WA-ACDA Summer Institute 2007

Z. Randall Stroope headlines the 2007 summer event. Plan now to visit beautiful and cool Washington state July 25-27 to learn and to read the greatest of choral literature.

More about
Z. RANDALL STROOPE
 
…studied conducting with Margaret Hillis (Chicago Symphony Chorus Conductor) and Doug McEwen (Arizona State University).  He is the Artistic Director for a summer music festival in England, recently directed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, has led choirs in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center,  Washington National Cathedral, and ACDA and MENC National Conventions; he has conducted 22 all-state choirs, conducted at the American School in Singapore, and directed the Vancouver Symphony and Omaha Symphony.  Dr. Stroope will conduct this year in Utah, Texas, Maryland, Canada, North Carolina, Washington, Nevada, California, North Carolina, England and Lithuania.  He has 80 published musical works, and has sold nearly two million copies of music.   Beyond Rowan’s duties (Rowan University, Glasboro, New Jersey), he most enjoys working with schools in the region and sharing in their work and dedication to the choral art.   Dr. Stroope is the College Repertoire and Standards Chair for the New Jersey Choral Directors Association.

Registration for this year's session can be done online. Watch this site as to when the form is ready. Target date is February 15, 2007.

Stroope, Glover, Oberfield, and a 18 reading session presenters...
how can you go wrong!

2007 SI looking good

by Leora Schwitters, President-Elect, WA-ACDA

A great deal of behind-the-scenes work by many people has already been done to make the Washington ACDA Summer Choral Institute 2007 a success.  We are thrilled to have Z. Randall Stroope, Director of Choral Studies, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey.  The submitted descriptions for his three informational sessions look very exciting, including plans to use demo singers to help foster our understanding of his techniques.  He will also present a reading session and will offer instruction for our annual Conducting Master Class.  Dr. Stroope’s session topics are:

1.   PERFECTing PITCH  & Imaginative Programming 
      An innovative look at improving pitch awareness.  The session
      will also explore some creative ways to package and “sell” your
      concerts.  Choosing literature and presenting it to the public
      are important parts of the students’ educational experience.

2.   Teaching head voice to young male singers
       After the male voice changes, what then?  This session explores
       ways to help the student and teacher access the upper notes in
       the young male voice, and provides a healthy track for extending
       range and building a solid technique. Many males’ voices never
       really “find themselves” after the voice changes, and this will
       give them more confidence and viability in singing.

3.    Core, Color, Canopy
       There are three “pillars” or fundamental things that have to be
       in place for successful choir building and national performance-
       level singing. Recording and demonstration singers will be
       a part of this session, in our exploration of this exciting topic.   

We’re excited to add two other exceptional interest sessions this year.  WA-ACDA member Dr. Sandra Glover, Highline Community College, representing the Tahoma Chapter of N.A.T.S., will present a session on Vocal Health and Technique.  She plans to share how modern technology has helped voice pedagogues understand the vocal “mechanism” better, what voice-teaching ideas to discard, what new approaches this knowledge has inspired, and how to incorporate these ideas into the choral rehearsal.  Q & A will follow. 

A second interest session will be presented by WA-ACDA member Megan Oberfield, President of Northwest Kodály Educators, entitled:  Kodály in the Choral Context:  Cultivating Smart Singers.  I observed a similar presentation she was preparing for the national convention several years ago.  She shared how to adapt Kodály techniques to be used with older singers which improve music reading skills and strengthen ear training in the choral rehearsal, using a variety of  interesting and fun activities.

Our R & S Chairs have lined up a stellar group of reading session presenters, and these eighteen presenters are compiling their prioritized lists of songs.  These lists will include new as well as tried and true publications in a variety of voicings, styles, periods, levels of difficulty, and for a variety of occasions.  JW Pepper continues to offer those reading packets free to participants, and Pepper’s representative, Kathy Rasmussen, will soon begin tackling that huge task.

Non-ACDA members may attend this year, but in the future, the Institute will require membership, as do all other ACDA events.  Please invite your colleagues to attend, especially if they are not members or if they’ve never attended in the past.  This event has become a must-attend for most Washington choral directors, and we want to spread the word.  

If you’re still not sure about attending, listen to what some of last year’s attendees had to say:

• The helpful, caring people from ACDA—all the support and encouragement!  I could list specific people, but you all were a treat and I plan to join now as a result of my experience here this year!
• The 2006 WA ACDA Institute was one of the best and most enjoyable we have ever attended.  The UPS Campus (and Tacoma, in general) was gorgeous and the people were friendly and helpful.  We were, and still are, enchanted by our first visit to the Northwest.  We’ll definitely be back!
• Well-organized and well-run—congratulations! Great job, WA-ACDA!  Thanks for all your hard work!
• This was my first SI—loved it, what a great atmosphere—I’ll be a regular from here on.
• SUPERB!!  Best I’ve experienced in many workshop experiences. Thanks!  I attended this about 10 years ago and appreciate the tremendous improvements. 
• Hospitable and friendly board members!
• It was a great event.  They just keep getting better and better every year!

See you there, and bring your friends!

Leora Schwitters
WA-ACDA President-Elect and Event Chair

WA-ACDA Summer Institute (sponsored by WA-ACDA, University of Puget Sound School of Music,
and Pepper at Ted Brown Music

Home - Leadership - Summer Institute - Links - Calendar - UNISON
Click on these text links if your computer does not display buttons above.

Detailed schedule of WA- ACDA Summer Institute 2007

Registration

Welcome –Chapel

Round table luncheon hosted by R & S Chairs (boxed lunches)

Junior High/ Middle School Music -Downstairs- Constance Branton, Dawn McCormick & Georgina Philippson
Community Choir Music -Chapel– Paul Schultz & Mark Kloepper

Jazz –Chapel- Nich Anderson
Elementary/Children’s Music -Downstairs- Sue Green & Shari Anderson

Dr. Stroope -Chapel-  PERFECTing PITCH & Imaginative Programming

Dr. Stroope,  Teaching Head Voice to Young Male Singers

Vocal Health/Technique –Downstairs-  Sandra Glover
College and University –Chapel-  Marc Hafso & Dave Cross

Men’s Music/Women’s Music – Chapel-  Linda Short & Rafe Wadleigh
Kodály in the Choral Context:  Cultivating Smart Singers–Downstairs-  Megan Oberfield

Conducting Masterclass.  Please come and participate in the choir as we sing, observe, and listen to some great conducting tips from Dr. Stroope

Dr. Stroope:  Core, Color, Canopy

Return to top of this page | Return to homepage