Advancing Conductor (p

c hoir /V ocal • F eatured N ew r eleases

Becoming the Choral Poet

Considerations and Techniques for the Advancing Conductor Jerry McCoy

Foreword by Ann Howard Jones

“How many times I have overheard a colleague say, ‘I could create a performance like that if I had those voices.’ Maybe so, but here is a book that will help you build healthy technique and ravishing tone that is responsive to the emotional content of the words being sung.” — Ann Howard Jones, from the Foreword

How do text and music intertwine to build true artistry in choral performance?

In Becoming the Choral Poet, esteemed conductor and teacher Jerry McCoy shares how choral conductors can guide their ensembles to deeper artistic expression through an understanding of and commitment to the poetic expression and emotional content of the words they sing.

McCoy shows how the poetic elements of a text—punctuation, assonance, onomatopoeia, mood, inflection—inform a host of musical decisions, including dynamics, phrasing, tempo, and color. He follows with guidance for developing an interpretative analysis of a work, using beautiful literature as examples.

Central to the book is a chapter on the choral poet’s “mechanics,” or their attributes, skills, and procedures. McCoy addresses a range of topics:

• Personal and professional characteristics of conductors • Auditions • Rhythmic integrity • Creative seating charts and their uses • Rehearsal considerations • Characteristics of powerful programming • Conducting gestures to build vocal color and expressive shapes • Exercises to refine tuning and rhythmic skills

The book’s final chapter presents a collection of short essays from throughout McCoy’s career that aim to strengthen the conductor’s educational approaches, enhance choral performance, and broaden the cultural balance in today’s singing. Becoming the Choral Poet is the culmination of a life’s work in the choral arts. For novice and seasoned conductors alike, this book builds the conductor’s imagination, allowing them to paint with the brush of their singers in rehearsals and concerts that are vocally, artistically, and creatively inspired.

Dr. Jerry McCoy is Regents Professor of Music Emeritus for the University of North Texas (UNT), where from 2000–2015 he led the choral program to national and international acclaim while serving as Director of Choral Studies and Conductor of the A Cappella Choir.

Evoking Sound Virtual Classroom

Online Conducting Pedagogy Resources for Conductors and Ensembles

James Jordan

We have come to realize the need for online content given the COVID-19 pandemic, and moving forward, teachers will likely blend their teaching in the future with a mixture of in-person and online learning. With this new virtual classroom, James Jordan and other recognized teachers and authors can visit as guests in your classes.

This collection of videos draws from a variety of sources. A series of lectures given by James Jordan are designed to partner with his Evoking Sound text and demonstrate the unique pedagogies he has developed over his thirty years of teaching conducting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Other Jordan lectures detail the teaching of patterns in a sequential way that accurately reflects the forward movement of sound in legato and nonlegato contexts.

Another series of videos explain the history of Laban Effort Shape and its application to conducting teaching and artistry. In yet another series of videos, two of America’s most respected conductors—Eugene Migliaro Corporon (instrumental) and James Jordan (choral)— enter into a collaboration, using cutting-edge technology to illustrate their teaching principles for learning the basics of conducting technique.

In addition, you can virtually join Meade Andrews, internationally recognized Laban teacher, as she leads students through Laban Movement classes. Hear Gary Graden detail the pedagogy of chant improvisation. Experience Weston Noble and his approach to standing choral singers in ensemble. Join Mark Moliterno, recognized voice teacher and yoga instructor (www.theyogavoice.com) for a yoga class that connects the role of breathing to human expression. Bring Simon Carrington into class to explain his approach to music literacy and musical performance. Watch Sabine Horstmann demonstrate the vocal technique sequences she created based on Frauke Haasemann’s legendary teachings regarding vocal technique. Even listen in on a conversation between three of the most influential figures in choral music of the past thirty years—composer Morten Lauridsen and conductors Paul Salamunovich and James Jordan.

Related Books:

G-7359 Evoking Sound (see page 171) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49 .95 G-8096 The Conductor’s Gesture (see page 172) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45 .00 G-7358 The Anatomy of Conducting Workbook (see page 171) . . . . . . . . $11 .95 G-8812 Discovering Chant (see page 173) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32 .95 G-7899 The Empowered Choral Rehearsal (see page 179) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8 .95