General

Articles

Handling Singer Dismissals the Right Way

Kathryn Mueller | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Technique/Tool

A community chorus is held together by its singers’ commitment to each other and to the group. But what happens when a volunteer singer becomes disruptive to that community spirit—and won’t comply with repeated requests to change their ways? Does your chorus have a carefully spelled-out dismissal procedure, or do you handle things on a case-by-case basis? Or are you sitting there crossing your fingers and hoping it won’t happen, because there is no precedent in recent memory? Read more

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The Heart of Vocal Harmony

Emotional Expression in Group Singing

Mike Rowan | Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, General, Performance, Profile, Sample/Template

Music is an emotional medium, yet we often spend rehearsal time in our choirs focused on notes, rhythms, and precision, rarely addressing the meaning of the music, says arranger and producer Deke Sharon. In the new book The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing, Sharon puts the process of delivering an emotionally compelling performance front and center. Read more

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Vocal Hacks

Kathryn Mueller | Education, General, Singing, Technique/Tool

Every conductor, singer or voice teacher needs a few good vocal hacks. No, we’re not talking mediocre singers; we’re borrowing from the tech world where Merriam-Webster defines a hack as a “creative solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation.” Read more

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Get Prepared with 5 Easy Tips from ArtsReady

Chorus America Staff | General, Operations, Technique/Tool

Having a business continuity plan in place can help protect your chorus, and enable you to get up and running again as soon as possible. Read more

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2014 Conference: Quotable Quotes and Top Tweets

Chorus America Staff | General

Chorus America's Conference is four days long, but those four days are packed with enough content, new ideas, and great moments to last until it's time to do it all over again. Here is a collection of some of the speaker quotes and #choruscon tweets that our staff have been talking about for the past few weeks. Have a favorite moment that we missed? Let us know in the comments below. Read more

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Member Spotlight: Donald Schell, Music That Makes Community

Kelsey Menehan | Adults/Seniors, Children/Youth, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Education, General, Health, Impact/Value, Innovation, Participation, Singing

Making music makes us human. So says Donald Schell, who along with his colleague Rick Fabian, leads Music That Makes Community, an organization that helps churches and other community groups break down the barriers to confident and nourishing group singing. Read more

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Improve Your Sight-Singing Before Your Next Audition

Shauna Fallihee | Adults/Seniors, Education, General, Participation, Performance, Rehearsal, Singing, Technique/Tool, Volunteer

For many choral singers, sight-singing is the scariest part of an audition. But with a little practice, you can get better at it. Here are some ideas to try before your next audition. Read more

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Trendspotting: What’s On the Horizon for Choruses

Kelsey Menehan | Composing/Commissioning, General, Impact/Value, Performance, Repertoire, Schools, Singing, Technology

What are the trends, challenges, and opportunities that are shaping choruses and choral music? A panel of leaders in the field weighs in. Read more

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Carrying on a Family Tradition of Carol Writing

Kelsey Menehan | Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Families, General, History, Impact/Value, Participation, Performance, Profile, Repertoire

As a young girl, Abbie Betinis noticed that singing “Caroling, Caroling” during the holidays always brought tears to her grandpa’s eyes. Later she would learn that the famous carol was one of many composed by her great uncle Alfred Burt, who was carrying on a family tradition of carol writing begun by his father, the Rev. Bates Burt. In 2001, Betinis, by then a composer herself, decided to pick up the family carol writing tradition. Read more

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Member Spotlight: Robbin and Jon Rose, Founders of My Music Folders

Chorus America Staff | Adults/Seniors, Careers, Community Outreach, General, Impact/Value, Operations, Singing, Technique/Tool, Volunteer

When these lifelong choral singers launched a community chorus, they didn't know they were also launching a music folder company. Read more

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Resources

Choral Conductors Today: Key Findings from the 2017 Report

Roland Kushner | Careers, Conducting, Education, General, Management/Leadership, Recruitment, Research/Data

Understanding more about choral conducting as an occupation can help choral conductors plan their careers and choral leaders make better decisions. This report uses data drawn from the survey responses of more than 600 conductors to examine conductors' career paths, training, responsibilities, salaries, and more. These key findings provide an overview of both important challenges and reasons to feel confident about the health of the profession, as well as developments since Chorus America's first choral conductor survey over a decade ago. Access the full report, available to Chorus America members, here. Read more

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Singer Information Form

Chorus America Staff | General, Operations, Performance, Sample/Template, Singing

Use this singer information form template to gather information during the audition process. Read more

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Fundraising Plan

Chorus America Staff | Fundraising, General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

Use this fundraising plan template to build overall goals for your organization and to clarify specific goals for foundation, government, corporate, and individual funding. Read more

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Executive Director Succession Plan

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This detailed succession plan template walks you through the process of selecting a new executive director. It offers best-practices, a step-by-step guide and templates for important documents. Read more

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Bylaws Template for U.S. Organization

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This template can help in the creation or revision of organizational bylaws, specifically for organizations in the United States. Read more

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Board End-of-Term Questions

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Sample/Template

These questions can be used to help assess performance at the end of a board member's term. Read more

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Artistic Leader Job Description

Chorus America Staff | Conducting, General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This sample administrative job description can help you define a new or existing role for an executive or managing director. Read more

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Artistic Leader Contract - Sample 3

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This sample contract template can be used to clarify expectations for a new or existing artistic leader. Read more

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Artistic Leader Contract - Sample 2

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This sample contract template can be used to clarify expectations for a new or existing artistic leader. Read more

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Artistic Leader Contract - Sample 1

Chorus America Staff | General, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Sample/Template

This sample contract template can be used to clarify expectations for a new or existing artistic leader. Read more

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Events

Princeton Pro Musica Presents “To Music, To Joy”

Princeton, NJ

Princeton Pro Musica | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Children/Youth, Families, General, Performance, Singing

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"Melancholy, Desire and Joy" The Sonatas of Corelli, Bach & Handel in Lakeville

319 Main Street

kabdrake | General

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"Melancholy, Desire and Joy" The Sonatas of Corelli, Bach & Handel at Saint James Place

352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA

kabdrake | General

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Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey

Lafayette, CA

David Morales | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Children/Youth, Families, General, Performance

Cantare Con Vivo kicks off their 32ndseason in early October with the Chorale’s annual Ice Cream Family Concert, Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey, featuring folk and popular songs, Broadway selections, light classics, and spirituals. Read more

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Summer Singers Day Camp (Grove City location)

100 Campus Drive, Grove City, PA 16127

Edwina French | Children/Youth, Community Outreach, Education, General, Participation, Recruitment, Singing

A fun day camp to inspire and encourage musical talent in children ages 7-11! Read more

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Summer Singers Day Camp (Pittsburgh location)

2425 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15222

Edwina French | Children/Youth, Community Outreach, Education, General, Participation, Performance, Recruitment, Singing

A fun day camp to inspire and encourage musical talent in children ages 7-10! Read more

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A Mere Matter of Life and Death

1317 G Street NW, Washington DC, 20005

Thomas Circle S... | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, General, Performance, Singing

The Thomas Circle Singers is a chamber choral ensemble with a dual mission: to perform diverse choral works for the enjoyment of audiences in the Washington DC area and to raise awareness and funds for organizations that address the pressing needs of the city’s underserved citizens. Since 1976, TCS has filled this unique niche, enriching the quality of life for Washington-area residents by offering superb performances of choral classics and new works by living composers, while contributing to the life of the community by donating concert proceeds to DC-based social service organizations. The Seven Heavens (James Whitbourne) WASHINGTON, DC PREMIERE Requiem (Rutter) Read more