CHORAL RANGE€¦ · CHORAL RANGE FALL 2016 Vol. 37, No. 2 THE KANSAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER ... having a teacher. Trust the process, and let them find their way

CHORAL RANGEFALL 2016 Vol. 37, No. 2THE KANSAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Editor’s Box ..................................2President’s Pen ............................3

Hands-Off Teaching .....................4Convention Choir Reports ...........8

In this issuePrelude Award Winner .............10Farewell to Arms .......................12

sued and received the MME from Duquesne University, and then began a nine-year stint at Spartanburg High School in South Caroli-na. The desire to “teach teachers” led him to pur-sue the PhD at Florida

2016 Harry Robert Wilson Award winnerQ&A with Tom Wine

State University, where he studied with Rodney Eichenberger and André Thomas. Following his graduation from FSU, he filled a one-year opening at the University of Ala-bama before beginning

Continued on page 17

Dr. Tom Wine is Chair of Music Education and Director of Choirs at

Wichita State University, where he has taught since 1995. Dur-ing his time in Kansas he has become a fixture as a clinician, adjudicator and director for events both in and out of state, and continues to be an active researcher and writer on music education and choral singing.

After beginning his teaching career in West Virginia, he pur-

D

Harry Robert Wilson Award winner Dr. Tom Wine with retired colleague and fellow HRW recipient, Dr. Bud Boughton.

PAGE 2 n CHORAL RANGE

The Editor’s Box

Brad Vogel

Thomas Edison is famous for—among other

things—the statement “Everything comes to those who hustle while they wait.” As directors, we will likely quickly find or fashion a poster or Facebook post with this statement, and wave it high as wisdom and motivation for our singers. But there is the reality of many and grand successes attribut-able to nothing other than: dumb luck. (For instance, any success I have in plumbing endeavors ...)

Toward this end, National Pub-lic Radio presents the Golden Mole Award for Accidental Brilliance—stories that demonstrate how mis-takes, surprises and coincidences can turn into valuable insights in the mind of a curious scientist. Example A is, of course, Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. Much less neat and sincerely appalling is Hen-nig Brand’s discovery of phosphorus; be sure to read or listen to the story on NPR—that’s all I’ll say about it.

And this got me to thinking: how many things—valuable things—are indeed the result of not great plan-ning and fortitude, but rather ne-glectfulness or fortuitousness? In addition to penicillin, there are oth-er pharmaceuticals whose current usefulness stand apart from their original intent (and that’s all I’ll say on that topic . . .). But there are other common and useful (and fun!) items that were purely happy accidents: Play-Doh, the Slinky, and sticky-notes to name a few. Corn Flakes were the

VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1

Choral Range is a twice-yearly publication of the Kansas Choral Directors Association, a not-for-profit professional organization affiliated with the American Choral Directors Association.

Reach us at: www.kansaschoral.com

PresidentDustin [email protected](816) 304-0073

President ElectDr. Mark [email protected](316) 295-5553

Vice PresidentLaura [email protected](913) 744-9392

Newsletter EditorDr. Brad [email protected](620) 877-7310

SecretaryWendi [email protected](913) 683-4122

TreasurerSteve [email protected](620) 327-6054

Music Industry RepresentativeMarkel [email protected](620) 330-3808

Exhibits & Advertisements CoordinatorSusan [email protected](913) 780-7120

Membership ChairMargie [email protected](650) 207-8241

WebmasterTiffani [email protected](318) 715-8433

CHORAL RANGETHE KANSAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

result of negligence and—while I’m on the subject of food—haven’t you ever wondered how it was decided, or who decid-ed, what we should and should not eat? (“Every-one watch Grog. Grog eat small brown round thing. If Grog alive on Tuesday, we all eat small brown round thing.”) And who got the idea of where milk

comes from? More importantly, who decided we should eat spinach?!

Well, all that to say this: we can and do stumble into success at times. I learned early in my career how quiet my choir could be dur-ing rehearsal (other than singing, of course), when I lost my voice; I couldn’t speak up, and so used hand signals to indicate directions not only in conducting, but also to indi-cate what page and measure. Since I was quiet, everyone was quiet; may-be they just enjoyed the peace ... In another way, however, we become better teachers when we are forced away from being the leader: when contest rules dictate that we can’t be the dictator, ensembles must per-form undirected.

And so, a feature of this edi-tion is the value of non-conducted ensemble singing—what is learned when the learners become their own teachers. Perhaps in more ways than one, our students stumble into becoming better musicians by not having a teacher. Trust the process, and let them find their way. And keep this in mind:

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and America was found by accident.

CHORAL RANGE n PAGE 3

KMEA State Choral ChairPam [email protected](913) 780-7150

Children’s ChoirsJosh [email protected](785) 844-3015

Ethnic/Multicultural PerspectivesHilary [email protected](785) 550-8623

Junior High/Middle SchoolErin [email protected](913) 780-7280

Women’s ChoirsAmy [email protected](316) 393-6115

Women’s Choir AssistantLisa [email protected](316) 973-2745

Men’s ChoirsJan [email protected](913) 660-2277

Youth and Student ActivitiesDr. Tom [email protected](316) 687-0121

Music and WorshipKevin [email protected](913) 660-8935

College and University ChoirsDr. Christopher [email protected](913) 971-3644

Senior High ChoirsJason [email protected](913) 424-6751

Two-Year College ChoirsKerry [email protected](620) 227-9371

Community ChoirsCarolyn [email protected](785) 760-3809

Jazz and Show ChoirsJohn Stafford [email protected](913) 288-7137(217) 979-3094

Choral CompositionTimothy [email protected](913) 360-7597

NW District RepresentativeDr. Terry [email protected](785) 639-3200

NC District RepresentativeJanie [email protected](785) 313-4704

NE District RepresentativePending

SW DistrictRepresentativeJane [email protected](620) 540-1882

SC District RepresentativeJenny [email protected](316) 973-7279

SE District RepresentativeSusan [email protected](620) 231-1851

KCDA BOARD MEMBERS 2015-2016

Many of us have our first concert behind us and we’ve settled

in for another year. This fall I started the Interdisciplin-ary Ph.D. in Music Educa-tion/Choral Conducting at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. The program is split between course work and teaching undergraduate music education courses, and the opportunity to work with these future choir, band, orchestra and general music teachers has once again highlighted the importance of organizations like KCDA

It’s difficult for me to imagine my career without ACDA; I imagine many of you agree. The value and impact that attending Summer, Regional and National ACDA conventions is too significant to measure. With that, one of KCDA’s strategic goals is to increase the number of college students attending our Summer Convention and participating in our organization. While your leadership team is working to create pro-gramming that attract students in our state you can help too! If you are aware of a choral music student in our state who isn’t connected with KCDA invite them to join us! Encourage them to take advantage of the reduced ACDA dues for college students (www.acda.org). Together our efforts will both enrich the lives and work of these future choir directors and create a new generation of Kansas Choral Directors Associa-tion members.

Finally, SAVE THE DATE! Next year’s KCDA Sum-mer Convention, Sing to Inspire, with headliners Dr. Jo Michael Scheibe, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Southern California, and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, Conductor, Composer and Host of American Public Media’s Sing to Inspire, will take place on July 6-8, 2017 at the Topeka Capitol Plaza Ho-tel and Convention Center.

The President’s Pen

Dustin Cates

Newsletter DesignVogel Design, Hillsboro, [email protected](620) 877-7540


Working with chamber singers is a great way

to teach singing indepen-dence and to cultivate indi-vidual leadership. I’d like to share some rehearsal and performance techniques that I’ve used to success-fully step away from the ensemble and let them sing without being conducted.

The job as a director is to organize the learn-ing process, whether it is through solfege, count singing, or other methods in order to learn the ba-sics of the song. When it comes to the refinement stage, it is good to step away from the front of the room and allow the singers to rely on each other. Facing rows to-ward each other (1 faces 2, 3 faces 4) or standing in circles (voice sec-tions, rows, or mixed SATB/SSA) and using eye contact helps to pull the focus into each other and allows the director time to move about and listen. Forming small groups of mixed singers, wrapping arms around each other and putting heads down into the center while sing-ing (shared with me by John Stafford, KCKCC) is a great exercise to tighten and lock chords. Even on accompanied songs, pull the piano off as they re-hearse so they are independent from the rhythmic and tonal support it provides. You will find out im-mediately where they need more work!

As they progress with eye contact, it is time

to teach them to use their ears. Two rehearsal techniques that help students open their ears are singing in the dark and lying on chairs/floor while singing. These can be used with any size ensemble. Shutting off the lights removes eye contact and the singers rely on their ears to stay together. Lying on their backs on chairs or the floor also removes eye contact without turning the lights off, allows a student to use their music if needed, and creates an opportunity for better breath support for those slow songs with long phrases. Standing in one large circle and turning off the lights is also effec-tive for independent singing. Entrances are timed with the beginning pitch. When the pitch stops, the singers breathe and sing. Holding hands dur-ing this exercise can communicate cut offs with a quick hand squeeze or crescendo/decrescendo by gently squeezing tighter and loosening. I would

begin this tech-nique by joining them in the circle and initiating the handgrips, but soon they didn’t need me any-more.

When sing-ing a Madrigal

that is fast and rhythmic, spread the singers out in the room without holding music. They take a step with each note they sing, moving their feet to the rhythm. Make sure they look around as they move so they don’t run into each other! Then, have them step to the beat while singing, and the rhythm nat-urally fits together.

To provide repetition of repertoire and have some fun at the same time, take the singers out of the classroom and sing in the hallways of the

The job as a director is to organize the learning process, whether it is through solfege, count singing, or other methods in order to learn the basics of the song. When it comes to the refinement stage, it is good to step away from the front of the room and allow the singers to rely on each other.” -Sheree Stoppel

“

Better teaching througha hands-off approach

by Sheree Stoppel

Continued on page 10

CHORAL RANGE n PAGE 5PAGE 4 n CHORAL RANGE

Tabor CollegeDecidedly Christian

Academically Excellent

BECOMEAND

AUTHENTIC

400 S. JeffersonHillsboro, KS 67063

(620) [email protected]

tabor.edu

TABOR COLLEGE IS A FULLY ACCREDITED, FOUR-YEAR CHRISTIAN LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE.

Faculty: • Dr. Bradley Vogel, Dept. Chair,

Choral Music • Dr. Sheila Litke, Piano Performance • Dr. Holly Swartzendruber, Voice • Larry Ediger, Instrumental Music • Laurel Koerner, Theater • David Martens, Contemporary

Christian Music • Dr. Jen Stephenson, Choral Music

& Voice Concert Choir • Concerto Bella VoceChamber Voices • Piano PerformanceSymphonic Band • String OrchestraMusical Theater • Theater • Jazz BandMajor Choral/Orchestral WorksContemporary Christian Music

Performing Arts

For audition and scholarship information, contact Dr. Bradley Vogel at (620) 947-3121 ext. 1402 or [email protected]

Tabor CollegeDecidedly Christian

Academically Excellent

BECOMEAND

AUTHENTIC

400 S. JeffersonHillsboro, KS 67063

(620) [email protected]

tabor.edu

TABOR COLLEGE IS A FULLY ACCREDITED, FOUR-YEAR CHRISTIAN LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE.

Faculty: • Bradley Vogel, DMA -

Choral Music • Sheila Litke, DMA -

Piano Performance • Jen Stephenson, DMA -

Choral Music & Opera • Shawn Knopp, MM -

Instrumental Music • Holly Swartzendruber, DMA -

Voice • David Martens, MM -

Contemporary Christian Music • Brad Baker, DMA -

Collaborative Pianist • Laurel Koerner, MFA -

Theater

Performing ArtsConcert Choir • Concerto Bella VoceChamber Voices • Piano PerformanceSymphonic Band • String OrchestraMusical Theater • Theater • Jazz BandMajor Choral/Orchestral WorksContemporary Christian Music • Opera

For audition and scholarship information, contact Dr. Bradley Vogel at (620) 947-3121 ext. 1402 or [email protected]

Performing Arts Encounter Days:

October 30-31, 2016November 20-21, 2016March 5-6, 2017

Wichita State University is pleased to announce a new opportunity for music educators! The International Phonetic Alphabet Overview badge course has been developed to be of use to singers, voice teachers, linguists, speech pathologists and actors.

This Badge is worth 0.5 credit hours and equates to 22.5 hours of combined online instruction and study time. Badge courses that appear on a transcript indicate that academic work was successfully completed.

visit: badges.wichita.edu or contact: Keshia Ezerendu | 316-978-7579

New Opportunity for Music Educators

MusP390BA International Phonetic Alphabet: Overview This course has been developed to be of use to singers, voice teachers, linguists, speech pathologists and actors.

By the end of the badge, students will:

• Acquire the tools to be able to sing, speak or teach clear and correct pronunciation of a language.

• Be introduced to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

• Correct articulation and know the use and placement of the articulators.

• Learn forward, central, back vowels and diphthongs.

• Learn Stop-Plosive, Nasal, Fricative, Lateral and combined consonants and Glides.

• Learn the individual characters in the IPA, (International Phonetic Alphabet).

• Learn to transcribe language into IPA symbols in classwork and assignments.









































KANSAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Award nominations submitted online at www.kansaschoral.com.Yearly nomination deadline: May 1.

The Harry Robert Wilson Award is awarded annually to one outstanding member of the Kansas Choral Directors Association. Awardees will demonstrate:

Excellence in choral music training, performance and scholarshipCommitment and contributions to choral music in the state of KansasPositive and supportive collegial interactionActive participation, leadership and service to KCDAMust have a minimum of 20 years in the Choral Music Profession

Selection ProcedureNominations will be solicited from the general membership of KCDANominees must be current members of KCDA (posthumous nominations accepted)Nominators must submit biographical information, a letter of nomination and may be asked to submit additional letters of support from KCDA members and/or colleagues, students and familyThe KCDA Executive Board will select the most qualified nominees which will be presented to the current full boardCurrent members of the KCDA Full board will vote to determine the HRW Award WinnerCurrent members of the KCDA Executive Board are ineligible for nominationNominations are carried forward for two subsequent years and thereafter may be resubmitted

Formerly the Young Director Award, the Prelude Award will be given annually to one outstanding member of the Kansas Choral Directors Association with at least three and no more than five years of experience as a choral director in the State of Kansas. Awardees will demonstrate:

Successful teaching and performance in choral music in KansasProfessional demeanor in interactions with colleaguesPotential as an exemplary professional with an extended career in choral musicA spirit of service through active participation and involvement in KCDA and/or KMEA

Selection ProcedureNominations will be solicited from the general membership of KCDANominees must be current members of KCDA in their 3rd, 4th or 5th year of experience as a choral director in KansasNominations must include biographical information, a letter of nomination from a current member of KCDA and a letter of support from an administrator, supervisor or mentorThe KCDA Executive Board will serve as the selection committee for reviewing nominations and voting to select a recipientCurrent members of the KCDA Executive Board are ineligible for nominationNominations may be resubmitted anytime during the eligibility period (3 to 5 years) but are not automatically carried forward for future consideration.

Harry Robert Wilson Award

Prelude Award















After being selected to participate through an audition process, 80 young women met the challenge of KCDA 2016 All-State Wom-

en’s Honor Choir! Dr. Mitos Andaya Hart chal-lenged these young ladies to dig beyond the mu-sic to connect to the text while working on their repertoire. Dr. Hart utilized syllabic stress and understanding of the text to clarify phrasing, teaching our young women the im-portance of attention to de-tail as performers. Whether singing an early renaissance piece or Dr. Hart’s vocal jazz arrangement of My Favorite Things, these young ladies remained focused and atten-tive throughout the entire rehearsal process. As always, our young singers were thrilled with the opportu-nity to perform their literature in Grace Episcopal Cathedral!

Thank you to Amanda Pfenninger for her beau-tiful and sensitive accompaniment; Amy Brown for organizing auditions and pre-convention de-tails; Melissa Seiler for her positive and pro-active attitude; Steve Burk at Grace Cathedral for his

Meeting the challengeEighty young women encouraged to ‘dig beyond the music’

constant work and attention to detail; Jenny Po-tochnik for organizing the catering for our honor choir members; and the 27 choral directors who had singers in the choir and therefore assisted in preparation, communication, and transportation!

The 2017 Summer Convention will bring Dr. Pamela Elrod Huffman to Kansas. Dr. Huffman

serves as Asso-ciate Professor of Music and Director of Cho-ral Activities at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts. Dr. Huff-man has a var-ied conducting experience – from elementa-

ry and secondary schools to university and church choirs – and had the opportunity to sing under the direction of the late Robert Shaw. Be sure to submit your young women singers auditions next March. Details will be available on the KCDA web-site. We look forward to seeing you next July!

—Lisa CooksonCo-chair for Women’s Choirs

Whether singing an early renaissance piece or Dr. Hart’s vocal jazz arrangement of My Favorite Things, these young ladies remained focused and attentive throughout the entire rehearsal process. As always, our young singers were thrilled with the opportunity to perform their literature in Grace Episcopal Cathedral!

n 2016 Women’s All-State Choir Report


Energy, enthusiasm, and a very generous spir-it—these were the qualities possessed by the nearly one hundred high school men who

arrived in Topeka this summer, ready to sing. Put that many teenagers together in a ballroom with air-conditioning that doesn’t work, and you soon see what they are truly made of. These men not only rose to the occasion, they exceeded all our ex-pectations and had a great time doing it.

Our fantastic conductor, Dr. Brandon Wil-liams of Rutgers University, set the tone by being upbeat, engaging, and showing a positive and pro-fessional spirit throughout the two days. It was easy to see that the choir found him to be charming, funny, and well qualified to lead them to an excellent perfor-mance. They enjoyed his warm-up song so much that they insisted on performing it at the concert!

The most inspiring thing to see was the bond-ing and camaraderie that developed between the men who participated in the choir. They started out as strangers, but ended their time together swapping stories about their schools and choir ex-periences “back home.” There were boys from the very smallest schools in Kansas and from the very

Bonding and camaraderieNearly 100 young men from across state find common bond

largest schools in Kansas, but singing together in the choir gave them a shared experience they will never forget. I think they didn’t know what to expect when they arrived, but what they got was truly amazing.

The 2016 men’s choir did not have to audi-tion for the privilege of singing in this ensemble. For the 2017 choir a simple audition will be add-ed to help with part balance, and to assure that

the choir does not get too large to fit in the Cathedral. But please don’t let that de-ter you from encouraging your men to participate! The men’s choir experience is exactly the type of thing we, as choral directors, want for our young men to have and

to bring back to our choirs. The cost is nominal and the benefit is great!

A huge shout-out to Amy Brown and Lisa Cook-son, the Women’s Choir co-chairs; without their endless help this year, I would never have been able to pull all the pieces together for the men’s choir. Also, a grand thank you to our fabulous ac-companist, Dr. Kezia Schrag, who brought great skill and good humor to the keyboard.

Our clinician this year will be Jonathan Palant, vocal teacher at Richland College in Dallas and au-thor of the book Brothers, Sing On!. Efforts will

be made to coordinate the men’s and women’s choir schedules, and per-haps even provide some transportation, to avoid any interference with the convention experience for participating directors. Don’t let your men miss out on this great opportunity!

—Jan HolthusChair for Men’s Choirs

They started out as strangers, but ended their time together swapping stories about their schools and choir experiences “back home”... from the very smallest schools in Kansas and from the very largest schools.

n 2016 Men’s All-State Choir Report

Tiffani Thompson, the 2016 re-cipient of the KCDA Prelude Award recognizing outstand-

ing young teachers, in now in her fifth year as Director of Choral Ac-tivities and Theatre at J. C. Harmon High School in Kansas City.

Thompson enjoys a broad teach-ing responsibility at the school, add-ing theater courses—including the

annual musical—and color guard to her work with choral ensembles.

Additionally, she is the founding di-rector of the Kansas City Kansas All-City Women’s Choir, and serves as the lead teacher of secondary vocal music for the Kansas City Kansas Public School District.

Congratulations, Tiffani, from the broader KCDA community!

Tiffani Thompson awarded 2016 KCDA Prelude Award

school. Find good acoustical areas around stairwells and entryways with lots of glass and tile. Perform for the counseling office staff and in the lunch area. This also exposes your beautiful ensemble sound to the school and entices people to attend your next concert!

When performing, the singers need to return to us-ing eye contact to unify their songs. To give them bet-ter eye contact, stand the chamber singers in a horse-shoe arc so the ends of each row can see each other. When risers are used, the singers step to their row and spread out (put hands on waist with elbows bent out, move until elbows touch neighbor’s elbows—I call this The Mighty Mouse pose, find their “windows” and drop arms). Then the end people step down 3 steps, next end people step down 2, etc., leaving the middle people on their original rows. This forms the horse-shoe arc. It is important to be able to see each other and yet stay in contact with the audience, as the sing-ers feel free to move their heads while singing. Ac-climate your singers to the acoustics of the stage by singing an “AH” vowel on G3 for boys and G4 for girls while turning a slow clockwise circle, listening to oth-ers around them. As they return to the front, change the vowel to a more forward “OH” vowel. This gives each singer a sense of where the ensemble sounds are coming from, and determines if the stage is acousti-cally friendly.

HANDS-OFF TEACHING, continued from page 4

Don’t be afraid to allow your singers to be independent from your conducting hands. If ap-proached correctly, they will become more con-fident ensemble singers and will solidify their performance!

n KCD... Hey, that’s pretty funny


CHORAL RANGE n PAGE 11Friends University does not discriminate against academically qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or without regard to disability. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, 230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604; www.ncahlc.org; 1-800-621-7440.

• One-third of undergraduates participate in music and Fine Arts.

• More than 50 concerts, performances, theatre productions and exhibits each year.

• More than 20 guest musicians, choreographers and artists visit annually to perform and create with students and faculty.

Your students can DISCOVER Fine Arts atFriends University

Schedule a visit at 316-295-5100 or [email protected].

Find the Friends University performance schedule at friends.edu/finearts.

FAREWELLTO

ARMS


With apologies to Earnest Hemingway (or could that be Earnestly Humming-away?), the KCDA board was asked to provide repertoire sugges-

tions for music that serves well in developing musician-ship in singers by them learning to unify and polish without the aid of the conductor. Take note and give these a try!

W

n A Listing of Repertoire for Non-Conducted Ensembles


Wendi BogardBasehor-Linwood Mid-dle School/High School; KCDA Secretary

I do not have my students perform much non-conducted music, so I do not have specific titles to share. I do, how-ever, find that if we are having trou-ble staying together (i.e.,they are not watching me on an a cappella song, or it is dragging), I give them a downbeat and then walk to the back of the room, or put my head down, stop making eye contact, and do not conduct them. They are forced to focus and work as a whole to keep the song together. In two or three attempts the problem is usually solved. The students immedi-ately focus on the leaders in the group

who focus on each other. Suddenly everyone is breathing together, facial expressions start to happen and it be-comes more musical. The singers do the work—I just get out of their way. I have found this most helpful at the high school level but have used it with my middle school students in the past as well.

JanieBrokenickyKansas State University/Flint Hills Children’s Choir; KCDA Northcen-tral District Representa-tive

n Sigh, No More Ladies, Ruth Morris Gray , SSA , Heritage Press

A great Shakespeare text that the women love to perform, and very accessible for a younger women’s ensemble because of the supportive piano accompaniment. Provides great opportunity for interaction between the singers!

n Bright Morning Stars, arr. Jay Althouse, SSAA or SATB, Alfred Music Publishing

A great a cappella arrangement of an Appalachian Folk Song. It opens and closes with a female trio that is great for featuring singers.

Dr. Mark BartelFriends University; KCDA President-Elect

n Serenísima una noche (a Christmas Villancico), SATB, Geronimo Gonzales, CPDL

The piece can almost conduct itself once a small choir has a basic mastery of the changing meter and lilting dance rhythms of this piece.

n Alleluia (final movement of the Motet “Lobet den Herrn”), SATB, J.S. Bach, Various

In spite of the many runs and the polyphonic complexity of this piece, there are really only 3 motives (with variations), and one word of text. The rhythmic differ-ences among the parts complement each other in a way that helps the work hang together.


Dr. Terry CrullFort Hays State Univer-sity; KCDA Northwest District Representative

n Ave Maria Rachmaninoff, Ed. Donald Neuenl SATB a cappella; Lawson-Gould

I’m working on this with my choir right now, and we spend time in a large circle without me conducting with the goal of teaching them that slow and legato doesn’t also mean to drag. This arrangement helps them keep the inner pulse going even though the piece should be rather beat-less!

n Walk Together, Children, Arr. Moses Hogan, SATB (divisi), Hal Leonard

Any spiritual is good to use as a non-conducted piece in either rehearsal OR perfor-mance. It forces the students to take ownership of the concepts of rubato effects, extreme dynamic changes, altered tempos that paint the text, etc. Rather than the conductor dictating these things, if they rehearse by themselves these decisions come from the group; hence, ownership.

Kerry KuplicDodge City Community College; R&R Chair for Two-Year Colleges

n Shaker Songs, Kevin Siegfried, SATB, Earthsongs

Several movements from this collection work well, but especially “Peace” and “Benediction.” The collection works for a small or large ensemble, but really al-lows members of a smaller ensemble to play pivotal roles in the direction of the piece. They are great for establishing solid tuning and ear training within the ensemble.

n Ave Maria, Zolton Kodály, SSA, Universal Edition

A most beautiful composition, it works well with just one or two voices on a part.

SusanLaushmanPittsburgh High School; KCDA Southeast District Representative

n O Eyes of My Beloved, Orlando di Lasso, SATB, GIA Music

n Omnia Sol, Z. Randall Stroope, SATB piano, Heritage Music


Hilary MortonLawrence Free State High School; KCDA R&R Chair for Multicul-tural Music

I select music that makes the singers work to find a sense of ensemble: they are in charge of dynamic swings, tempi shifts, cut-offs and complicated entrances. It makes them think like one, and bounce energy between one another.

n Daemon Irrepit Callidus, Gyorgy Orban, SATB, Hinshaw Music

Students love this piece—the intensity, the difficulty, and how dark and demented it sounds.

n Jenny Kiss’d Me, Eric Barnum, SATB divisi, Walton Music

Very playful—makes singers really watch one another for cues, sustained pitches, etc.

n O Magnum Mysterium, C. A. Carrillo, SATB, Earthsongs

Beautiful, updated Venezuelan take on the classic text. The work changes tempo a few times, with great swells, and has beautiful dissonances. This is my favorite setting of the text.

n Il Est Bel et Bon, Pierre Passerau, SATB, CPDL

Possibly the hardest self-conducted song I enjoy teaching. It is fast, complicated, confusing and a delight when it works. To be honest, it’s scary, and I’ve had choirs enter at wrong times before in a performance.

Susan ScheiblerOlathe East High School; KCDA Exhibits and Advertisements Coordinator

n Dieu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder, Claude Debussy, SATB, Durand S.A. Editions

I used this as the “pretty” se-lection of the two my Madri-gal Singers sang at KSHSAA Small Ensemble Festival. This arrangement is the first of three a cappella songs un-der the title, Trois Chansons. It is great for developing ensemble singing; it’s short, and while the notes them-selves are not very difficult, the language and singing it musically are challenges.

Carolyn WelchLawrence Children’s Choir; KCDA R&R Chair for Community Choirs

n The Alfred Burt Carols, Alfred Burt, trans. & arr. by Hawley Ades, SATB, Shawnee Press

Versatile works, suit-able for a wide range of groups and settings. They are excellent for turning over to a small group to sing without a conductor, whether car-oling at Christmastime, performed by a small ensemble at a concert, or sung in church.


Jason SickelBlue Valley North High School; KCDA R&R Chair for High School Choirs

n Hymn of Acxiom, Vienna Teng, arr. Kerry Marsh, SSAATB a cappella vocal jazz ensemble, www.kerrymarsh.com

n My Heart Is Offered Still To You (Mon coeur se recommande a vous), Orlande de Lassus, ed. David Randolph (English text by Alice Parker), SATB, Lawson Gould

JaneVanderhoffGarden City High School; KCDA Southwest District Representative

n In Paradisum, Gabriel Faure, ed. Earlene Rentz, SSA piano, Heritage Choral Series

n Hallelujah for the Day!, arr. Andrea Ramsey, TTB piano and optional percussion, Hal Leonard

n Peace I Leave With You, René Clausen, SATB divisi, Mark Foster

Erin StewartOlathe Prairie Trail Middle School; KCDA R&R Chair for Middle School Choirs

n Medieval Gloria, Vijay Singh, TB, Alfred

For middle school men. The Medieval Gloria is a great processional song that does not need be directed, and can even be used while the choir is filling or leaving the risers. The hand drum sets a steady tempo for the group. The work fits the range of the average middle school male choir, as long as you have them flip up the oc-tave on the last four notes of the refrain. It is a great way to start the year to build unity in the group with Latin vowels and to work on singing on the breath. (Also available in SA.)

n Fy Upon You Fy, MacFarren/Tom Fettke, SSA, Fred Bock Music

For middle school women. Fy is a great song to rehearse in a circle with middle school women. They love the challenge of trying to get all of the moving parts to fit together and, once they get it, they don’t need you anymore! The most difficult part is remembering the text of the verses.


his present position at Wichita State University.

Always humble, thoughtful, and possessing a quick humor, Dr. Wine acquiesced to an inter-view with the Choral Range to reflect on his career, the profes-sion, and the Harry Robert Wil-son Award.

CR: Tell us about the events in your young life that led you to consider a career in music and in music education.TW: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... 1969 in a place called Cleveland. Picture an over-weight fifth grade boy with glasses discovering Star Trek. I was a boy soprano (tenor in the barbershop quartet) getting to sing at the White House for then President Nixon. That was the first time I real-ized that music opened doors for me in a unique way. The family moved to Pittsburgh, my voice changed, and I switched my fo-cus to playing trumpet. I loved the band trips and the friends, but was pretty sure I was going to be an engineer.

Now the year is 1976 and the nation is celebrating the bi-centennial. My high school de-cided to put on a production of 1776 and needed more guys (go figure). I was cast in the role of Rutledge. Music was suddenly back on the table as a possible college major. I received a trum-pet scholarship to Alderson-Broaddus College, a small liberal

with Tom WineContinued front page 1

arts institution where students had the opportunity to do ev-erything – band, choir, theater. Somewhere around the end of my sophomore year, I became enamored with the “choir thing” under the direction of Dr. Jack Clinard, and began to think my teaching future might not in-clude marching bands.

CR: Were there particular things that prompted you to pursue ad-vanced degrees and a career in higher education?TW: Getting my MME was to-tally serendipitous. When I

completed my fall semester stu-dent teaching in Grafton, WV, I was offered the job as the assis-tant choir director at the high school. That winter, my father had open heart surgery. I ap-plied to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh so that I could be near to help my Mom. When I was offered the choral assis-tantship, it was a done deal.

The decision to get a doctor-ate was difficult. I spent nine very happy years teaching high school in South Carolina. I loved my students, but sensed that I wanted to teach teachers. The selection of schools was not at all what I planned. I was sure I wanted to get a DMA in choral conducting. While reviewing

schools, I met Rodney Eichen-berger at Florida State. FSU does not offer a DMA. Still, I went to look at the program and met this young professor (just five years older than me) named Andre Thomas. If you know Andre, he can be very persuasive. Mary and I quit our jobs, gathered our 2-year-old toddler and 3-month-old baby, and headed to Florida.

CR: What were the most notice-able adjustments moving from public school teaching to univer-sity teaching?TW: It is a life-style choice. Do

you know that some high school directors have to teach four or five choirs a day? A typical day at the university level involves three

classes. I know, how do I do it?! The first year after graduat-

ing from FSU, I was hired for a one-year position at the Univer-sity of Alabama. The chair of the department, Harry Price, im-pressed upon me the importance of dedicated time for research and publication. That first year, I authored three different arti-cles and received my first grant. From 1994 to 2001, my focus was on educational research. I did very little conducting at the uni-versity level with the exception of clinics out in the schools. The level of scholarship required to get tenure at the university level was a noticeable change.

When Bud Boughton re-Continued on page 18

While I am grateful for those opportunities, what I am really proud of is the day-to-day teaching. Lasting relationships with former students are not developed because of a single event. ” -Tom Wine

“


tired from WSU, I was named the interim director of choirs. It changed my job description to what I do today: conducting two choirs and teaching classes to music education majors. The research focus changed and led to my book, Composers on Com-posing for Choir.

CR: Were there noticeable changes from the southeast to the central midwest? TW: The southeast has more noticeable diphthongs; I think they call it a Southern accent. Midwesterners love to chew on their “R” sound (Corn) and close the “oo” vowel.

The truth is, 18-year-old freshman tend to be the same ev-erywhere. There is an innocence and enthusiasm to that age which makes it a joy to teach regardless of the place. Mary and I miss the beach. We still have not adjusted

to sub-zero temperatures in the winter. But the things that mat-ter – friends, family, sense of pur-pose – those are the same.

CR: What have you found par-ticularly enjoyable about prepar-ing future music educators, and are there some events of which you are particularly proud?TW: There is a temptation when you look back on a career to try to find defining moments. It is easy to point to concerts like conducting an All-state choir or a performance at Carnegie Hall. While I am grateful for those opportunities, what I am really proud of is the day-to-day teach-ing. Lasting relationships with former students are not devel-oped because of a single event. Those are a product of being pre-pared every day, nurturing the music making process and truly caring about the people who

make it happen. When one choir is accepted to sing at KMEA, they are standing on the shoulders of those who created the oppor-tunity the year before. To say a KMEA concert means more than the effort put forth by those who made the audition tape does not make sense.

I am proud of my WSU “kids” who are finding their way as music teachers. Singing in my choir or taking my secondary methods class probably didn’t change their lives that much. What changes their lives is in-ternalizing a positive leadership example to impact their own students. Answering these ques-tions makes me realize I should tell them more often how much they are making a difference!

CR: How have you seen the field of music education change dur-ing your years as an educator and

TOM WINE, continued from page 17

AMERICAN CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE PERFORMANCE

KANSAS CITY KANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE“The Standard” Vocal Jazz Ensemble

John Stafford II, director

PERFORMANCE DATE & TIMEJazz Night: Friday, March 10th, 2017 at 10pmMinneapolis Convention Center Auditorium


university education advisor?TW: Obviously, technology has had an impact on the way we teach. I can still remember the smell of blue ditto machines. History classes included memo-rization of a lot of names and dates. Now students can pull out their pocket Google devices and find a list of Baroque compos-ers and all of their birth dates. Multiple recordings of sample choirs are at their fingertips through YouTube. Everyone can have a tuner and met-ronome in their pocket with free smart phone applications like Metro-nome Beats.

The level of paper-work required to complete a college degree has increased exponentially for both students and administrators. Document-ing observation experiences, completing performance evalua-tions, compiling data over time, meeting national, state, and lo-cal standards, the list seems to grow every five years. Some-times I feel like I am checking off boxes instead of working with individuals.

When I was in college, I did

not see a “real” public school stu-dent until I did my student teach-ing. Today’s college students complete hours of classroom ob-servation, have multiple teach-ing experiences in the schools, and get an active student intern-ship. Today’s students still need to be good musicians, and the level of personal mentorship by studio teachers and ensemble di-

rectors has not changed much in 30 years. While the tools and de-livery system may have evolved, the personal nature of making music with an instrument built inside the performer has stayed the same.

CR: As a long-time and respect-ed adjudicator, what are three important things you would want directors to be aware of as they approach music festivals? TW: 1. Pick music for the choir in front of you, not the choir you

WISH you had. 2. Train the singers to enter

the stage looking like they want to sing.

3. Every rehearsal, practice making music and not just sing-ing notes. The “magic” does not happen on stage unless it has already happened in the choir room.

CR: Tell us a little about your response to receiv-ing the Harry Robert Wil-son Award.TW: Seeing the summer All-State program and counting the many for-mer students now listed as directors was special. The response on Face-

book was overwhelming – people who were in my South Carolina high school choirs, former Mad-rigal Singers, and church choir members all sent personal notes.

I truly love ACDA. It shaped my career as a young conduc-tor. It continues to motivate and feed me as a teacher and an artist. Being recognized by my peers as someone who has made a lifetime contribution to a pro-fession—that means everything. What a gift!

Being recognized by my peers as someone who has made a lifetime contribution to a profession—that means everything. What a gift!”

-Tom Wine

“

Attention student conductors!Get your first-year membership for only $5

when you sign up by June 30 2017

For more information and to apply:acda.org/page.asp?page=StudentInitiative-Students


Kansas Choral Directors AssociationTabor College400 N. JeffersonHillsboro, KS 67063

Stay up-to-date online at kansaschoral.com

The articles in ChorTeach are designed for those who work with amateur singers of all levels, and are selected to provide ideas and techniques to encourage directors and to help them help their singers to achieve choral excellence.

If you have written an article, or read an article in a division or state newsletter, and believe it would be of interest to ChorTeach readers, alert Dr. Terry Barham, ChorTeach Editor, by Email at [email protected].

In the fall issue: Ronald Staheli: Exemplary Music Evaluator by David Williams n Global Music in Christian Worship by Jeff Clouser n The Benefits of Singing—Resources for Conductors by Fern L. Burnett n Singing in a Choir—Less Stress and an Enlarged Sense of Community

Read ChorTeach,ACDA’s Online Magazine

Read it online: acda.org/publications

Documents

CHORAL RANGE€¦ · CHORAL RANGE FALL 2016 Vol. 37, No. 2 THE KANSAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER ... having a teacher. Trust the process, and let them find their way