Issue 16 • Fall 2016
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 Mike Weber, president, North Dakota State University Peggy Dahl-Bartunek, president-elect Sheldon Weltz, treasurer
North Dakota Repertoire and Resources Committee Repertoire-Specific Coordinator: Tom Porter, University of Mary Men’s Choirs: Tom Porter Women’s Choirs: Charlette Moe, North Dakota State University Vocal Jazz: Mike Seil, Bismarck Legacy High School Showchoir: Brian Saylor, Bismarck High School Ethnic Music: Mary Pat Archuleta, Bismarck Century High School
Youth Coordinator: Sarah Barnum, Discovery Middle School Children and Community: Cheryl McIntyre, Jamestown High School Middle School/Jr. High:
Allyse Hoge, Valley Middle School, & Jessica Blair Stoppleworth, Wahpeton Middle School Senior High School: Phillip Voeller, Beulah Middle/High School
Collegiate Coordinator: Chris Redfearn, Valley City State University Youth College/University: Chris Redfearn Student Activities: Andy Miller, Bismarck State College
Life-Long Coordinator: Sara Lichtblau, Fargo South High School Community Choirs: Melanie Popejoy, University of North Dakota Music in Worship: Vicky Boechler, St. Mary’s High School, & Sara Lichtblau
Brent Rogers, Dickinson State University Editor and Designer, The Chorister brent.w.rogers@dickinsonstate.edu
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In This Issue From the President-Elect
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From the Editor
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North Dakota Choral News Big Opportunities for a Small School
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Finding their Voices
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Surround the State in Song
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Articles What’s in the Folder?
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Carlos Vieira, Minot State University Music in Worship
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Sara Lichtblau, Fargo South High School Classroom Management
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Brian Saylor, Bismarck High School
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I
From the President-Elect
remember crying twice at last year’s ACDA convention in Sioux Falls. The first time was at a concert of an amazing middle school boys choir from Iowa. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t keep the program and I don’t remember the name of the school or the director. [Editor’s Note: This choir was the 9th Grade Men’s Choir from Prairie Point Middle School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, conducted by Kelly Truax.] I believe it was an unauditioned choir. When the boys finished the concert, the audience “leapt” to its feet and erupted in applause and cheers. It was clear that the boys loved to sing, loved the repertoire, and that they loved their director. I cried happy tears because their music moved me, but probably more so because they sang with joy and confidence. I thought about what the choral experience was doing for the boys in terms of making good music with others; making friends; gaining self-confidence; learning from, liking and respecting a gifted teacher; and perhaps, planting the seed for lifelong involvement in music. I was reminded of all of the good things about teaching choral music. I thought about my role in the process, how much I have gained musically and personally, and how grateful I am that my vocation has been as a musician and as a teacher. The director of the boys choir was clearly a master teacher and, in the positive sense, a “pied piper”. When I recognize that quality in other teachers, it brings me to happy tears.
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This brings me to the other reason I cried. I attended a breakout session presented by Ramona Wis about the conductor as servant-leader. Her book The Conductor as Leader: Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium is worth the purchase price. I cried because she affirmed what I believe about why I am a teacher. “Servant” may have a negative connotation but I believe that serving others and serving music as a leader is a wonderful responsibility. Perhaps many of us ARE servant-leaders but we have never put it into words. If readers have suggestions about how I can be a better servant-leader as President Elect of NDACDA please feel welcome to contact me anytime at: pdbartunek@gmail.com Home: 701-352-2565 Cell: 701-360-0167 Peggy Dahl-Bartunek NDACDA President-Elect
A
From the Editor
warm (if belated) welcome back to the new school year from Dickinson! I hope your year is off to a strong start, and that you have many exciting opportunities on the horizon.
Since you’ve all had a bit of a chance to get to know me by now—whether through in-person interactions or through my columns last year—my columns this year will be much more brief and to-thepoint. You’ll see a couple of new features in The Chorister this year that I’m quite excited about, and that I hope will make this publication more interesting and useful to you. (I believe that some of these features were included in past issues prior to my taking over editorship, so they may not be as new to you as they are to me.) 1. “What’s in the Folder?”: This is a feature you heard about via email from me earlier this year. In each issue of The Chorister, one of our colleagues will write about five pieces of music that they have enjoyed conducting in the past, and that they think may be useful to us. In this issue, Carlos Vieira, who just took over at Minot State University, has written a wonderfully thorough article introducing us to the choral music of his native Brazil. I hope you enjoy it—I have a feeling there may be some Brazilian music happening in Dickinson soon! 2. North Dakota Choral News: This actually happened somewhat by accident this month as I received word of
a couple of exciting choral happenings from around the state, but it’s something I think is worth doing on an ongoing basis. In late August, I received word of some exciting opportunities that have recently been extended to one of the many rural schools in our state, and thought that you all would be interested to hear about it as well. Then, in September there was an article in The Jamestown Sun about some exciting choral developments at the James River Correctional Center. Two of our colleagues brought it to my attention, and I contacted the author of the article to request permission to reprint it in The Chorister. Cheryl McIntyre’s article on this year’s Surround the State in Song made the perfect partner to these other pieces of choral news. In the future, if you have choral news from your corner of the state that you’d like to share with the rest of us, please let me know!
3. Feature Articles from Within and Outside the State: As always, your colleagues on the NDACDA board will share with you their insight in each issue of The Chorister, but we’ve also decided to begin soliciting articles www.ndacda.com | 5
from outside the state to enrich and broaden our practice as choral musicians. The first of these will be appearing in the Winter issue, which will be published on January 15th. As always, I hope you will let me know if there are more ways you think The Chorister can be useful to you. I’m very much open to suggestions, and would love to hear your ideas. Have a great year! Brent Rogers Dickinson State University Editor and Designer, The Chorister
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I
Big Opportunities for a Small School
now teach grades Pre-K through 12 music, vocal and instrumental. I have a high school group of girls, ages 1317, who sing the "Star Spangled Banner" at local high school and college sporting events. We call ourselves the Banner Girls, but we sing much more than the "Banner". We also sing as an ensemble at region and state music contest (at which you have once been our judge!), as well as at other community events in the region. The Banner Girls have sung the national anthem at ND State Class B Basketball tournaments, which led to an invitation to sing it at the Shrine Circus for 2 years, which led to an invitation to sing it at a formal military flag-raising ceremony at Ft. Buford, ND for a monument dedication honoring the Buffalo Soldiers of the late 1800's and early 1900's. While at Ft. Buford, one of the gentlemen who raised the American flag happened to be the Executive Director at the George Washington Masonic Memo-
rial. I received a telephone call a week following our Ft. Buford performance inviting my singers to perform a concert in Washington D.C. at a black-tie gala event commemorating George Washington's birthday in February, 2017! THEN, this week, I received an invitation to perform at a black-tie affair at Mt. Rushmore in June of 2017. These young ladies have been given some experiences and performance opportunities that come along for very few high-school students. I've been told that on a stage which boasts famous performers from around the world, we are the first high school ensemble to be invited to perform at the George Washington Memorial. It is a tremendous and humbling honor! MiChelle Nybo Leeds Public School
The Banner Girls at Ft. Buford
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Finding their Voices
JRCC Chorus Provides Creative, Social Outlet for Inmates
T
he James River Correctional Center has a new program for its inmates — a chorus.
The James River Correctional Center Chorus had eight members for its first concert on Aug. 31 at the correctional center’s visitors center. The concert was limited to the correctional center’s staff and the chorus members’ families. Corrections Officer Drew Topp, who started the chorus earlier this year, said the chorus performs a variety of music, from spirituals to country and rock. Three inmates in the chorus, Justin Wright, Steven Carder and Ronnie Simons, said being in the chorus has made an impact in their lives behind bars. Wright, 29, said he had a little bit of music background, as he was in band in middle and high school and was part of a professional drum corps after high school. He said he wound up in prison due to alcohol issues and being in the choir takes him backto a happier time.
go. He said he learned how to read music through the choir program. “It (learning to read music) gives me a better understanding of the music,” he said. “It lets me contribute, rather than just stand there.” Carder and Wright said participating in the chorus has helped them be more self-confident and become more involved in the correctional center’s activities and programs. Simons said being part of the chorus will give him a new outlet and a new group of people to be around when he gets out of prison, which will help him not fall back into old, bad habits.
Carder said he is always looking for new opportunities for social outlets in prison, and the choir fit that idea.
Topp is a Jamestown High School graduate and music major at the University of Jamestown. Topp has worked at the state prison since December 2014, other than a five-month break he took in fall 2015 to start college at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He transferred to UJ after he qualified for academic and music scholarships.
“I told Topp ‘I’ve never sung a lick in my life, sign me up,’” he said.
“I’ve been playing music since I was 6 years old,” he said.
Simons has a background in music, having sung with his church choir in Far-
Topp said he plays piano and six other instruments and sang in choir from ele-
“I don’t have too many constructive opportunities here,” he said. “This is a good way to take up some time.”
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mentary school through high school. He is working toward a double major in music education and vocal performance at UJ. “I never thought my music and my working here would ever coincide,” he said, “It’s two work fields that don’t intersect very often.” Topp said there was another corrections officer who talked about how the prison needed a choir and encouraged him to think about starting one.
“I brought the idea to Chad (Pringle, JRCC warden), and he liked the idea. That was in March,” Topp said. Pringle said he was excited about having a chorus program at JRCC. “Any time we can get a prosocial activity going that inmates participate in, we do what we can to get that going,” he said. Topp posted a memo in all the housing units seeking inmates interested in starting a chorus and sent out a notice in the inmate’s inhouse messaging system. The initial chorus had 12 men and first met in April. Topp said the inmates had varying degrees of experience in singing and performing, and membership has fluctuated as inmates have left when paroled.
Topp said the inmates have worked hard to make the chorus a success. “They (the inmates) have all made a lot of progress,” he said. “They have all pretty much overcome the challenges I have given them.” Topp said the inmates really enjoy learning and are “like sponges” soaking up the music knowledge he presents to them. “They have exceeded my expectations,” he said. Topp said another JHS graduate, Tom Mortensen, a senior studying music at the University of Mary in Bismarck, has earned credits toward his degree serving as Topp’s assistant choir director. Topp said once he has his degree, he plans to go back into the military. Topp would liked to make an arrangement with UJ to have music students from the college direct the JRCC Chorus after he leaves. Chris Olson The Jamestown Sun colson@jamestownsun.com 701-952-8454 This article was originally published in The Jamestown Sun on September 13, 2016
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Su rround the State in Song
O
n October 8th, 475 fifth and sixth grade singers gathered in six locations in North Dakota to perform at Surround the State in Song. Lime green shirts covered the stages all over North Dakota. Students were selected by their teachers for this event. They performed “The Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key, “Antiphonal Kyrie” by Susan Thrift, “Winds” by Larysa Kuzemenko, “Child of Tomorrow” by Mark Patterson, and “Ning Wendete” by Greg Gilpin. At several sites percussion and movement were added to the performance. A teacher from Dickinson commented, “The children enjoyed the experiences and the friends they made that day. The children were attentive and cooperative.” Jennifer Redfearn who brought students to the Jamestown site said, “Thank you for a fabulous day! My students thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The facilities were great and the conductor was wonderful.” A teacher from the Fargo site commented, “Pam did a great job getting a beautiful sound out of our students.” Deb Wald shared, “What a glorious day! Thank you for inviting me to work with such amazing young singers.”
entered the stage and they all sang together. It was lovely and many commented about how cool it was to combine t h e t w o groups, and the experience those young singers had singing with the older singers,” said Connie Stordalen. Jamestown’s Blue Jazz vocal jazz ensemble, directed by Cheryl McIntyre, performed at the Jamestown site. Cantabile Children’s Choir, directed by Maralee Sickler, performed on the Dickinson concert.
At the Bismarck site, New Gen vocal jazz ensemble, directed by Brian Saylor, performed their own set and then sang with the Surround the State in Song participants on ”The Star Spangled Banner”. “The High School group that was our guest performers sang the national anthem with the SSIS group. It was perfect. As the HS group finished, SSIS group
Directors for this event included Pam Burns in Fargo, Dean Jilek in Grand Forks, Desiree Bondley in Bismarck, Joan Eckroth Riley in Dickinson, Deb Wald in Jamestown, and Jerlyn Langemo in Minot. Each director was very skilled and helped students bring even more enthusiasm to the music and to music performance. I would like to thank the won-
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This year we added a reading session with each participating teacher bringing a few of their favorite selections. “I think the reading session was a great addition. Next time maybe (we) can focus on sharing warmup ideas in addition to pieces,” suggested Sarah Barnum. These selections were of various styles and difficulty levels. Teachers shared their favorite composer’s music and ways they have used these pieces with their groups.
derful accompanists for their work throughout the day. This festival would not be possible without the numerous volunteer hours of our six site managers Lindsay Kerzmann in Minot, Laurae Dykema in Dickinson, Connie Stordalen in Bismarck, Kyle Entzel in Grand Forks, Cheryl McIntyre in Jamestown, and Sarah Barnum in Fargo. Musical selections are decided on by combining teacher suggestions and perusing new music selections. This year we would like to thank JW Pepper and Popplers Music for assisting us by having music titles and selections available at their choral reading sessions presented in the summer months. If you have suggested titles that you would like to see in the future for Surround the State in Song, please contact cheryl.mcintyre@k12.nd.us. We would love to see more schools involved in this one day event that celebrates the joy of singing among our young students. Kyle Entzel said, “The kids were so well prepared! A big thank you to the music teachers for helping their kids prepare and learn the songs!” Thank you to all of the participating teachers for fostering the joy of singing with your students. We know that many of the students will have lasting musical memories. Kathy Enervold, a retired North Dakota music teacher, commented on Facebook, “ I’m so glad this event is still alive and strong as ever! Go NDACDA!” Cheryl McIntyre Jamestown High School NDACDA Children and Community R&R Chair
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Su rround the State in Song
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B
What’s in the Folder?
razilian choral music has an astonishingly rich and long tradition. There is evidence of choral singing in the Renaissance style among the Jesuits and the missions in the 16th-century. As the settlements developed through the following centuries, more and more churches were built and a flourishing sacred cultural activity was established. The astonishing musical activity in the state of Minas Gerais during the time of the exploration of the gold mines in the 18th and 19th centuries was rich and pompous. The same is true with the period of the Capela Real in Rio de Janeiro, when the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil in 1808 and established one of the most flourishing musical institutions in the whole history of the Americas. The next generation of composers would start the various movements of Brazilian nationalism. The project of this nationalistic affirmation of Brazilian music was greatly based on the exploration of folkloric tunes and musical elements. However, it would soon be challenged by the expansion of a nonnationalistic approach to music composition brought to Brazil from Europe during the World War II. During the second half of the 20th century, a movement of eclecticism would flourish in the country. Due to many political and cultural reasons, choral music in the country is not in its best historical moment at this moment. In spite of that, there are some good choirs and great compositions are still being produced. I am listing in this article five of my favorite Brazilian choral pieces, but the repertoire that is out there to be explored, published and performed is enormous and it has great quality.
Composer: Miranda, Ronaldo (b. 1948)
Genre: Folk Music Arrangement Title: Suíte Nordestina [Northeastern Suite] Scoring / Voicing: SATB Text: Traditional Language: Portuguese Publisher and Publisher Number: Earthsongs - ES.S-183 Duration: c. 5’
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Recordings
CD Saudade, with Kammerchor Apollini et Musis, conducted by Vinzenz Welssenburger, 2013 (ROP6049) Associação Canto Coral Porto Alegre, conducted by Leo Fuhr: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAOZnTzv4Kc Canarinhos de Petrópolis, conducted by Marco Aurélio Lischt: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccg2vNGEUAk Eastern High School Chorale, directed by Lori Knapke: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=f5agV06dutw CORALUSP Grupo Sestina - regência Marcia Hentschel: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tY8LD-NGab8 Notes Ronaldo Miranda is one of the most renowned living Brazilian composers. He is actually professor of composition at São Paulo University. Suíte Nordestina is a fourmovement choral suite freely based on folk melodies from Northeastern Brazil. Because of its folk content, the arrangements have a certain nationalistic flavor with simple harmonies and syncopated rhythmic patterns. It is also interesting to notice the presence of the embolada style in the second and fourth movements. Embolada is a poetic-musical process from the coastal areas of NE Brazil characterized by a somewhat declamatory melody, very fast and repetitive passages, and a comical text. This composition won the award at the National Competition for Arrangements of Brazilian Folkloric Music in 1982. Difficulty: 3 Appropriate for: Middle school, high school, university/college, community choir
Composer: Pinto Fonseca, Carlos Alberto (1933-2006) Genre: Folk-Music Arrangement Title: Muié Rendêra [Lacemaker Woman] Scoring / Voicing: SATB Text: Traditional Language: Portuguese Publisher and Publisher Number: Earthsongs Duration: c. 3’45” (continued on p. 21) www.ndacda.com | 15
H
Music in Worship
ello everyone! Vicky Boechler and I are sharing the role of music in worship. She will concentrate on the more traditional side of church music and I’ll try to talk about the contemporary side of music in worship. As I’m writing this, I’m preparing the fall music for my Adult Choir called Praise Choir at Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo. We sing mostly contemporary music and sometimes along with the worship team/ band. When people hear that you lead a more contemporary adult choir they may think that you sing ‘fluffy’ and poorly written music. I find that my choir still wants to be challenged but still have fun while working in a small group. Here’s the process that I use and if it works for you that’s great. If you have other ideas, I’d always love to hear them and as always, it’s a work in progress. When selecting the music for the year, I need to look at the weeks that we are singing and the theme that the service is covering. I begin by reading the scripture that will be used and then finding some music online to go along with the theme. This is a great way to start when it sometimes seems overwhelming to choose the right music. The sifting out process is always the fun part. I look at the music as I would if I were choosing it for my school choirs. Is it written well? Are there challenges to the piece? Does the text drive the music? How difficult is the piano accompaniment? Are there opportunities for solo/duets/or small groups? Is there any additional instrumentation and if so, can we find someone that can play that on the 16 | The Chorister • Fall 2016
week that we are singing? As a worship leader at the church also, I really like to see if we can incorporate the band in the accompaniment or have the choir join in with the worship team. The Praise Choir usually sings the upfront songs before the service and the one or two songs before their anthem. It works really well for the flow of the service to be able to do that. If you aren’t a worship leader but want to try to incorporate your choir into the service, I urge you to talk to your worship pastor or the leadership of the church and see if that would be something they’d like to do. The congregation likes to see the choir upfront with the team and the choir also enjoys being a part of the worship band. There are some really great arrangements that have the worship band parts available to order along with the choral music. If not, I make a chord chart and get it to the team so that they can rehearse it before we all rehearse together. Have a great year of worshipping and making joyful noises to the Lord! Sara Lichtblau Fargo South High School NDACDA Music in Worship R&R Co-Chair jobeysara@gmail.com • 701.388.6262
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F
Clas sroom Management Lessons I Learned from My Dad
irst a disclaimer, my dad is not a teacher. He has been a Pastor, Chaplain, Chaplain Trainer, Corporate Trainer, and Suicide Prevention Trainer. In all of these roles he has taught me many things. In the next few paragraphs I will explore and attempt to share some of these ideas in relationship to how we manage, recruit, and retain students in our programs. Key ideas will be:
Whatever you do, do with passion, dedication, love, and excellence.
People matter before awards, honors, material items, and performance goals.
Treat everyone with dignity and respect.
Never lose sight of the big picture for the small gain.
“If you aren’t understood you aren’t communicating…communication is a 2-way street.
Make a difference, get involved, LEAD.
I believe that the number one way we manage the choral classroom is to approach the job with passion, dedication, love, and excellence. I have watched this time and time again. He loves his work, he is dedicated and strives for excellence. People are drawn to this dedication and passion. If you love what you do, it will show, kids will respect you for it. I am often in awe of the reality of being a choral director. In many ways I get to play each and every day. I get to be a part of the process of making beautiful music and get to hang out with some amazing young 18 | The Chorister • Fall 2016
folks in the process. In the 19 years I have spent in the classroom I have witnessed multiple times the impact that this makes. Students sense how much you care about them and if you truly care, you have won the first battle in managing the classroom. To my dad people matter more than just about anything else. He has had the good fortune to be in many positions and has received many honors, however these are not the things that drive him. People drive him, the work he does with and for people is what matters. As choral directors it is easy to get wrapped up in the day-today push to excel. The concert can matter more than the current issues faced by our students. I think we need to constantly step back and realize that life is about priorities. If we focus on what is truly important, the other stuff seems to figure itself out. My dad was never too busy to stop and help people. I have witnessed him helping elderly ladies with household repairs, filling sandbags during floods, making trips to Haiti after the earthquake there, and spending time in Joplin MO after a major tornado devastated that city. All of this happened while he was very busy, he could have claimed to be too busy, but never did. The third lesson I learned from my dad was to treat everyone with dignity and respect. I think the best example of this was
watching my dad with his cousin Lester and his brother Danny. Lester was several years older than my dad, and he had Downs Syndrome. He had a hard time communicating, in fact could be near impossible to understand. I watched my dad numerous times sit and “visit” with Les and carry on long conversations. He would tease him about eating (he had a major affinity towards fried chicken). Les was a cherished member of the family. My uncle Danny was also a special needs individual. When just a baby Danny had a disorder that would leave him paralyzed on his right side and plagued with seizures. My dad loved his younger brother, I remember one visit that he made to my dad’s house where my dad set him up with a spatula and the grill so he could do the cooking or the evening. This made my uncle Danny light up. Being a contributor to the family dinner was just the thing he needed to smile and feel a part of the event. This has been a constant guide to me in my classroom. Each student, no matter their ability, their story, their talent level, or their contribution deserves respect. They deserve to have the same experience as the most talented and high achieving student. Next my dad taught me never to lose sight of the big picture for a small gain. This was a constant theme that I have witnessed over and over again. The big picture is always prevalent. My dad would say it this way “Never sacrifice on the alter of the temporary that which is eternal.” To be honest, there are many things that we as choral directors know will get us to a performance faste,r that might not be the best way to achieve the goal. Often we are tempted to drive the rehearsal from the piano, pushing students forward by rote on literature that may be a bit above their ability level. If we take the piano away from them too early, they will never be able to read it. I would argue that our ability to manage goes up when students are being appropriately challenged. When we have an expectation that
they will be actively engaged in the musicality of the classroom. Being pushed to listen, read, think, create, and develop on their own. This takes time, building musical literacy is painful at times, but necessary to the development of our students. Communication is key in a classroom. I have heard my dad say many times “If you aren’t understood you aren’t communicating…communication is a 2-way street.” Often we say something once, or we talk to a choir that is not listening. I believe that the words that are said within the context of a rehearsal should be brief but effective. We should look for signs of communication, strive to connect with them on an emotional level. Help them to understand what good music is made of. And most importantly teach them the importance of communicating with an audience. Help them understand the power that is present in good musical composition and how it can heal the soul. Next time you speak to your choir, look around. How is the message being received? My choirs often hear me say 2 things one is “when I am talking you are not” and the second is “I’ll wait!” The second one has been referred to by a few choir students as my way to guilt them into submission…whatever works! This is a huge classroom management tool because it allows the classroom minutes to be used efficiently and effectively. The final lesson I learned from my dad was to make a difference, get involved, and LEAD. From the time I was a small child my dad was all about making a difference for the community around him. He has been involved in Law Enforcement Chaplaincy in one way or another for as long as I can remember. He has worked with drug and alcohol treatment patients, he has helped victims of disaster, and has been involved in numerous critical incident stress debriefings throughout the state of ND. In fact, if there is a major traumatic event in Western ND, he will probably be there within days to work with the first responders to help them deal www.ndacda.com | 19
with their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I admire this a great deal. I take serious the drive to get involved and be a leader. This can happen in your community, in the music world, and all over. When your students see you involved in the school community it makes a difference. Go to games and activities. Understand who students are when they aren’t singing. Spend time getting to know who they are. I have often found that students who can, at first, be annoying have a story that helps you understand the “why.” Often when I understand the story I can work more effectively, and I can understand their behavior. Let students see you lead. Share with them what you are involved in outside of the classroom and school And, most importantly, allow them opportunities for leadership. I don’t have to do everything by myself. I often have to allow students to do things that I could do faster and more effectively than they can, however part of the process of learning is the struggle. Sometimes sending them home frustrated to work on a solo or section part on their own is the best tool for THEIR learning. Allowing them to be independent is a gift that we give our students. It’s not about them needing us, it’s about THEM! As I close, I would like to leave you with this quote: “Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” Rita Pierson (Educator) Brian Saylor Bismarck High School NDACDA Show Choir R&R Chair
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(Continued from p. 15)
Recordings CD by McKinney Boyd High School A Cappella Choir, conducted by Melissa L. Peden; recorded live at 2010 Texas Music Educators Association; 2013 Mark Records. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd9qM2sZGs4 CD by Florida All-State Middle School Mixed Chorus, conducted by Trey Jacobs; recorded live at 2013 Fliorida Music Educators Association; 2013 Mark Records. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCw5LC-Eeak CD An American Mosaic: Folk Songs of Our Diverse Heritage with United States Air Force Singing Sergeants; conducted by Dennis M. Layendecker; 2012 Altissimo Recordings, Inc. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V0cR59Rhbc Classes de Canto Coral da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, conducted by Marcio Buzatto; 2009. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=AteKVDq8WH0 BG Choir (China); 2009. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=AE3hh0S75tw Serbian Singing Society Unit; 2008: Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=H_ovpZ_6oMM The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Chorale; conducted by William Plummer; 2013. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvMgFcnzIB4 Academic Choir of the Nicolaus Copernicus University (Poland); conducted by A. Kaczyński; 2012: Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmPva9a88Oc Notes: Pinto Fonseca was the main conductor of Coral Ars Nova, a choir related to the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and made it the most awarded Brazilian choir both national and internationally. His relationship with this group was to be his main professional enrollment and lasted for more than 40 years. Muié Rendêra is not an arrangement of one folk song, but a piece that combines two tunes. These are two of the most popular folk tunes from Northeast Brazil: Olê, Muié Rendêra and É Lampa, é Lampa, é Lampeão.The choral compositions and arrangements by Pinto Fonseca are always very careful about the lines written to each section. In general, the melody is split in parts, and it goes through all sections according to their tessitura. This song is one of the most sung Brazilian choral compositions nowadays. The piece is extremely fun and can be used for all ages from middle school to adult choirs. It is simple and upbeat, and the Portuguese text is short and its pronunciation is not difficult. It is the perfect piece to introduce a chorus to Brazilian repertoire. Difficulty: 2 Appropriate for: middle school, high school, festival, colloge/university, community www.ndacda.com | 21
Composer: Leite, Marcos (1953-2002) Genre: Folk Music Arrangement Title: Três Cantos Nativos dos Índios Kraó [Three Native Songs of the Kraó Indians] Scoring / Voicing: SATB Text: Traditional Language: Meaningless phonemes Publisher and Publisher Number: Earthsongs - S-168 Duration: c. 5’ Recordings CD by American Boychoir, conducted by Fernando Malvar-Ruiz in a concert at Texas Music Educator Association conference in 2011, available at http:// ua.naxosmusiclibrary.com.libdata.lib.ua.edu/catalogue/item.asp?cid=9282-MCD Young People's Chorus of New York City; Francisco J. Núnez, conductor, 2014. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMncDu5-Dk0 Lee University's Choral Union; Dr. Cameron LaBarr, conductor. Available at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PFhmvLh3Xs Dordt College Chorale, 2008. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mgqc2-69xoc National Taiwan University Chorus; Fang-Pei Tracy Lien, conductor, 2012. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o4ZTXQjUl0 OHS Combined Choirs, 2013. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=0fvL4lzGXBA CCHS Concert Choir, 2012. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mlngURBAXh4 La Schola Juvenil de Venezuela; Luimar Arismendi, conductor, 2013. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRREX2zo8tg Notes Marcos Leite was a well-known conductor, composer, pianist, and musical director of many theater productions. In 1985, he established and directed the Garganta Profunda vocal group, a group that would become a landmark on Brazilian choral music developing a fusion between music and theater which helped to establish what was to be called Coro Cênico [Scenic Choir] movement, which is a major trend in Brazilian choral music until today. Composed in 1982, Três Cantos Nativos dos Índios Kraó is freely based on melodies sung by the Kraó tribe – a group of native Brazilian Indians 22 | The Chorister • Fall 2016
who live in the Xingú river area of the Amazônia forest of northwestern Brazil. The meaning of the text is not known; it was treated by the composer as a group of phonemes. This piece has a powerful ostinato and brings lots of brightness and interest to any choral program. It is marked by the imitation of sounds of a tempest in the forest at the introduction and it always creates a great effect on stage. Difficulty: 1 Appropriate for: High school, university/college, community choir
Composer: Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959) Genre: Motet Title: Ave Maria nº 17 Scoring / Voicing: SATB Text: Litrugical Language: Latin Publisher and Publisher Number: Cantus Quercus Press. CQ9712 / Max Eschig. ME 9412
Duration: c. 3’ Recordings CD Villa-Lobos, with Corydon Singers, conducted by Matthew Best, 1993 (B000002ZSF) CD Cuatro Siglos de Música Latinoamericanca, with Coro Nacional de Jovenes Argentina, conducted by Nestor Zadoff, 1995 CD Sacred America, with Coro Exaudi de la Habana, conducted by María Felicia Pérez, 2001 CD Full of Grace, with Fairhaven Singers, conducted by Ralph Woodward, 2011 (GMCD7380) CD Heitor Villa-Lobos Choral Works, with SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, conducted by Marcus Creed, 2011(CD93.268) Joven Coro Nacional de España, conducted by Nuria Fernández in 2014: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_NSQWwnN0 Maulbronn Kammerchor & Capela Vocal (invited choir), conducted by Jocelei Bohrer in 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvz5VuRQqfo Coral ARSNOVA da UFMG, conducted by Willsterman Sottani in 2008: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQYD_39D8R0 www.ndacda.com | 23
Canarinhos de Petrópolis, conducted by Marco Aurélio Lischt in 2011: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLFWox8cr-I Cappella Musicale Corradiana, conducted by Antonio Magarelli, in 2010: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc7bxYrtT-0 Notes Villa-Lobos is considered by many one of the greatest Latin American composers of all times. His choral output is large and varied and includes pieces for all choral formations alongside with large choral-orchestral works. He wrote several versions on the text of Ave Maria. The #17 seems to be the most performed one. It was composed in Rio de Janeiro, in 1918. This version of the famous liturgical text is absolutely gorgeous and ecstatic. It calls for a solid soprano 1 section and has thick homophonic phrases that alternate with parts sung by smaller groups of voices. In the recordings, there are some disparities at the soprano line on measures 8 and 27 that seem to be result of two different editions. In the Max Eschig edition, both measures seem to be better solved: in measure 8 the first note of the measure is D, which is a note that is part of the harmony (G major), and in measure 27 the soprano descends in stepwise motion from the top A in parallel motion with alto 2. Difficulty: 2 Appropriate for: high school, college/university, community, church choir
Composer: Nunes Garcia, José Maurício (1767-1830) Genre: Mass Title: Missa de Santa Cecília [Mass of Santa Cecilia], CPM 113 Scoring / Voicing: ssatbb, SATB, 2f, 2o, 2cl, 2bsn, 2h, 2tpt, 3trb, tmp, 2vln, 2vl, 2c, db Text: RCL Language: Latin
Publisher and Publisher Number: Available at http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ Mass_of_Saint_Cecilia_(Jos%C3%A9_Maur%C3%ADcio_Nunes_Garcia) Duration: c. 70’ Recordings Fundação Gulbenkian Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Ricardo Kanji, 2008. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj5pfF1tCzg Associação de Canto Coral and Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, conducted by Edoardo de Guarnieri, 1959. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UICEjdwhYAY 24 | The Chorister • Fall 2016
Orquestra Sinfônica de Sergipe (ORSSE) and Coro Sinfônico da ORSSE, conducted by Guilherme Mannis, 2009. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkqvGjM9Ck Notes Born, raised and educated in Brazil, Nunes Garcia is the greatest composer of the late Classicism / early Romanticism in all Americas. The amount and the quality of his output is a great surprise when one considers the cultural environment in the Americas at that time. His last work and legacy is the Missa de Santa Cecília, commissioned by the homonymous order, in 1826. It is his major work, which can be equated with the great masterpieces composed in the same period, in the history of the whole western music. The piece is huge. It has 17 movements and it follows the mass structure of the Neapolitan school. It calls for a good choir and orchestra and an outstanding quartet of soloists. As a side note, one should also consider the composer’s Requiem, which uses themes and musical ideas of Mozart’s Requiem in a very creative and well-crafted way and seems to be his most performed composition. Difficulty: 4 (5 for the soloists) Appropriate for: Advanced church, advanced college/university, advanced community choir Carlos Vieira
Minot State University
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26 | The Chorister • Fall 2016