find my rhythm and had several very successful events, performances, and competitions throughout the year. My students love the warm ups, 'Mrs. Shady' and "The Good-Looking Cook." They're both sing-songey kinds of warmups with fun lyrics. They always request these 2 warmups every single rehearsal and it is such a joy to see them get so excited about warmups. Despite not having done it before now, I absolutely love show choir. I am excited to see where I can take these programs in years to come. If I had to offer one piece of advice to inspire other first year teachers it would be to ask a lot of questions. There are so many people out there who want you to succeed so don't be afraid to ask questions if you're unsure of how to do something.  The greatest gift that returning to live instruction has been is seeing students laughing and singing in the choir room during breaks, lunches, or after school. I love being able to spend my breaks & lunches with students talking about life or playing games.Our choir room is bustling with tags, random instruments, and community. The most challenging obstacle I faced this year was our Spring calendar. I had over planned our 2nd semester and we had our school's Spring musical - at one point in the semester, we were learning music for 4 different events! I definitely learned from this experience, but I also learned that students love the challenge and will learn anything we can teach them... So, teach effectively! Something wonderful that our students have really been enjoying is conducting their own pieces. I did not get the opportunity to do this many times througout the year, but when we did, it was always very impactful. After a short lesson on the conducting pattern and time signature, we have the students stand in a circle and all conduct a verse or phrase of the music. Already primed with the question, we then have students volunteer to conduct and voila! The students get a chance to practice notes and rhythms, never singing the same phrase twice, and watching a new conductor. Students usually leave this exercise with a new found appreciation for conducting, the music, and themselves.  My favorite thing about returning to in-person instruction has been observing how students have handled school post online learning. I really am impressed with the resilience of this group of students. I am finding that this generation of students is willing to fight for what they believe is right. They challenge you and ask you questions that from my experience as a student, you were never allowed to ask or say to a teacher. But...  |
Molly PetersChoral Director, Rancho Pico Junior High & West Ranch High School Archives
November 2023
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