Issue 13 • Fall 2015
The Official Publication of the North Dakota Chapter
of the American Choral Directors Association www.ndacda.com
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North Dakota ACDA Leadership Joshua Bronfman, president University of North Dakota Peggy Dahl-Bartunek, president-elect Mike Weber, past president North Dakota State University Sheldon Weltz, treasurer
North Dakota Repertoire and Standards Chairs Cheryl McIntyre, children’s choirs James Wolter, junior high choirs Discovery Middle School Allyse Hoge, junior high choirs Valley Middle School Tom Porter, men’s choirs University of Mary Charlette Moe, women’s choirs North Dakota State University
Phillip Voeller, senior high choirs Beulah Middle/High School Mike Seil, jazz choirs Legacy High School Brian Saylor, show choirs Bismarck High School Sara Lichtblau, ethnic/multicultural Fargo South High School Chris Redfearn, collegiate/university Valley City State University
Melanie Popejoy, community choirs University of North Dakota Vicky Boechler, music in worship St. Mary’s High School Andrew Miller, student activities Bismarck State College
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In This Issue From the President
4
From the Editor
6
Meet the New President-Elect
7
Articles Surround the State in Song
8
Cheryl McIntyre Getting Results
10 Andrew Miller
Public School Support
of NDACDA Honor Choirs
12
James Wolter
www.ndacda.com | 3
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From the President New Leadership, New Initiatives
t has been such an honor to serve this wonderful state as President-Elect and conference chair, and as of July I’ve moved into the President position. I’d like to thank our outgoing President, Dr. Michael Weber, for his service. We are lucky to have him in the state, and he has served the organization well. He now moves into the Past-President position and will serve as an advisor as well as coordinator of Membership. Over the past few months we have come together to try to tighten up some of our policies and procedures, and to look at our current systems to determine the best ways in which to serve our state. I thought we should update you all on some of the things we are working on, and some of the things we have recently implemented. State Conference Locations and Dates We have tentatively scheduled our locations and dates for the state conferences for the next three years. Our plan is to update this list every August, so that we are always three years ahead in dates and locations. These dates and times could always change, but we think that at least having a plan moving forward will help everyone with their future plans. Tentative dates and locations for the next three years are:
2017, Feb 3-4 in Fargo
2018, Feb 2-3 in Grand Forks
2019, Feb 1-2 in Bismarck
This year’s state conference is February 5-6 at Legacy High School in Bismarck.
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Conference Committee Established We have formally established a standing “Conference Committee” to help make the organizational structure of the conference clear. This committee is charged with planning and running the conference every year. If you have questions, please reach out to the relevant chairs with your questions.
Conference and Program Chair Peggy Bartunek (President Elect)
Site Coordinator and Host - Mike Seil (Legacy High School)
Concert/Hall Manager - TBA
Treasurer - Sheldon Weltz
Men’s Honor Choir Chair - Tom Porter
Mixed 7th-9th Honor Choir Chair James Wolter
Treble 7th-9th Honor Choir Chair Allyse Hoge
Annual Men’s Honor Choir At the board meeting in February, a proposal was put forward to move from alternating women’s and men’s honor choirs at the state conference, to having the men’s choir every year. The rationale for doing this is that we have a number of opportunities for women only, such as AllState and honor choirs at UND, NDSU, and
Minot, and very few for men. Since NDMEA has vocal jazz, mixed, and women’s choirs at their conference, it seemed natural that ACDA would fill the void in men’s choirs, as we do for elementary (Surround the State in Song), and middle school. Tom Porter is the Men’s R&S chair and has booked Daniel Stowe, director of the Notre Dame Glee Club, for this year’s choir. It should be great, and I hope you all will send a contingent of men to participate.
Selecting Honor Conductors In the past we have selected honor choir conductors during the school year in which they would be conducting. We are moving to selecting honor choir conductors 18 months out. By the end of November, we should know all of the honor choir conductors for the 2017 state conference, and by August of 2016 we should know the conductors for the 2018 conference. We are trying to move the markers a little farther out so that we can get some of the best names in the business, who are typically booking much farther in advance than we have operated in the past. Commissioning Projects Starting in 2017, we will begin commissioning one piece per year to be premiered at the state conference by one of the honor choirs. The commission will rotate between each honor choir, starting with the men in 2017, treble in 2018, and mixed in 2019. It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for our students, and in short time there will be a pool of new music out there written for our state conference that will hopefully have a life outside our state. We are very excited about this initiative. In addition, Andy Miller, Tom Porter, and Vicky Boechler are exploring the creation of a commissioning competition, to be held annually or
biannually, sponsored by ND-ACDA. That is in the early stages of planning, but we should hear more about it at the February annual meeting at the state conference in Bismarck. Stay tuned for that. I’m looking forward to serving this organization for the next two years. We are looking at a number of ideas and projects to help our organization and the singers within it. The board recently voted to raise rates for honor choir conductors and accompanists to put them more in line with national rates. We are able to do this (and the commissioning projects), due to the responsible fiscal management of our most recent past presidents, board members, our exceptional treasurer, Sheldon Weltz, as well as some positive income flows. We are also looking at makeup of the board and structure of R&S positions, to ensure we have fair representation, while being efficient in our use of people’s time. There are a few other ideas out there, but for now, if you have thoughts or suggestions about how to improve what ACDA does for you, we would like to hear from you. Best to all, and I hope you have a wonderful year.
Josh
Joshua Bronfman
University of North Dakota NDACDA President
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From the Editor
s somebody who’s brand new to the state, I feel a bit silly offering any kind of advice. I don’t know most of you, and therefore don’t know which of the many lessons I’ve learned over the course of my career to this point might be of use to you. But when the opportunity arose to edit The Chorister, I felt I couldn’t pass it up, and these sorts of publications always have a Letter from the Editor. So I’ll just tell you a bit about myself, and offer a few bits of wisdom that you probably already know.
My experience as a choral musician runs the gamut in more ways than one. As an educator and conductor, I have worked with children of all ages, taught at a rural community college, worked at two large universities as a graduate instructor, and now teach at Dickinson State University. I feel fortunate to have had such varied teaching experience because it has helped me to ferret out those principles which apply across the board, and which can be of benefit to any choir of any size at any level. As a performer, I have sung in choirs spanning the range from inexperienced church choir to university and professional choirs of national and international caliber. Singing in less-experienced choirs has taught me how valuable it is to have at least one strong singer in a section, who can lead the rest of the members of the section not only in singing correct pitches, but in finding a beautiful tone and appropriate stylistic approach to the piece. At the other end of the spectrum, singing with high-level university and professional choirs, I have learned the importance of each singer in the ensemble fully contributing to the overall sound and style of a piece of music. When even one singer in the group does not contribute equally, the en6 | The Chorister • Fall 2015
semble poorer.
is
made
So my simple advice to you— which is really more of a reminder, I’m sure—is threefold: 1) Never be afraid to address the basics, even if you’ve already done it umpteen times before. Even the best choirs need to be reminded to listen for intonation and maintain connection to the breath. 2) Never be afraid to address stylistic issues, especially in the early stages of the rehearsal process. If they spend the first six weeks singing that phrase without shape or articulation, and only spend a week shaping and articulating, the odds are good that these stylistic elements will disappear in performance. Even the least experienced ensembles can add some style. 3) Give your best attention and best efforts to each of your singers. Each of them is capable of some degree of excellence, and that thirty seconds you take helping that boy whose voice is changing to sing a little better in tune will pay rich dividends in the long run. I look forward to getting to know each of you over the course of my time in North Dakota. My sense is that we have a remarkable group of musicians and educators here who are doing some remarkable things. I look forward to contributing to the choral community here in whatever way I can. Brent Rogers Dickinson State University Editor and Designer, The Chorister
Meet Your President-Elect
I
consider myself to be an atypical NDACDA President-Elect because I entered choral directing through the back door as an accompanist. Although I sang in high school and college choirs, my plan was to complete a music degree with the minimal amount of effort so I could start a piano studio. I had no intention of teaching in public schools; I didn’t take choral methods because it wasn’t required; and being a choir director simply wasn’t on my radar. Although I accompanied countless voice lessons I never took lessons for myself. I was going to be a piano teacher. This is your new PresidentElect? Fortunately, in my junior year at UND my music methods teacher, Dr. Barrie Wells, observed me working with middle school students and saw something he described as “special”. He urged me to give up thoughts of teaching private piano and to apply for a public school position. I am convinced that Dr. Wells was instrumental in finding me my first job and a career in music education that has given me happiness, inspiration, and fulfillment. As a new teacher, I had much to learn and it took several years of “doing”, listening, and studying. I learned an untold amount through my colleagues and benefited greatly through membership in professional organizations including ACDA. When I was asked if my name could be placed on the NDACDA ballot, I asked myself, “How can I say “no” to an organization that has given so much to me?” “Organization” sounds formal and impersonal. It is the PEOPLE that make this a remarkable group. Although this six-year ob-
ligation will be a great deal of work, I consider it an honor and privilege to serve.
The qualities I’ll bring to the table will be organizational and people skills. I am passionate about music, people, learning, and the art of teaching. My primary responsibility this year is organizing the Feb 5-6 2016 state conference at Legacy High School in Bismarck. Visit http://www.ndacda.com/#!stateconference/c1nyb for conference information which will continue to be updated. Please contact me anytime at: pdbartunek@gmail.com Home: 701-352-2565 Cell: 701-360-0167 YouTube Channel: Peggy Bartunek Facebook: Peggy Dahl-Bartunek Thank you for the gifts you bring to our wonderful profession. I am grateful for the friends I have and for the new friends I will make in NDACDA.
Peggy Bartunek NDACDA President-Elect
www.ndacda.com | 7
Surround the State in Song
N
orth Dakota’s ACDA provides many opportunities for students of all ages. On October 10th, ND ACDA presented Surround the State in Song in six locations in North Dakota. A record 487 students in 5th and 6th grades participated in this event. A final concert was held simultaneously in each location using the same musical selections. Each concert began with the Star Spangled Banner. Other selections included “Get on Board This Train” arranged by Besig and Price; “Jubilate Deo” by Praetorious, arr. by Rao; “Pirates Life” by Donnelly and Strid; “Zum Gali Gali” arranged by Schwartz; and “Firefly” by Beck. Trudy Fraase Wolf noted that her students enjoyed the day and wanted to do the actions to “Zum Gali Gali” at their upcoming concert. The guest conductors for this year’s Surround the State in Song were Danielle Larson in Grand Forks, James Wolter in Jamestown, Sarah Hanson in Fargo, Alyssa Palmer in Minot, Joel Walters in Dickinson, Dawn Haggerot in Bismarck. These directors kept the students engaged and provided a wonderful day of music making for each student. Accompanists included Connie Sjostrom in Grand Forks, Lacey Guck in Fargo, Sarah McMahon in Bismarck, Heather Fair in Jamestown, Becky Schwartz in Dickinson and Jasmine Massingill in Minot. We have excellent music teachers working behind the scenes to make this a meaningful event for the students in North Dakota. A big thank you goes to the dedicated volunteer site managers for each location: Kyle Entzel from Grand Forks, Laurae Dykema from Dickinson, Lindsay 8 | The Chorister • Fall 2015
Kerzmann from Minot, Connie Stordalen from Bismarck, Sarah Barnum from Fargo, and Cheryl McIntyre from Jamestown. These people organize the performance sites, lunch (where provided), t-shirts, and arrange for the director and accompanist for their site. Thank you to those teachers who take the time to send students to the festival prepared for a great day of music making. One of the teachers in Grand Forks noted “Danielle was great at keeping the attention of the choir and kept rehearsals lively.” The “director and music selections were excellent: fun and engaging while at the same a good mix of styles and ‘good’ repertoire. Our kids had a fantastic experience again this year!” says Deb Bopp of Valley City. We would like to encourage more teachers to this event to help represent all of North Dakota schools. If you have questions about Surround the State in Song, please contact me at cheryl.mcintyre@k12.nd.us.
Cheryl McIntyre Jamestown High School NDACDA Children’s Choirs R & S Chair
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Getting Results
o you ever feel like the broken record that constantly reiterates musical concepts to your choirs, with diminishing returns? Do you feel like your choirs sometimes plateau? If you don’t ever experience these phenomena, please sign me up for whatever wavelength you’re on! But, if you are nodding your head, read on my friend. Most problems in a choir’s ability to perform with a high level of musicality, are not unique to any one director’s choir. They are universal problems. Here is a small list of concepts choirs commonly struggle with:
Accessing the high range
Keeping tempo
Following the conductor
Executing precisely timed cutoffs
Singing with beautiful tone
Singing with support
Singing with true emotion
Each of these problems can be remedied in myriad ways, but for the choir director who experiences any of these issues often, I offer perhaps a different look at the overall picture. It is important to acknowledge that you went into this career because you are a passionate, talented musician. You have an ear for beauty of sound and a desire for great musicality. When we begin to feel that we are ineffective to our choir, perhaps combined with feeling beaten down by the circumstances of our music program or community, we lose touch with the passionate, talented musician inside ourselves because what we feel we’re get10 | The Chorister • Fall 2015
ting out of the students and the choir is below what we envision or hope for in our mind. After a duration of this, we begin to settle into a routine of expecting less and demanding less, and maybe we become the broken record. If you’re still nodding your head, my advice is simple. Look at the above problems (or add in some that aren’t there), choose the ones that you seem to experience rather chronically, and tell yourself you will get your students to learn how to do it the right way and overcome the challenge. Give yourself permission to craft a lesson around one concept: Breath support, for example. Why not spend ten minutes doing a breath support workshop with your choir? Or, who says you can’t take those elusive off-beat cutoffs and turn them into a concept worthy of a five-minute focused workshop? If mentioning bits and pieces of breath support in warmups is not getting your choir to consistently sing with the true unfailing support you’re looking for, or if reiterating that the cutoff is on the “and-offour!” is just not working, intensify the focus of the concept. Ditch the music, address the concept. Use the great musician and the devoted educator inside you to address the issue head on – whatever it may be - and don’t let it go until the students fully succeed at the mission. The two common fears with shifting to
doing conceptual workshops with choirs are that we fear we might bog our students down with technicality and make them disinterested in choir, and we fear that we won’t get through all of our music. Let me reassure you, when you do a focused workshop with your choir and they come out totally understanding and victorious, you just made them love choir more. And just take it from me: Don’t buy into the fear of not getting through all your music. There will be time, and a piece can always be cut. Better to take the time to instill excellent musicianship and deeply ingrained vocal concepts, than to sacrifice those concepts for a fuller program.
gram. My priority to recruit for my program however, is and always will be secondary to my principle that students need a quality – not quantity – music education. And now for an eloquent conclusion. Thanks for reading!
Andy
Andrew Miller
Bismarck State College NDACDA Student Activities
A note on invitational choir festivals: The massed chorus experience is attractive and valuable, especially for smaller schools that otherwise don’t often get those opportunities. But, be careful in how many optional festivals you sign your students up for, the timing of the festival in regard to your own program calendar, and the literature demand the festival will place on your students. Most invitational festivals require the learning of 3-5 new pieces of literature, on top of your own literature. Often times, this comes at a compromise to both your own musical preparations, as well as the festival experience. I am not saying don’t do festivals. Keep bringing your students to festivals so they can get that vital experience and step foot on college ground as they dream of their futures. But, also keep in mind that participating in a festival is not a guaranteed positive experience for your students. Weigh carefully the amount of time your students - given the level they are at - will have to spend with new and often challenging music to truly enjoy it. Young fledgling choristers can ‘not’ enjoy making music with insufficient rehearsal. As a college choir director, I run festivals to recruit students into my prowww.ndacda.com | 11
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Public School Support of NDACDA Honor Choirs
n spring of 2015, ND-ACDA sent a survey to schools regarding support for the Middle Level Honor Choir. While we sent out to all directors in our database, we could not give statistically significant results for Class B schools; however, we were able to reach all of Class A districts.
The results indicate a positive position for support for Honor Choirs. We looked at financial support in four areas: audition fee, registration fee, hotel/lodging, and transportation. While funding of these components were varied, it is important to note that all public Class A schools provided financial support in two or more of these categories.
Public, Class A Schools Represented in Results: Bismarck
Mandan
Devils Lake
Minot
Dickinson
Valley City
Fargo Schools
West Fargo
Grand Forks
Wahpeton
Jamestown
Williston
With this survey, North Dakota helped ACDA fulfill one of its purposes, “To foster and 12 | The Chorister • Fall 2015
promote the organization and development of choral groups of all types in schools and colleges.” These results were given to Fargo Public Schools who, at the time, did not provide financial support for 7th and 8th graders to attend ND-ACDA. After being presented with this and other information, Fargo changed policy. Denese Odegaard, president-elect of NAfME and curriculum specialist with FPS, writes, “The effort put forth to gather data regarding the support and funding for Jr. High AllState was indeed a catalyst for Fargo Public Schools regaining district support for our students to attend the festival. The Fargo Public School music teachers and I would like to thank you for sharing the results with us so we could, in turn, show evidence of support for this festival across the state to our administrators. We created a document detailing how this festival is good for the individual student, the professional development for the teacher, and how student attendance enhances the ensemble. If anyone in the state is in need of such a document, we would be willing to share it. Thank you, again, for your help!”
James Wolter Discovery Middle School NDACDA Jr. High Choirs R & S Co-Chair
www.ndacda.com | 13
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