Songbirds and Singers. Let’s get children singing in choirs in grades 1-4!
Katherine Smallidge
Practical strategies for starting or expanding an elementary choir program in your school: rehearsal times, recruitment, repertoire, warm ups, using SeeSaw to practice at home, singing with older choirs.
“I love going into the lunch room to collect my first or second grade songbirds. They are so proud to have joined the choir and made a commitment to something big, powerful, and fun. I admire how these little ones commit fully to the repertoire and sing with great joy, heart and their whole bodies. Elementary choir is where the magic begins.”
The Curious, Collaborative Creativity
Joshua Cushing
The Curious, Collaborative Creativity (Collins & Gilbert, 2017) framework facilitates space for directors to reframe their unique talents and skills, for students to discover, develop, and experiment with their musicianship, and for the community we know as choir to create meaning together! This session will focus on the need for culturally responsive and student-centered practices in ensemble settings, and suggestions for implementation through repertoire selection and project-based learning.
The Process of Commissioning a New Choral Work: A Composer's Perspective
Dr. Jacob Narverud
Have you always wanted to commission a new piece of music for your choir but you're sure where to begin? In this session, composer Jacob Narverud will talk through the steps of commissioning a new choral work that fits the exact needs of your ensemble.