Texas Sings! Vol 26 No 3 Spring 2010

TTEEXXAASS SSSIINNGGSS!!!VOLUME 26 NUMBER 3 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF TEXAS CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION SPRING 2010

NON-PROFITU.S. Postage Paid

Austin, TexasPermit No. 789

55th Annual Convention

San Antonio

Rollo DilworthElementary Honor Choir

Tim LautzenheiserStudent Leadership Workshop

John Rutter

Lynne GackleMiddle School/Junior High

Greater Tuna’sJaston Willliams

ADTTexas Choral Directors Association

July 28-31, 2010

2010 Spring v.9: 2005 Spring Texas Sings! FINAL 4/13/10 5:44 PM

Spring 2010 TEXAS√SINGS! 3

TEXAS SINGS!

OFFICERS

Volume 26 Number 3 Spring 2010

PRESIDENTAmy Allibon, Fort Worth

PAST PRESIDENTBob Horton, The Woodlands

COLLEGE/COMMUNITYVICE PRESIDENTDr John Silantien, San Antonio

HIGH SCHOOL VICE PRESIDENTSharon Paul, Houston

MIDDLE SCHOOL/JUNIOR HIGHVICE PRESIDENTDianna L Jarvis, San Antonio

ELEMENTARY VICE PRESIDENTKaren Gonzalez, Garland

CHURCH VICE PRESIDENTThomas Coker, Houston

SECRETARY/TREASURERKay Owens, Arlington

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDan L Wood, Austin

EDITORDan L Wood

ART DIRECTORJames A Black, Coppell

PUBLISHERGood/Wood AssociatesPO Box 6472Austin, Texas 78762

Candidates for TCDA Board of Directors 4

President’s Page 12Convention 2010 Previewby Amy Allibon

Performing Groups 13-14

Twitter: How “Tweet” It Is! 15by Joelle Norris

Clinicians and Conductors 16-17

Accompanists 19

Tentative Schedule 18-19

May I Have the Definition Please? 20by Ronnie Sanders

Officer Comments 21

Official Publication of theTexas Choral Directors Association

7900 Centre Park Drive, Suite AAustin, TX 78754

512/474-2801Copyright 2010 by Texas Choral Directors

Association. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the Executive Director. TCDA is an

affiliate of ACDA

TEXAS SINGS!TEXAS SINGS!TABLE OF CONTENTS

On the Cover:John Rutter leads an impressive lineup headedto San Antonio for the 55th Annual TCDA Convention and New Music Reading Clinic, July 28-31 at the Henry B Gonzalez ConventionCenter. Rollo Dilworth returns to direct theElementary Honor Choir. Tim Lautzenheizerwill guide the Student Leadership Workshop.Lynne Gackle’s sessions will focus on theadolescent female voice, and Jaston Williams will bring the humor of Greater Tuna to theTCDA BBQ.

TCDA Mission StatementThe mission of TCDA is to support and foster the success of

Texas choral directors and music teachers and to instill a love ofmusic in every Texas school, church, and community singer.


4 TEXAS√SINGS! Spring 2010

Dianne Brumley is the Director ofChoral Studies at the University of Texasat Brownsville where she conducts theUniversity Master Chorale, teaches choralconducting and choral techniques, andguides the choral music educationprogram. She is also the foundingConductor/Artistic Director of the SouthTexas Chorale and Festival Orchestra.

During her seven-year tenure withUT - Brownsville, the choral musicprogram has grown significantly,involving students from around theSouth Texas area and beyond. UnderBrumley’s direction, University MasterChorale students receive a multi-facetedchoral music experience that has attainedmuch acclaim, including internationalperformances in Ireland and Italy.

Before coming to UT-Brownsville,Brumley was a successful music teacherin the public schools at the elementary,junior high, and high school levels andserved as a public school fine artsadministrator. Choirs under herdirection have won numerous competi-tions and awards, were selected for honorperformances at the TMEA Conventionand ACDA regional and nationalconventions, and performed at the

TCDA Convention.In addition to her other activities,

Dianne serves as a frequent guestconductor, clinician, and adjudicatorthroughout Texas and the United Statesand as an Arts and EntertainmentAdvisor for the city of Harlingen.Previously, Brumley served as VicePresident of the Church/CommunityDivision of TCDA and as NationalChairperson for Women’s Choruses forACDA. She has also served in numerousregional and state capacities with TMEAand UIL.

Mrs Brumley has been the recipientof many civic and professional awardsincluding Distinguished Graduate fromthe School of Music at Southwest TexasState University, the Charles B FeldmanArts Award, and the AAUW OutstandingWomen of Achievement Award. Mostrecently she was named a Woman of Noteby Texas State University, and wasamong 100 women honored at thededication of the University’s permanentexhibit of Southwest Texas Women: TheFirst Hundred Years.

Brumley holds degrees from AbileneChristian University and Southwest TexasState University (now Texas StateUniversity at San Marcos). She has alsostudied conducting with Dr KennethFulton, Dr Kenneth Davis, and withProfessor Donald Neuen.

Dianne is married to Allan Brumley,a Harlingen businessman and communi-ty volunteer. The Brumleys have oneson, Reagan, and daughter-in-law, Cayce,who make their home in Dallas.

If elected . . .As I sit to write this “if elected”

statement, I am reminded of a host ofTCDA Convention experiences – joyfullycrowded soirees, musical jewels foundhidden in new reading packets, useful

tips from best practices workshops,artistic concert performances, meaning-ful worship services, laugh-out-loudfunny barbeque entertainment – and, Icould go on and on. Beyond all that,though, what really comes to the fore, isyou – my friends, my acquaintances, mycolleagues – because, you are the TexasChoral Directors Association It is youthat I desire to serve as president of ourorganization.

While the 21st century has broughta unique set of challenges, the needs ofour membership must remain our focus.If elected, I will bring a broad perspec-tive and a varied collection of choralmusic experiences on which to base allconsiderations for you, our members,and the betterment of TCDA. Over mycareer I have been privileged to serve asan elementary music teacher, a juniorhigh school choral director, a highschool choral director, a fine artsadministrator and, presently, a collegiatechoral conductor and professor of musiceducation. In addition I founded andhave conducted a community chorus for20 years. This experience, I believe, willenable me to have a solid understandingof the challenges and needs of each ofour organization’s divisions and willhelp me in steering TCDA towardadvocacy and nurturing of the choral artin Texas’ schools, universities, churches,and communities.

Over the years, TCDA has played asignificant role in the development of mycareer. Now is the time for TCDA to playa similar role in the future developmentand recruitment of the next generationof choral directors from our best andbrightest young musicians. If electedPresident of the Texas Choral DirectorsAssociation, I will consider it a privilegeto serve you and the organization thathas served me so well. √

Candidates for TCDA Board of DirectorsFour Board members will be elected at the TCDA Convention in San Antonio. To help you become familiar with the candidates, a short vita and personal

statement by each candidate follow.

President Elect



President Elect

Beth Gove is in her 25th year ofteaching and her 13th year as head choirdirector at Cedar Park HS in LeanderISD. Beth graduated from North TexasState University (now University ofNorth Texas) with a BM in 1985. In1992 she earned an MM from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Just sothat you know, her graduation stole isabout as ugly as they get – pink formusic and burnt orange for UT. Lovethe subject (Go music!), love the school(Hook ’em Horns) but hate the stole.

Beth has served as TCDA SecretaryTreasurer, TMEA Region Vocal Chair forRegion 18, and is currently the RegionVocal Chair for Region 26. She is listedon the TMAA list as an active judge.Beth has served as a section leader forboth the All-State Mixed Choir and theAll-State Women’s Choir and as section

leader twice at the UT-Austin All-StateChoir Camp. She has directed The BoysState Choir in Austin. She has also beenthe site host for the Region 26 (previ-ously Region 18) UIL Contest for thepast seven years. Mrs Gove has com-posed three pieces of music which wereselected by the UIL Sight ReadingCommittee One of those pieces, Spring,is currently listed on the UIL PML. Sheserved as Worship Band leader for twoyears at Christ The Rock LutheranChurch in Round Rock. Beth is amember of TMEA, TCDA, PADI, andthe Round Rock Public Library. Prior toteaching at Cedar Park HS, she was theassistant director at Leander HS. Shepreviously taught in Round Rock ISDand began her teaching career inHarlingen ISD.

Currently there are seven choirs atCedar Park HS. They present threeconcerts annually, and a combinedconcert with their feeder school, amadrigal dinner, a princess tea, a jazzshow, a Broadway show, a men’sconcert, a spring theme show, and hostelementary music camps throughoutthe year on school holidays. The CPHSchoirs have consistently won sweep-stakes at UIL Concert and Sight Readingcompetition. CPHS has had many All-State Choir members, including arecord number of six in 2007.

Beth has been married to Pat for 24years (she’s hoping for a big, sparklingrock for #25 – hope he reads this!).

Together they have a Great Dane, Kona,who is a world class jumper and chewson stuffed monkeys; a Dalmatian,Buddy, who can’t stop wagging his tailand smiling; a stealth cat, Newman; anADHD cat, Kirby; and seven fish thatare kind of boring. In her spare time(what’s that?) she loves to travel(especially to Grenada and Colorado),ski, hike, scuba dive, knit, and crochet.

If elected . . .As President-Elect of TCDA I

would:• First of all, truly enjoy working

for the choir directors of the state ofTexas with a servant’s heart!

• Provide a positive example ofleadership by calling on my pastexperience as TCDA Secretary/Treasur-er, TMEA Region Vocal Chair, and choirdirector for 25 years (I know, I lookMUCH younger).

• Work with the rest of the Board toprovide practical workshops, greatclinicians, and the best possible readingsessions.

• Give back to the youngest in ourprofession by setting an example of andencouraging mentoring just as othershave mentored, and continue to mentor,me (thanks, Nick).

• Continue to make the TCDAConvention a time for everyone to seeold friends, make new ones, cometogether and share, recharge, and getmotivated for the upcoming year. √

Jeff Rice is in his 10th year as headchoral director at Midway HS in Waco.This is his 24th year as a Texas choralmusic educator. The MHS Choral

Music Department consists of 240students in eight performing ensembles.Mr Rice conducts the Midway HighSchool Meistersingers, ChamberSingers, Varsity Men’s Choir, SelectMen’s Choir, and Concert Men’s Choir.His wife and associate director, JanniferRice, conducts the Varsity Women’sChoir, Select Women’s Choir, andConcert Women’s Choir.

Jeff ’s experience at TMEA in 1980-81 as a Texas All-State Choir memberinspired him to attend Baylor Universitywhere he received his BME whilesinging under the direction of DrRobert H Young, Dr John Dickson, andDr Hugh Sanders. After teaching in theHouston area for five years, he moved toSan Angelo to become the head directorat John Glenn JH. Mr Rice’s choirs from

Glenn performed at the TMEA Conven-tion in 1996 and 1999. While in SanAngelo, he co-founded and served asconductor of the community SanAngelo Singing Boys from 1990-1999.

In 2000, Jeff became the choirdirector at Midway where, in 1985, hehad served as student teacher under MrHoward L Thompson. MHS choirs haveearned consistent sweepstakes awards atUIL contest and won outstandingperformance awards at contests inDallas, Corpus Christi, San Antonio,Colorado Springs, Seattle, and Toronto.In 2006 the Meistersingers traveled on aconcert tour of Germany and Austria.In 2004 and 2008 the MHS Meis-tersingers performed in the historic StBartholomew’s Episcopal Church in

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President ElectNew York City. They also performed atthe 2007 TMEA Convention. In May2010 the Meistersingers will travel toSan Francisco on their spring tour.

In 2002 Mr Rice was involved inestablishing the Music EnrichmentProgram at Midway HS. Currently,there are over 50 MHS Choir studentstaking private voice lessons during theschool day through this program. Thishas been a contributing factor in manystudents earning TMEA and UIL regionand state music honors. Severalstudents also participate in NATScompetitions with their MEP Instruc-tors.

From 2005-07 Jeff was the TCDAHigh School Vice President. He has alsoserved on the TCDA Ballot and Scholar-ship Committees, UIL Prescribed MusicList Revision Committee, and theTMEA/TMAC Curriculum Committee.As a member of TMAA, Jeff serves as afrequent adjudicator for UIL Concertand Sightreading contests and American

Classics Music Festivals. He is amember of TMEA, TCDA, and ACDA.

The most meaningful award Mr Ricehas received as an educator was to bechosen as a Distinguished Educator bytop ten-percent students at Midway HS.Each student selected a teacher who hada significant impact on his or her life.Student and teacher were presented atthe annual Midway Foundation “Show-case of Stars” banquet.

In addition to his full-time employ-ment as a public school choral director,for many years Jeff has also been a part-time church musician serving Baptist,Methodist, Episcopal, and Disciples ofChrist Churches in Houston, SanAngelo, and Waco.

Besides his musical interests, Jeffenjoys spending time with his family,attending sports events, and workingaround the house. He and Jannifer havethree children; daughter, Jordan, aBaylor University sophomore; son,Jonathan, a MHS senior; and son,Jarron, a MHS sophomore.

If elected . . .If elected President Elect of TCDA, I

will:• Encourage the love of singing

among Texas music students, choraldirectors, and music teachers byproviding meaningful opportunities formusical and professional development.

• Collaborate with TCDA Boardmembers to develop and implementinnovative ways to fulfill TCDA’smission of supporting Texas choraldirectors and music teachers.

• Encourage the growth of TCDAthrough outreach programs to broadenthe reach of our organization to choraldirectors and music teachers in morecommunities across Texas.

• Continue to strengthen therelationship between TCDA andcollege/university choral music educa-tion students in our state.

• Recognize and honor the remark-able history of TCDA while devisinglong-term goals that will ensure itsfuture. √

Don Shelley brings a broad base ofchoral and administrative experienceto TCDA. As well as serving as ChurchVice President on the TCDA Board ofDirectors, he successfully taught 14years at the middle and high schoollevels in Plano and Mesquite. Afterfeeling called to leave the classroom,Don has spent the past 10 years in fulltime ministry helping grow a church ofover 2000 members in Rowlett. Mostof you now know him as SandyShelley’s husband, or just Sarah andScott’s dad, both names he wears with

great pride. He keeps in touch dailywith the music education experiencethrough each of their musical trialsand triumphs.

While on the TCDA Board Shelleybrought an ecumenical approach to theTCDA Convention, always aware ofrepresentation not only of denomina-tions, but also making sure smallerchurch programs felt equally valuedwith larger ones. With the help of manytalented people, he was able to coordi-nate two very moving worship experi-ences at our Conventions, showcasingsome of Texas’ finest church musicministries. Away from the Conventions,Shelley has invested many hours as arepresentative for TCDA at the Choris-ters Guild gatherings establishingpositive relationships with full and part-time church musicians from all over thenation as well as bringing in newvendors to our Convention.

If elected . . .While considering what I would say

in this writing, I sat staring at the PastPresidents page on the TCDA website.It brought a flood of memories ofpeople I have cherished both personally

and professionally. Every name for thepast 30-plus years brings back greatstories, some that I can even share! Iwould never dream of trading myeducation under Carroll Barnes atSouth Garland HS and Dr Ken Fultonwhile at Southwest Texas State Universi-ty. I remember as a young teacherspending hours listening to RosemaryHeffley philosophize on music educa-tion and her life-long love of the arts.Then I had the great pleasure of servingside by side with Michael O’Hern,Danny Detrick, and Bob Horton.

As President-Elect, I will strive tocelebrate all divisions equally, providingeducators and church musicians the toolsthey need to succeed at every level. I willkeep the best of TCDA traditions whilehoping to establish new scholarshipshonoring our living leaders. I hope tocontinue to celebrate the masters of ourcraft as well as encourage each of us toroll up our sleeves to help mentor thestruggling beginning teacher and musicminister, just like someone did for eachof us. If you believe I can make adifference for you and others, I wouldconsider it an honor to serve TCDA asyour next President-Elect. √

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Vicki Baker has been activelyinvolved in Texas choral music for thepast 22 years, teaching students on theelementary, middle school, high school,and university levels. She currentlyserves as the Coordinator of MusicEducation at Texas Woman’s University.Previously, she was Assistant Professor ofChoral Music Education at The Universi-ty of Texas at Arlington. She holds a BAfrom Texas A & M University-CorpusChristi, an MA from Texas Woman’sUniversity, and a PhD from Texas TechUniversity.

During her 13-year tenure as asecondary choral director, Vicki’s choirsconsistently earned Sweepstakes awards

at UIL contests and outstanding perfor-mance awards at festivals. She has servedas conductor for TMEA All-RegionHonor Choirs, choral clinician, andadjudicator at UIL contests throughoutthe state of Texas. She has written sevenpieces for UIL Sight Reading Contest andhas had choral works published byShawnee Press, BriLee Music PublishingCo, and Southern Music Company.

Vicki has served TCDA as a clinician,and as a member of the Ballot Commit-tee, Hospitality Committee, and Waysand Means Committee. As a member ofTMEA, she has held the positions of AreaG Vocal Chair, High School Vocal RegionChair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary, and amember of the Public Relations Com-mittee. She currently serves on theTMEA College Division ResearchCommittee and College Division TeacherRecruitment and Retention Task Force.She is a member of TMAA, ACDA,MENC, Society for Research in MusicEducation, and the Society of MusicTeacher Education.

Vicki has done a number of presenta-tion sessions on the national and statelevels, and staff development training forchoral music educators. Her articlesappear in Texas Sings!, ChorTeach,Southwestern Musician, Journal of MusicTeacher Education, Journal of Historical

Research in Music Education, and TexasResearch Reports. She is currently co-authoring a book with her husband,Mark, on developing a successful choralmusic program.

If elected . . .If I am elected to the TCDA Board, I

will contribute the knowledge I havegained from teaching on the elementary,middle school, high school, and collegelevels, as well as my experience as achurch choral director, to view issuesfacing TCDA from a global perspective. Iwould like to work with other membersof the Board to find ways to encouragemore pre-service teachers to attendTCDA and take advantage of the wealthof training that is offered each summer.One of my goals as a college professor isto equip students with the tools theyneed to be successful, particularly duringthose critical early years. ThroughTCDA, pre-service teachers have theopportunity to network and interactwith veteran teachers, who can potential-ly serve as mentors when they begin theirteaching career. Further, I believe itshould be the goal of all teachers toencourage students to be life-longparticipants in music, through involve-ment in community and church musicalensembles after graduation. √

College/Community Division Vice President

Dr Allen Hightower is the Director ofChoral Studies at Sam Houston StateUniversity, Artistic Director of theHouston Masterworks Chorus, andMinister of Music at Tallowood BaptistChurch in Houston. A native Texan,Allen has led high school, university,church, and community choirs during

his career in choral music. Allen began his teaching career at

Klein HS with Phil Raddin, and then ledthe choral program at Odessa PermianHS. During his fourth year at Permian,the Permian High School Kantorei wasfeatured as an invited choir at the 1996TMEA Convention. Dr Hightowercontinues to be highly active as aclinician of high school all-region, all-state, and honor choirs. Most recently hehas guest conducted honor choirs inAlabama, Kansas, and Kentucky, andthroughout Texas.

Following a year on the faculty ofCalifornia State University, Long Beach,Dr Hightower returned to his under-graduate alma mater, Sam Houston State.It was the fulfillment of a dream toreturn to Sam Houston and to continuethe choral legacy of his teacher, BevHenson. Allen’s choirs have been invitedto perform for the 2003, 2006, and 2010TMEA Conventions, the 2007 National

ACDA Convention in Miami, and the2010 Southwest ACDA Convention inDenver. Highly committed to choralmusic education, Dr Hightower has beenthe choral mentor to a new generation ofteachers through his work at SamHouston.

Dr Hightower holds degrees fromSam Houston State, the Eastman Schoolof Music, Baylor University, and UCLA,where he served as conducting assistantto Donald Neuen. From 1997-2000,Allen served as the Conducting Internwith the Los Angeles Master Chorale andworked closely with Paul Salamunovich.In 1997 Allen won first prize in theACDA National Conducting Competi-tion held in San Diego.

Allen has been highly active inTCDA, having served as a reading sessionconductor, reading session accompanist,and college student conducting sympo-sium coach. He has also served as a

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conducting clinician for several TCDAConventions. He is a member of TMEA,ACDA, and the board of the NationalChoral Conductors Organization. Allenand his wife, Kristin, are the proudparents of two daughters, Caroline andJulianne Hightower.

If elected . . .I began attending TCDA while an

undergraduate at Sam Houston. My firstmemories of the Convention includesinging in a TCDA College SymposiumChoir conducted by Donald Bailey whohad recently come to Texas as Director ofChoral Activities at Texas Tech Universi-ty. Through the years of my develop-ment as a teacher and choral director,TCDA has been highly significant to mypersonal growth in our profession.Having served as Director of ChoralStudies at Sam Houston State Universityfor 10 years, and as Artistic Director ofthe Houston Masterworks Chorus for

five years, I am confident that I have arealistic perspective on the needs of thecollege and community constituency ofTCDA.

It would be my ambition to work tocreate more opportunities for thecollege and university choral directorsof our state to know each other and toshare ideas. I would work to createboth reading and interest sessions forthe collegiate conductors, featuringoutstanding guest clinicians. I wouldcreate informal opportunities foryounger collegiate directors to discussthe profession with both seasoned andretired college directors. I would alsocontinue the outstanding opportunitythat our college students are given toactively conduct on one of the Conven-tion’s reading sessions. Furthering theemphasis upon college student partici-pation, I would work to create addition-al sessions for the students focused onimportant topics such as conductingand rehearsal techniques, choral

literature, and the unique challenges ofbeing a new teacher. TCDA provides anexcellent opportunity for young choraldirectors to be mentored by ouroutstanding veteran teachers.

I would work to create excitingexperiences for the community choirdirectors within our association byfeaturing outstanding community andprofessional choirs in performance atthe Convention. I would organizesessions dealing with the uniquechallenges of leading community choirs,symphony choruses, and professionalchoirs. Bringing together the manygifted community chorus directors ofour state would provide opportunitiesfor shared ideas on such topics asbudgets, repertoire, audience building,and recruiting.

Like you, I love this organization andthe people who make Texas the veryfinest place in the nation to teach and toconduct choral music. It would be mygreat privilege to serve TCDA. √

College/Community Division Vice President

Joey M Martin is a musician regardedfor his diverse musical interests, engagingartistry, and passionate enthusiasm forthe choral art. He is professor of music atTexas State University-San Marcos andserves as the Associate Director for theSchool of Music and Director of ChoralActivities, teaching graduate courses inchoral conducting, choral literature andvocal pedagogy. Dr Martin has beenrecognized as a Favorite Professor atTexas State as well as the School of MusicProfessor of Distinction both in Teachingand Service. During his time at TexasState he has directed four of the six

university choirs. Choirs under hisdirection have appeared at the SouthwestDivision of ACDA, the InternationalKodàly Festival, the TMEA Convention,and National Endowment for the Arts.During the summer of 2005 he traveledwith Texas State Chorale giving concertsin Vienna, Budapest, Salzburg, andPrague. In 2007 he returned to Europewith VocaLibre for a week of sharedlearning at the Slovakian NationalConservatory in Bratislava.

In addition to his work at Texas State,Dr Martin has served as the artisticdirector for the Alamo City Men’sChorale and is currently music directorfor historic First Protestant Church inNew Braunfels. He joins Craig HellaJohnson and Michelle Schumann to formthe creative team for the Victoria BachFestival. His schedule is filled withengagements as guest conductor/clinicianthroughout the US, Europe, South Africa,and England. Recent engagementsinclude conducting the ConnecticutACDA Women’s Honor Choir, Conduct-ing Professor for the Transient GloryChoral Symposium and Festival at NYU,and conductor for Honor Choir USA inHonolulu, Hawaii. As a pianist, he alsoenjoys collaborating with vocal artists in

recitals serving as coach/accompanist forsuch diverse artists are Jennie Olson,Maria Jette, Timothy Jones, CherylParrish, and Juli Wood.

Joey earned his DMA in choralconducting from the UT-Austin wherehe studied conducting with Craig HellaJohnson, piano with Betty Mallard, andvoice with Martha Deatheridge. Heearned his MM and BME (Vocal/Choral) from Southwestern OklahomaState University where he studied voicewith Dr Charles Chapman and pianowith Dr James Breckenridge.

If elected . . .If elected to the TCDA Board I shall

embrace the responsibilities and dutieswith energy and enthusiasm. Inaddition to sustaining the currentprograms for the College Division, as theCollege/Community Vice President I willstrive to increase the opportunities andresources for those teaching in collegesand universities as well as our students.Developing on-line resources, establish-ing a “shared library”, and stimulatinggreater participation at our stateConvention by college/universityprofessors and students are issues that Iwill eagerly pursue. √

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Phyllis King is the InstructionalSpecialist for Fine Arts in Killeen ISD.

With over 27 years experience (ConroeISD, Hays CISD, Killeen ISD, PlanoISD), a BME (K-12 Vocal), an MA(Kodály Pedagogy) from Sam HoustonState University, and a year of study atthe Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest,Hungary, Phyllis enjoys working withteachers and students alike. She hasconducted numerous workshops, in-service presentations, choral clinics, andKodály training classes at the local, state,and national levels. She has been anational board member of the Organi-zation of American Kodály Educatorsand is a Past President of KodályEducators of Texas. Phyllis is an activemember of TMEA, TCDA, ASCD(principal level), KET, OAKE, and IKS.

If elected . . .If elected to the TCDA Board, I

will continue to uphold the highstandards set for music selection,session design, and clinician choice, atall levels. While I truly believe thatthe strength of a choral programbegins with a healthy foundation atthe elementary level, I also know thatwe learn best as we work together. Iwould enjoy collaborating with theBoard members to serve the TCDAmembership by helping to host aquality Convention overall andprovide support to the elementarydivision in particular. Thank you forthis opportunity. It’s an honor to benominated! √

Karen Herrera is in her third yearserving as Director of Fine Arts for theMcAllen ISD. Originally from theHouston area, Mrs Herrera graduatedwith a BME and Vocal PerformanceCertificate from the UT-Austin. Whileattending UT, Mrs Herrera was a three-year member of the UT Chamber Singersunder the direction of Dr Morris Beachy.

Mrs Herrera has 24 years experiencein public education serving at theelementary, middle, and high schoollevels as teacher, director, and assistantprincipal. She earned her Master’s inEducational Administration from theUT-Pan American in Edinburg in 1998

and is currently working on her DoctoralDegree in Curriculum and Instructionwith Texas A&M-College Station. MrsHerrera hopes to receive her ExecutiveEd D in December of 2012. Mrs Herrerais also in her second year serving asTMEA Region 15 Elementary DivisionChair.

As Director of Fine Arts, Mrs Herrerasupervises a staff of over 146 fine artsspecialists and oversees eight fine artsdivisions including elementary music,winds, orchestra, choral, dance, theatrearts, visual arts, and mariachi. In herthree years in this position, Mrs Herrerahas been responsible for a $344,000district instrument and equipmentupgrade for the secondary musicprograms, the development of anelementary Suzuki string program, andinstrumental in her district’s beingawarded a three-year arts grant from theDepartment of Education totalingapproximately three quarters of a milliondollars. Mrs Herrera serves as projectdirector for this federal grant program,appropriately named “ARTScope” thattrains elementary education teachers toinfuse music, theater and art into coresubject instruction. Karen also serves asSecretary on the Executive Board of theValley Symphony Association. She is a

member of TMEA, TCDA, and TMAC. Mrs Herrera is on staff at the First

UMC McAllen where she serves ascontemporary worship leader and acts aslead vocalist, keyboard, and rhythmguitar player in the worship band onSunday mornings. She is the mother offour children ages 21, 20, 17, and 15. Heroldest child will graduate from UT-Austin in May of 2010 and her secondoldest is currently a sophomore at theUT-San Antonio.

If elected . . .It is absolutely an honor to be

nominated for TCDA Elementary VicePresident. I am committed to thesupport and advancement of music andarts education in the great state of Texas,particularly at the elementary level whichis so critical to a child’s development, andyet, where so many of our children areunderserved. As a member of the TCDABoard, I would strive to expand TCDA byencouraging teachers to become activeTCDA members and I would continuethe hard work of the TCDA Board toprovide outstanding summer Conven-tions. One of my goals is to increase theofferings for and participation ofelementary music specialists at ourConventions. √

Elementary Division Vice President

2010 Convention Exhibit HoursExhibits open Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and will close Friday at 4:00 pm – not open Saturday.



Kristen Gossett is in her 10th year asdirector of music ministry at First UMCin Wichita Falls. During that time thenumber of volunteers in the musicministry has more than doubled to over200 participants. Before coming toFUMC, she was choral director atWichita Falls HS for 11 years where herchoir performed for TMEA, St Patrick’sCathedral, and Riverside Church inNYC, Trinity Church in Boston, and wasnamed “Best in Class” at the NewEngland Choral Festival. She receivedthe Texas Excellence Award for out-standing high school teachers. Prior toher teaching experience, she was in theretail music business with her father,Max Kreutz. Max Kreutz House ofMusic served the North Texas area formore than 40 years. Her parents, Maxand Ava Kreutz, served as Minister ofMusic and organist at First PresbyterianChurch for 38 years, and provided a richmusical heritage for Kristen.

After graduating from Wichita FallsHS, Karen studied at Southern Metho-dist University with Dr Lloyd Pfautschand then moved to Houston where shestudied with Dr Ray Moore and earnedher BME from the University ofHouston. Mrs Gossett has also studiedchoral conducting under Dr BevHenson, Renee Clausen, Anton Arm-strong, and John Ferguson. She servedas secretary-treasurer for Region IIVocal Division, TMAA Committee of

Standards of Adjudication and Perfor-mance Practices and the board of theWichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.Professional affiliates include TMAA,TMEA, TCDA, ACDA, and ChoristersGuild.

Under her direction, the musicministry of FUMC has four gradedchildren and youth choirs, two adultchoral ensembles, three handbell/hand-chime choirs, a multi-generationalorchestra, and Musikgarten classes forinfants and toddlers. The FUMCChancel Choir has performed forMethodist Annual Conferences, theLutheran Missouri Synod Conference, StPatricks Cathedral, St John the Divine,and, on a tour of Boston, sang at OldWest, Old South, and Old NorthChurches. In 2006 the Chancel Choirperformed “A Choral Worship” underthe direction of Dr Anton Armstrong,and in 2007, a hymn festival, “We SingThe Story”, with Dr John Ferguson.

Mrs Gossett and her husband, Jerry,have been married for 40 years and theirfamily includes their son, Jeff; Brad andhis wife, Julie; Cullen and his wife,Emily; and their granddaughters, Avaand Anna.

If elected . . .It is an honor to be nominated for

the position of Church Vice President.TCDA has been an invaluable source ofinspiration to me and has provided mewith a wealth of knowledge, both in mypublic school teaching and in my sacredmusic position. It would be a privilegeto serve this organization.

In these tough economic times, wesee school districts and other fine artsorganizations having to cut staff,funding, and programs at an alarmingrate. The music ministry changes livesand lifts spirits, and can “fill the gap” leftby declining fine arts opportunities inthe public sector.

“Church music is not aboutperformance, but ministry. Every piece,every service is a great moment.”

– Austin Lovelace

I recently read an article written byWalt Mueller, Founder and President ofthe Center for Parent/Youth Under-standing. He talked about what hischurch family and sacred musicexperience had meant in his life. I, too,had a similar experience growing up inthe church music ministry and feelinglike I was a part of a large family thatloved me and was always there to lift meup in good times and bad. Now that Iam a church music director, I realizemore deeply than ever before that Godhas given me the gift of being surround-ed and influenced by diverse membersof His body. It is a humbling experienceeach week to see dedicated volunteerswho are “regular and committed” to thegifts with which God has blessed them,using those gifts to serve and inspireothers in worship and mission. God’shandiwork is evident in the continuingsuccess of our music ministries. I feel itis our duty and honor as churchmusical directors to provide excitingopportunities for those who sing inchoirs and play instruments, to faithful-ly plant and nurture seeds, and TCDAhelps us do that.

It is my hope that TCDA willcontinue to provide:

1. Education and inspiration to allthose who lead music programs in ourchurches as well as our schools

2. Exciting and creative ideas forworship

3. Reading sessions with a wealth ofresources for great choral literature forall ages.

4. Professional support from itsinformed and talented membership.

TCDA’s rich tradition has providedus with a wealth of knowledge andsupport and it is my goal to continue tohelp assess the needs of our member-ship and plan creative programs richwith opportunities for musical growthand interaction.

‘”How often, making music, we havefound a new dimension in the world ofsound, as worship moved us to a moreprofound Alleluia!” – Fred Pratt Green

Church Division Vice President

TCDA MembersOn-Line

TexasSings.org

The TCDA Member Database is password protected. We hope this is notinconvenient, but rather, serves to protect member privacy. Entry is very simple

for members. When you click on “Member Database”, you will be asked for ausername and password. Enter tcda and 2009 and you’re in!



Greg Shapley serves as Minister ofMusic & Worship at First UMC in Hurst,a suburb of Fort Worth. In his 18th yearthere, he oversees a Music Ministryinvolving over 200 volunteers, four staff

members, a fine arts academy offeringprivate and group music lessons, and aconcert series. Over the past few years,the Music Ministry has grown consider-ably. Newly established programsinclude the presentation of major choralworks, summer pops concerts, andcomposer weekends. Featured compos-er/clinicians have included Allen Pote, ZRandall Stroope, Andre Thomas, JosephMartin, Ken Medema, and EarleneRentz.

The Music Ministry presents Festivalof Carols for the community eachChristmas with full orchestra andchorus, presents children’s musicals,offers Kindermusik classes, variousconcerts throughout the year, and hosts aMusic Camp for children during thesummer. Past choir tours have includedEngland, Scotland, New York City, and

Washington, DC Greg grew up in Texas and was a

member of the All-State Band and All-State Choir. He attended Arizona StateUniversity, where he earned a BM inVocal Performance in 1988. He contin-ued his studies at the University ofCincinnati College-Conservatory ofMusic and received a MM in VocalPerformance in 1991. He served as theDirector of Music at First ChristianChurch in Amarillo for six years, theDirector of the Amarillo Boy Choir forfive years, and directed choirs at AmarilloHS for one year, working with DanHood. Under his direction the AmarilloBoy Choir appeared on the TMEAElementary Honor Concert in 1992.Greg taught private voice in the LakeHighlands Area of Richardson ISD.

Church Division Vice President

Gregory M Pysh is in his 14th yearas Minister of Music for the FirstPresbyterian Church of Midland. TheFirst Presbyterian Sanctuary Choir, inaddition to leading traditional worshipeach Sunday, has presented worksranging from the Ninth Symphony ofBeethoven to the Sacred Concert of DukeEllington, and has performed inEdinburgh’s St Giles Cathedral, Canter-bury Cathedral, and New York’sCarnegie Hall. His youth choirs havepresented works ranging from Godspellto original musicals on the lives ofAbraham and Elijah. Before Midland, heserved churches in Tennessee and Ohio.

Born in Sharon PA, he graduatedsumma cum laude with a Bachelor ofMusic Degree in vocal performancefrom Youngstown State University, and a

Master of Music Degree in choralconducting and voice performance fromBowling Green State University.

Choral experience includes:Elementary – Volunteer accompanist

for the Bowie Fine Arts Academy Choir,a newly formed magnet school of theMidland ISD. The Choir is conductedby his wife, Kathy, a 26-year veteranteacher.

College and University – Conductorof the Vocal Ensemble and instructor inmusic theory, composition, and privatevoice for the University of Texas of thePermian Basin. Teacher of History ofRock and Roll and private voice atMidland College.

Community and Professional Choirs –Founder and Artistic Director for MusicaSacra, a professional chorus andorchestra known in the Permian Basinfor their free Super Bowl Sundayconcerts.

Publications – Choral and handbellcompositions can be found in thecatalogues of various publishersincluding Beckenhorst, Kjos, andLawson-Gould. Recipient of theASCAP PLUS Excellence Awardannually since 1994. Editorials on thechoral art have appeared on the pagesof the Choral Journal, Choristers GuildLetters, ACDA Student Times, and TheAmerican Spirit.

Professional memberships includeACDA, American Composers Forum

(ACF), ASCAP, NATS, Phi Kappa Phi,TCDA, and TMEA. Greg has beenincluded in Who’s Who in America since2006.

He and Kathy have two children,Danya and Matthew.

If elected . . .It is an honor to be nominated to be

Church Vice President of the TexasChoral Directors Association. We aretruly blessed to be part of an organiza-tion that sets the standard in all areas ofthe choral art. The leadership of TCDAhas set a very high professional level forour association, and I will work diligent-ly to continue to uphold the quality ofnot only our Convention, but also ourpresence in the forefront of choral musicin America.

As the world of church musiccontinues to evolve and change eachyear, I will strive to offer sessions at ourConvention that will provide resourcesrelevant to the variety of congregationswe serve as part-time and full-timemusicians.

If elected, I would use the greatconsortium of church musicians in ourstate to provide expertise in the areas ofcongregational singing, repertoire, andother areas of emphasis in the ministryof music. Furthermore, I would place ahigh priority on educating churchprofessionals about TCDA and all of itsmany benefits. √

Continued on page 19



Hearing Benjamin Zander, theconductor of the Boston Philhar-monic, speak at TMEA inspired me.

I attended the general session where hewas the keynote speaker, and proppedmyself up for the 9:30 pm session onFriday night. I found myself captivatedby the energy of this man, an energy thatmagically negated my body’s usual 10:00pm bed time. After the convention Ibought the book he co-authored, The Artof Possibility, and devoured it quickly.

Zander, a man who has obviouslydealt with a slew of his own personaldemons, writes that we should teach in away that inspires students to contribute,and not simply control them.

Without a say in their destiny andmusic-making, players are disgruntledand left feeling unappreciated. Zandernow places a blank piece of paper oneach player’s stand before rehearsal andinvites them to write comments. Hecollects the “white sheets” post rehearsal,reads them, and is enlightened andtaught by what they have written. Thewhite sheets create a connection to eachplayer, not just the concert master orprinciple player in each section. Thebook is full of anecdotes that reveal hisquest to build relationships with theplayers in his ensembles and to allowthem to be part of the music-makingparadigm, not simply robots to executehis every musical whim.

Zander was present at TMEA to leadthe All-State Symphony Orchestra in theShostakovich Symphony No. 5. Hespoke so passionately about the pieceand the All-State students that I wascompelled to attend the performance.As I took my seat off to the side where Icould not only hear the performancebut also watch Zander’s expressions, Ibecame aware of a man sitting nearbyon the floor with his laptop open,plugged into an outlet, clicking away.Inwardly, I applauded his ability to find

the electrical outlet and maximize theminutes prior to the downbeat of theconcert. But as Zander took the stageand the keyboard clicking continued, Iflashed a dismayed “Are you JOKING?”look his way, which was ignored. Forthe next 40 minutes, I sat in awe as Ilistened to the Shostakovich and thelevel of musicianship of the high schoolinstrumentalists. All of the symbolismof which Zander spoke came to life, andas he conducted his controversial tempoin the closing section of the last move-ment, I thought I might jump out of myseat. I was filled with the spirit ofpossibility for my own students and thewonder of music. I leapt to my feet withthe crowd after the final note, applaudedwildly, and waited in the long line toshake the maestro’s hand to congratulatehim. Sadly, the director on the floorwith his laptop missed it – he chose tobury himself in solo and ensembleentries throughout the concert instead.That’s what he said he was working onwhen asked. While I could easily digressto rant about concert etiquette, whatupset me as much as his disregard forother audience members was what hehad missed by only superficially payingattention to the music, if at all. Had the

paperwork and deadlines of his jobtaken over his artistic soul and robbedhim of all aesthetic awareness andenjoyment? It would appear so. Howtragic. I wondered what Zander wouldsay to the misguided man, and knewthat he would have some colorfullanguage to size up that situation.

As artists and educators, we have tofill our souls with inspiration. If we donot replenish our spirits, we wither intoa pedantic way of uninspired teaching. Iashamedly admit that I was so buried inteaching during the early years of mycareer that I quit attending live perfor-mances or singing anywhere other thanin my classroom. What a mistake! Ourvery craft relies on our artistic soulsbeing nurtured and revived outside ofour own rehearsals. This alone is reasonto attend the TCDA Convention thissummer. What a phenomenal Conven-tion this fabulous Board has planned foryou! Many of the divisional vice-presidents have been working for twoyears on this Convention. I encourageyou to read their articles so you can seethat John Rutter, Lynn Gackle, TimLautzenheiser, and Rollo Dillworth arecoming to invigorate us. Each Boardmember has meticulously planned awonderful Convention that promises toinspire even those of us who have beenaround for a long time. Do not miss thewonderful sessions, the new works byJohn Rutter and Judith Herrington thatwill be premiered, and the 13 new musicreading sessions that will give you newrepertoire for next year and beyond.

Student Leadership Day – July 30I am very excited that the 55th

TCDA Convention will involve a day forthe student leaders of state high schoolchoral programs. The morning willinclude a two-hour leadership workshopby Dr Tim Lautzenheiser, and afternoonsessions will include pertinent topics:

byTCDA PresidentAmy Allibon

Inspired is Required

President’s Page

President Amy Allibon



Founded by Artistic Director AlanDyer, The Texas Voices is a non-profit,professional vocal chamber ensemblededicated to promoting excellence inthe choral arts through:

• Providing professional perfor-mance opportunities for area musiciansand composers

• Supporting the development andperformance of quality choral literature

• Bringing exceptional choral musicto the community

• Encouraging professional develop-ment and music education

• Supportingcommunityoutreachactivities

Based inPlano, theensemble gaveits debutperformance inMay 2003 andhas gained

national recognition for its polished,nuanced sound and innovative reper-toire. To date the chorus has premiered

more than 25 new choral works, most ofwhich were written by Texas composers.

In 2005 the chorus welcomed DebraScroggins as its first Composer-in-Residence. In 2007 the chorus was thefeatured artist on WRR Classical 101.1FM’s hour-long radio program, Music ofthe Metroplex. In 2008 The Texas Voicesreleased its first CD, Voices Live.

Alan Dyer is a widely respectedchoral director, performer, and musiceducator. In addition to his duties withThe Texas Voices, Dyer is music associ-ate at First Unitarian Church of Dallas.

The Texas Voices

Alan Dyer

how to prepare to be a music major, andhow to prepare better for All-Stateauditions. Students will also have fullaccess to the exhibit hall. This is anideal day for your upperclassmenstudent officers at a nominal cost.Please see the application in this issue oron the TCDA website. Pre-registrationby June 15 for this event is required.Because of limited space, on-siteregistration will not be available.

Awards NominationsI invite you to consider nominating a

worthy Texas choral director as recipientof either the Texas Choral Excellence

Award or the Young Director of Distinc-tion. This is the first time that nomina-tions for the Texas Choral ExcellenceAward have been opened to the member-ship. The criteria for the awards areclearly listed on the nomination formfound on the TCDA website. Nomina-tions and letters of recommendation aredue May 15. The Board will consider allnominations submitted with theappropriate letters of recommendation,and winners will be announced at theBusiness Meeting on July 30.

Running for the TCDA BoardAre you interested in serving on the

TCDA Board of Directors? We arecurrently seeking candidates for theoffice of Secretary, MS/JH Vice President,and HS Vice President. These electionswill occur during the 2011 Convention.If you would like to be considered fornomination, please submit your letter ofinterest including the number of yearsyou have attended the TCDA Conven-tion, a resume highlighting achievementsand leadership positions, and a headshotto the nominating committee chairman,Danny Detrick ([email protected]), by June 1. You willbe notified by July 1 if selected for the2011 ballot. √

PERFORMING GROUPS



PERFORMING GROUPS

San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble

San Antonio VocalArts Ensemble is aunique ancient

world music ensemblethat accompaniesancient vocal music ona diverse collection ofearly and traditionalinstruments from theMiddle East, Europe,and North and SouthAmerica. The groupmade its debut in 1989at San Antonio’shistoric San FernandoCathedral, presentingLatin American musicfrom the colonialperiod. In the yearsthat have followed,SAVAE has made six recordings, andbeen heard on the soundtrack of a majorHollywood release, on televisiondocumentaries, and on National PublicRadio broadcasts. SAVAE has touredthroughout the United States from NewYork to Seattle, and from Baton Rouge toMilwaukee. The International BaroqueFestival of Bolivia presented SAVAE in itsMisiones Chiquitos series, marking theensemble’s foreign debut.

With its home in the United States’most colorful Latino city, it is no surprisethat SAVAE made its mark with uniquerecordings of ancient music from LatinAmerica, including the Billboard maga-zine-charting Guadalupe: Virgen de losIndios. SAVAE’s inventive approach to thefusion of Pre-Colombian and Europeanmusical elements won the ensemble aninvitation to record Academy Award-winning composer Todd Boekelheide’soriginal score for the award-winningdocumentary, Discovering Dominga.

SAVAE’s recording of ancient MiddleEastern music, Ancient Echoes, featuresthe ensemble’s exploration of music anddialects from the Holy Land. It was

He is also the principal accompanist forthe Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallasand an adjunct professor at TexasWoman’s University.

Dyer has worked with renownedchoral directors such as Dr Lloyd

Pfautsch and Cynthia Nott. He earned anMM from Southern Methodist Universityand a bachelor’s degree in piano perfor-mance from Dallas Baptist University. Hehas also completed doctoral courses atthe University of North Texas.

Dyer is active in ACDA, TCDA, andAGO. He has toured throughout theUnited States and Europe. In July 2006,Dyer was the guest organist for a specialmass at St Peter’s Basilica in VaticanCity, Rome. √

World Library Publications’ (SAVAE’srecord label) number-one seller for twoconsecutive years, and received ravereviews for its inspiring blend of scholar-ly research and creative flair. DirectorRidley Scott included a track from thatrecording in his 2005 feature film, TheKingdom of Heaven.

The ensemble’s Artistic Director,Christopher Moroney, has createdgroundbreaking new compositions andarrangements for SAVAE, delving deeplyinto the history and culture of themusic he prepares for the group toperform and record. He has travelled toMexico, Peru, Bolivia, and Palestine/Israel to conduct research. His excitingreconstruction of Aztec ceremonialmusic won Moroney a commission tocompose a piece for The Sport of Lifeand Death, a traveling museum exhibi-tion of Pre-Colombian artifacts relatedto Aztec culture. MusicologistTheodore Burg called Moroney’s workon Ancient Echoes “well-researched,well-recorded musical journey . . . withan intriguing, timeless effect.” WorldLibrary Publications publishes

Moroney’s compositionsand arrangements forSAVAE.

SAVAE has beenfeatured on nationalradio shows includingNPR’s PerformanceToday, Sound & Spirit,Latino USA, The SavvyTraveler, and WeekendEdition. Angela Marianihas twice featured theensemble in hour-longspecials on her earlymusic program Harmo-nia. Producer JohnDilberto travelled to SanAntonio to record a“Livingroom Concert”for his public radio

show, and SAVAE recorded an encoreappearance for his Echoes program atIndre Studio in Philadelphia. Reportsabout SAVAE and its spirited approachto early world music have appeared inmajor daily papers including The LosAngeles Times, The Dallas MorningNews, Kansas City Star, HoustonChronicle, Chicago Sun Times, and viaAPI and other wire services to cities farand wide.

The members of the San AntonioVocal Arts Ensemble are:

• Kathy Mayer – soprano, windinstruments, harp, bowed instruments

• Tanya Moczygemba – mezzo-soprano, percussion

• Covita Moroney – (founder andmanager) alto, plucked instruments,percussion

• Christopher Moroney – (artisticdirector) bass/baritone, wind instru-ments, percussion

• Jody Noblett – baritone, windinstruments, percussion

• Lee P’Pool – tenor, percussion• Sonya Yamin – soprano, per-

cussion. √



“She never brings anything hometo me! I didn’t even know wewere selling Krispy Kreme until

last night! The orders are due today?When is the concert again?”

These are all things we’ve all heardnumerous times and in various formsthroughout a school year. It can befrustrating to send notes home tocommunicate with parents and thenrealize they aren’t ever getting there;important information is often leftcrumpled at the bottom of a backpack,stuffed in a choir folder, or even left onthe risers for you to pick up after theclass has left. However, we all know thateffective communication with ourstudents and parents is a sure way thatwe can organize our programs and solvea lot of problems before they happen.Parents want to know what’s going onand making sure that they have theinformation they want is a sure way tokeep them on our side.

Within the past few years, newtechnology has offered us new andimproved ways to solve many of theseproblems, and also make life mucheasier for us. There are several toolsavailable to make our communicationmore effective and efficient.

E-Mail• Email cannot get left in the choir

room or at the bottom of the backpack.Email does not waste paper.

• Email does not force you to makemore copies or save copies for thestudent who was absent that day.

• Email is our friend! We love email!Set up an email account just for

your choir, something easy that parentswill be able to remember. Ours [email protected]. Use aservice (yahoo, google, hotmail, etc) thatis the easiest for you to navigate.

Send home one last note with thestudents asking parents (and students ifyou want their addresses as well) toemail you at your new email addressfrom the email address that they usemost often. They can simply type“subscribe” in the subject line and thenyou can save the address to your addressbook when you receive the email. Youcould also have the students or parentsfill out an information sheet with theirpreferred email address on it and thenenter each one in yourself, but there ismore room for error here and a muchlarger time commitment involved!

Create an email group with all theaddresses for the current school year.Every time you have an announcementor important information to sendhome, you can simply enter the groupname in the TO: field, type yourannouncement and send. You can evenadd attachments with permission slipsor flyers. If you have students that donot have printers at home, you cansimply direct them to the library or keepa few extra copies on hand at your desk.

FacebookThere are over 250 million active

Facebook users with over 120 millionusers that log on to Facebook at leastonce a day (www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). Many studentsspend more time on Facebook than theydo on their homework every day! AFacebook account is very easy to set up;just go to www.facebook.com and

follow the instructions! At first you mayhave some difficulty finding your wayaround, but after a little exploring itbecomes very easy to use.

The simplest way to use this as acommunication tool is to post statusupdates reminding your students aboutupcoming events. For example, “Joelleis reminding all her students that theyshould get off Facebook and go studyfor their sightsinging test tomorrow!”You can create groups (similar to email)to send your students messages. Thebenefit here is that when someoneresponds, everyone you emailed can seethe response and the whole “thread” ofmessages. It is great for group discus-sions! I often use that for brainstormingideas with my student officers or fortrying to set up a meeting time so thateveryone can attend.

TwitterNext to Facebook, Twitter is

probably the most mentioned social toolin the news, on primetime televisionand by students and adults alike. As anavid Facebook user, I didn’t really seethe point of Twitter at first. It justseemed like a watered down version ofFacebook to me – you add friends thatyou “follow” and therefore you can seetheir “tweets”, which are really just“status updates” in Facebook lingo.However, Twitter can actually be a veryhelpful communication tool for ourprograms. Create a Twitter account foryour group. Just go to www.twitter.comand follow the sign-up instructions. It isvery user friendly and self-explanatory.

After you create your account, yourparents and students can create theirown accounts and start “following” yourgroup. If they activate their mobiledevice, every time you “tweet” they willget a text notification sent directly totheir cell phone. What a great way toallow you to send messages to parentsand students in real time! Often, anemail message may not be read until theinformation in it has expired. With

Twitter: How “Tweet” It is!by Joelle Norris

Joelle Norris is Director ofChoirs at Olive Branch HSin Olive Branch MS. Sheearned her BME fromRoberts Wesleyan College inRochester NY and her MMEfrom Florida State Universi-ty where she studied under

Dr Judy Bowers, Dr Kevin Fenton, and DrAndre Thomas. She currently serves as theR&S Chair for Women’s Choirs on theMississippi ACDA Board. She co-directs theNorthwest Mississippi Youth Chorale with herhusband, Reese, and is a Pianist and YouthChoir Director at Hernando UMC. Joelle maybe reached at [email protected].

“How “Tweet” It Is” is reprinted withpermission from The Choral Advocate,member newsletter of the Mississippi Chapterof ACDA. Continued on page 27



Donald Bailey Shawn Bell Tammy Benton Richard Bjella Ann Burbridge

Christina Chapman Rollo Dilworth Denise Eaton Billy Ferguson David Frego

Lynne Gackle Kari Gilberton Michael Hawn Jodie Johnson Jan Lancaster

Jerry McCoy Darla Meek Colleen Norton Heather Orr

Troy Peters Joel Price

CLINICIANS



CLINICIANS

Marsha Robinson John Rutter Jo Scurlock-Dillard Neena Taylor Mike Ware

CONDUCTORS

Jason Brown Rollo Dilworth Alan Dyer Tim Lyles

Michael Lysinger Candy McComb Diane Owen Denise Pitcock

Milton Pullen Lora Robison LaHonda Sharp Gloria Stephens

Joe Weir Michelle Willey

Greg has been married to Sessaliefor 22 years. They live in Bedfordwith their three children.

If elected . . .I would appreciate the opportuni-

ty to serve TCDA in this capacity.Realizing that each church musician’ssituation is unique, I would like to seeTCDA continue to expand its visionto include offerings for every churchmusician regardless of church size,worship style, or denomination.

Greg ShapleyContinued from page 11

INFO BOX ORFILLER AD


Address the

MembersMailing labels for TCDA

members are available at 7¢ per label (21¢ for elec-

tronic list). Select the entire membership (about 1950) or

select by division orZIP code range.

Call or write for info:

7900 Centre Park Dr Ste AAustin TX 78754

512/[email protected]


Texas Choral Directors Association55th Annual Convention and New Music Reading Clinic

July 28 - 31, 2010, San Antonio

Tentative Schedule(This schedule is not definite; event times and or places may change before Convention.)

Wednesday, July 2810:30 am Golf Tournament The Quarry

Barry Talley, Organizer12 noon - 10:00 pm Child Care Available 209, 2112:00 - 6:00 pm EL Honor Choir Registration/Rehearsal 2143:00 - 7:00 pm Registration Open Exhibit Hall C3:00 - 6:00 pm Exhibits Open Exhibit Hall C5:00 - 6:00 pm College Student Meeting 207B6:00 - 8:00 pm Soiree Marriott Riverwalk Hotel

Thursday, July 297:00 am - 6:00 pm Registration Open Exhibit Hall C7:00 am - 10:30 pm Child Care Available 209, 2118:00 am Col/Com: Conducting Masterclass, Dr Jerry McCoy, Dr Richard Bjella 206

EL: Honor Choir Rehearsal 214EL: Rehearsal Techniques I, Dr Rollo Dilworth 214Reading Session: Sacred U/2-Pt, Lora Robison, conductor 217Reading Session: Pop/Jazz, Denise Pitcock, conductor BR C

9:15 am EL: Teaching Music Through Childrens Literature, Billy Ferguson 206Ch: Congregational Singing, Dr Michael Hawn 207HS: CSI Choir, Denise Eaton 217Reading Session: MS/JH Boys, Jason Brown, conductor BR C

10:00 am - 6:00 pm Exhibits Open Exhibit Hall C10:30 am Reading Session: Unison/SA, Diane Owen, conductor 217

Reading Session: HS SATB, Michael Lysinger, conductor BR C12:30 am - 4:00 pm El: Honor Choir Rehearsal 21412:30 pm Ch: Singing Beyond the Score, Dr Michael Hawn 207

El: Rehearsal Techniques II, Dr Rollo Dilworth 214MS/JH Tried & Proven, Joel Price, Tammy Benton 217

1:45 pm Col/Com: Facing the Orchestra, Dr Donald Bailey, Troy Peters 207EL: Singing Emersion, Ann Burbridge 217Reading Session: Advanced JH/MS Training, Candy McComb, conductor BR C

3:00 pm MS/JH: Adolescent Treble Voice, Dr Lynne Gackle 217Reading Session: Advanced HS/Col, Milton Pullen, conductor BR C

4:15 pm Performance: The Texas Voices, Alan Dyer, director BR C7:00 pm Worship Service Travis Park United Methodist Church

Featuring The Music of John Rutter

Friday, July 307:00 am - 11:00 pm Child Care Available 209, 2117:30 - 5:30 pm Registration Open Exhibit Hall C8:00 - 11:00 am EL Honor Choir Rehearsal 2148:00 am Reading Session: MS/JH Treble, Michelle Willey, conductor 217

Reading Session: TMEA All-State Music, Joe Weir, conductor BR C



9:15 am HS: DIY (Do It Yourself), Neena Taylor, Marsha Robinson 206EL: Singing & Signing, Colleen Norton 207El: Rehearsal Techniques III, Dr Rollo Dilworth 214MS/JH: Shift . . . Changing Approaches for a Changing Choral World , Kari Gilbertson 217All: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Composing for Choir, John Rutter BR C

10:00 am - 4:00 pm Exhibits Open (Not open on Saturday) Exhibit Hall C10:30 am TMEA Region Meetings Everywhere!11:45 am All: The Music of John Rutter, John Rutter BR C1:00 pm El: Movement with Masterworks, Darla Meek 207

MS/JH: Adolescent Female Voice II, Dr Lynne Gackle 217Reading Session: HS Treble/Men, College Student Conductors BR CHS: Law & Order: Sight Reading Victim Unit, Heather Orr 217Reading Session: Sacred General, Tim Lyles, conductor BR C

3:00 - 4:00 pm Visit Exhibits (Last Chance; Not open Saturday) Exhibit Hall C4:00 pm TCDA Business Meeting BR C

Performance: EL Honor Choir, Dr Rollo Dilworth, director2010 Commissioned Work, Born of a Symphony, by Judith Herrington

7:00 pm TCDA BBQ La Villita Assembly HallEntertainment: Greater Tuna’s Jaston WilliamsSponsored by Pepper of Dallas/Fort Worth

Saturday, July 317:00 am - 1:00 pm Child Care Open 209, 2118:00 - 10:00 am Registration Open Exhibit Hall C8:00 am Col/Com: Dalcroze for Conductors, Dr David Frego 206

El: Choir Builders for Growing Voices, Dr Rollo Dilworth 217Reading Session: Holiday/Seasonal, Gloria Stephens, conductor BR C

9:15 am EL: The Best Ideas We Ever Stole, Jan Lancaster 206MS/JH: Boys – The Eighth Wonder of the World, Christina Chapman 207HS: Tried & Proven, Jo Scurlock-Dillard, Shawn Bell, Michael Ware 214Reading Session: Sacred Advanced, LaHonda Sharp, conductor BR C

10:30 am Performance: San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble 217Christopher Moroney, director

ACCOMPANISTS

Jeanna Baibos Carl Braden Robin Brockway- Cammy Burkhalter Jennifer Franz-Melady Wendy JenkinsNichols

Katherine Johnson Sherrie McMahon Debra Morton Janet Pummill Laura Taylor



Ever see the national spelling bee? Kidsfrom all over the United States sweat,faint, and throw up while trying their

darndest to spell words like fribbiage.Parents encourage their kids to learn tospell from early on. Sometimes watchingthe parents sweat, faint, and throw up onESPN is half the fun! Anyway, eachcontestant is given a word to spell, butthe speller can ask for clues, like countryof origin, dialect, correct pronunciation,and an accurate definition. Once acontestant has an accurate definition heor she can conceptualize the word andhave a better chance at a proper spelling.

Have you ever thought through anaccurate definition of success in yourchoral program? Like a championshipspeller, church, school, and communitychoir directors can learn something fromconceptualizing a successful choirprogram.

At first, some may gauge the successof a choral program as performing greatmusic with audiences wildly applaudingthe work of a fine conductor and a finelytuned choir. Others may define successas perceived growth of a choir program.

Some directors will spout out numbers,as they celebrate their recruiting prowesssimply by counting how many singers arein their choir program. Other directorsmay perceive success as the ability toeducate their singers in music history,solfege, or other methods of singing,while still others point to an endlessarray of shiny trophies proving asuccessful choir program.

While these may be valid arbiters ofsuccessful choirs, may I offer anotherconcept of how a director can conceptu-alize the degree of success in a choirprogram? Let’s think through this: whathappens after choir? What happens aftera rehearsal is over? What happens afterthe lights are turned off and the magicalnotes once penned by Palestrina, Bach,and Mozart cease to be heard? May Isubmit to you that what happens afterchoir is precisely why we have chosenchoral music as a profession?

What happens after a successfulchoir rehearsal may be seen whendirectors build strong personal

relationships with their singers. In turn,the singers return to their homes,schools, and churches and make theirworld a better place. When a directorinappropriately criticizes a singer whosemind is not focused on the music, thesinger may perceive the director as anadversary. When a director is mean-spirited toward the singers becausethey’re not singing in tune, the directormay be viewed as unapproachable.However, when a director earnestly caresabout the singers in his or her ensembleand allows them to contribute to the

overall performance of the music in ahealthy and endearing environment, thesingers will perceive the director assomeone who can be trusted, esteemed,and respected. All people, adults andchildren, crave acceptance; all yearn tobelong to something.

Where does the needle point in yourchoir room after the music is over? Areyour choir members asking you foradvice about their problems? Are youinvolved in your singers’ lives whenyou’re not on the podium? Are youpositively encouraging them to excel inlife outside of the rehearsal hall? For me,the best thing about teaching may not bewhat happens on the podium but whathappens in the hearts and minds of mysingers. If I can encourage a student whois thinking about dropping out to remainin school, I have succeeded. If I can steera young mind toward continuing theircollege education after high school, thenI have succeeded. If a student has beeninspired to pursue music education as acareer choice, then I have succeeded. If Ican encourage a church choir member tohave hope and faith even in the darkesthours of their lives, then I have succeed-ed. Filter your definition of successthrough the lives of your singers.Perhaps a life-changing moment in onelife will occur this week after your nextchoir rehearsal. We have chosen choralmusic as a profession because we knowthat singing beautiful music with othershas the power to change lives. Oh, by theway, I made up the word fribbiage. The[non]meaning is: the guilty pleasure offooling someone into thinking fribbiageis an actual word. √

May I Have the Definition, Please?by Ronnie Sanders

Ronnie Sanders served asChurch/Community VicePresident on the Board of theTexas Choral DirectorsAssociation from 2004 –2006. He currently serves aschoir director at ThomasJefferson High School in San

Antonio and is writing a book entitled,Beyond the Notes – Arts, Education and theEconomy. He may be reached [email protected].

Cartoon by Ed Owens



The great opening and closing song ofThe Lion King is The Circle of Life.When I think of choir, it’s almost

the same: a beginning, middle, and anend. But, because it is a circle or maybea cycle, the end can always bringanother beginning. So it is with muchof what we do. We begin music for anew event or concert, we explore theprocess of learning and knowing themusic, and then we perform it. Similar-ly, we may begin a season of worshipsuch as Lent or Advent, live through it,and then experience its culmination. Allthrough seasons, other seasons thatinvolve us may have already begun, maybe starting, or may be ending.

For many of us, a school yearfunctions similarly. We begin with greatexcitement, then several “seasons” beginto occur: All-State Process, Fall Concert,Holiday Concert, All-Region-Choir, Soloand Ensemble, Musical, Madrigal Dinner,Madrigal Festival, UIL Concert and SightReading, Fundraising, Choir Trips, ChoirAuditions, Spring Show or Pop Show,Banquets, Graduation. All through theseseasons, we have other parts of our livesthat have seasons, too — family, friends,other jobs, continuing education,relationships with co-workers and feedersystem members, community activities,summer plans, career considerations, andthe list continues.

Many of us take time to reflect onthe season of life that has just occurred.Part of the process of life is reflection.Based on these reflections, we may makechanges or considerations for improve-ment. This has certainly been the casefor your TCDA Board for the pastseveral years. We have examined allparts of our organization to seek waysfor improvement. Two areas of ourorganization deserve highlighting.

First, we are beginning a newventure — High School Student Day.In keeping with the season or cycle idea,

we know that many current musiceducators, patrons of the arts, andsupporters of public and private musicprograms, developed their love of musicthrough years in school choir. We alsoknow that high school provides threeaspects of musical life that are embracedthroughout Texas – Student Leadership,the All-State Choir Process, andbecoming a music major. On Friday,July 30, 2010, our very first High SchoolStudent Day, we will address all three ofthese aspects.

9:00 am Session – Student Leader-ship Workshop with Dr Tim Lautzen-heiser.

Dr Lautzenheiser is a nationallyrecognized expert on student leadership.He travels throughout the summer

presenting leadership workshops forstudent leaders such as choir officers.His practical, applicable thoughts andstrategies for student leadership will beshared interactively with participants.

11:30 am -1:00 pm – Lunch Break.Visit the Exhibit Hall of our Conventionand enjoy the Rivercenter Mall or a localfavorite restaurant.

1:00 pm Session – So, You Want tobe an All-State Choir Member?

Jo Scurlock-Dillard, Joe Weir, andDinah Menger will discuss theirexperience and observation of habitsand practices of students who make All-State Choir.

2:00 pm Session – So, You Want tobe a Music Major?

Dr Betsy Weber, Dr Ken Fulton, and

Officer CommentsPastPresident

Bob Horton



Officer Comments

Here are some TCDA Conventionhighlights that will appeal not onlyto the College/Community Division

but also to members of other divisions aswell.

College Student ActivitiesWe will again hold a reception for

TCDA student members. Attendees lastyear found the session useful profession-ally and fun socially. TCDA Boardmembers will be on hand to meetstudents and answer questions. TimSharp, Executive Director of ACDA, willalso be there to speak about the nationalorganization and to give students sometips on new online resources.

One of the best outreach effortsTCDA makes toward student members isselecting 18 student conductors to directthe High School Treble/Men ReadingSession. These students are the best ofthe best, having been nominated by theircollege conducting teachers from schoolsthroughout the state. They will work in

coaching sessions this year with Dr JerryMcCoy and Dr Richard Bjella.

In ConcertThe Texas Voices from Plano, directed

by Alan Dyer, will be in concert. Found-ed in 2003, the group is a professionalvocal chamber ensemble that has gainedrecognition for its polished, nuancedsound and variety of repertoire. In 2007the chorus was featured on WRR FM’sMusic of the Metroplex, and in 2008, thechorus released its first recording, VoicesLive. Their TCDA program will focusentirely on music by Texas composers.

The San Antonio Vocal ArtsEnsemble made its debut performancein 1989, presenting Latin Americanmusic from the Spanish Colonialperiod. Since then the seven-membergroup has explored other early musicfeatured on several popular CD record-ings: Ancient Echoes; Guadalupe, Virgende los Indios; and others. They havetoured widely throughout the US andwere invited to perform at Bolivia’sInternational Baroque Music Festival.SAVAE has been featured on nationalradio shows including NPR’s Perfor-mance Today, Sound & Spirit, LatinoUSA, The Savvy Traveler, and WeekendEdition. Their concert/workshop for theTCDA Convention will feature SpanishColonial music influenced by indige-nous and West African music styles,accompanied by a wide variety of

percussion instruments.

Conducting Masterclass Volunteers

Dr Jerry McCoy, Director of ChoralActivities at the University of NorthTexas, and Dr Richard Bjella, Director ofChoral Activities at Texas Tech Universi-ty, will present a masterclass in conduct-ing. They will work with four choralpieces prepared by four volunteerconductors. If you are interested inconducting in this masterclass, please e-mail a resume to [email protected] June 1.

Dalcroze for Choral MusiciansInternationally known Dalcroze

Eurhythmics specialist Dr David Fregowill lead a session relevant to the work ofboth choral conductors and classroomteachers. Dr Frego serves as Chair of theDepartment of Music at the UT-SanAntonio and is Past President of theDalcroze Society of America. Heregularly presents workshops throughoutNorth America, Asia, Europe, and theMiddle East. In this hands-on session,participants will explore rhythmic andvocal aspects of Eurhythmics throughguided and experimental movement,learning how Eurhythmics treats thebody as the first instrument.

Facing the OrchestraThis session deals with conducting

College/CommunityJohn Silantien

Elisa West will share their perspectivesabout preparing to be successful asmusic majors in college.

As you can see, all these workshopswill be of immense value to high schoolstudents. Cost for participants is only $25per person. Registration is limited, andthe deadline for registration is June 15.

The TCDA Board hopes that you willpromote this opportunity to your studentsto enhance the seasons of their lives.

Recognition AwardsAnother way in which the TCDA

Board has honored the musical seasonsof our members lives is throughrecognition awards. However, theBoard does not presume to knoweveryone who is deserving of suchawards. In order to continue torecognize deserving individuals, we

need your help. On our website,www.texassings.org, are the nominationforms for two awards.

Young Director of DistinctionAward

Criteria: 1. Member in good standing of

TCDA at time of nomination 2. Career marked by excellence in

teaching and choral performances 3. Five years or less of teaching

experience 4. Regular TCDA Convention

attendance

Texas Choral Excellence AwardCriteria:1. Member in good standing of

TCDA at time of nomination2. Career marked by excellence in

teaching and choral performances

3. Evidence of mentoring andinfluence of other teachers

4. Regular TCDA Conventionattendance

The TCDA Board will accept thesenominations until May 15, 2010.

In closing, I must say that servingTCDA for the last six years has proven tobe a very meaningful season of my life.The relationships I have developed, theinspiration from colleagues, and theopportunity to work for an organizationI love and admire has been a trueblessing. I encourage you to considerserving, if asked. If you are interested inserving, please let our President, AmyAllibon, or me know and we can forwardyour name for consideration. Bestwishes for your season! I can’t wait to seemany, many friends and colleagues thissummer at our Convention. √



Officer Comments

This school year has flown by soquickly! Where has the time gone?There are a few events such as spring

show, choir banquet, graduation, andthen it’s summer! Ah, summer – it doesbring a warm glow to our hearts. Still, aswe near the end of the school year, Ipersonally like to take a moment andconsider things I might do differentlynext year. Are there routines, classroomprocedures, or organizational items toadjust? How can I improve my rehearsaltechnique so it provides more rigor,relevance, and relationship? What newrepertoire will best suit the choirs for nextyear? Are there new technologies I mightincorporate into my daily regimen for thestudents? These questions and a fewmore will provide a starting point forthought when the new school year begins.

So, after taking time to refresh andrejuvenate this summer, where can I finda resource to jumpstart the year? Wherecan I go that will provide motivation forthe new school year? Well, there is aresource. I would suggest planning toattend this year’s TCDA Convention. Itwill be a spectacular event! It’s a wonder-ful time to reconnect with friends, shareideas, read new music, and gatherinnovative techniques from our work-shop presenters. This year’s Conventionwill be an event you won’t want to miss.

This summer, we will feature

motivational, effective, and practicalworkshops for the High School Division.

DIY – Do It Yourself – Are you readybefore the students arrive? Do you haveall of your “ducks in a row”? Come andhear experienced teachers MarshaRobinson, Cypress Woods HS, and NeenaTaylor, Jersey Village HS, approach thefirst day and week of school. This clinicwill set you up for success all year long.Building procedures, classroom proce-dures, organizational tools, prioritizing,and teacher survival techniques will bepresented. Hear, sing, and incorporateincredible vocal and choral techniques inyour rehearsals the first day of school. Nomatter how many times you’ve begun theschool year, this workshop will offercreative ideas.

CSI Choir – Some choirs are so stellarit’s a crime! Take a look at the practicalaspects of the events preceding the crimescene. Backtrack through the year andsolve the mystery of building repertoireideas with a new hierarchy of innovativeteaching techniques that will be present-ed for all high school levels. Learn howto incorporate a sequential and systemat-ic approach for teaching repertoire toyour choirs. Come and join our investi-gator, Denise Eaton, Spring HS, as sheintrigues you with a process that maysave your life!

America’s Top 10 High School Triedand Proven – Hear master teachers’recommendations on repertoire thatoffer a proven record of success. Sugges-tions from the beginning of the schoolyear through UIL will be presented. Thisyear’s presenters will showcase women’srepertoire, Jo Scurlock-Dillard, ReaganHS; mixed repertoire, Mike Ware, FirstUMC Houston; and men’s repertoire,Shawn Bell, Ector ISD. These veteranhigh school teachers will present their top

picks for success and a valuable list oftried and proven repertoire for varioustimes of the year. They will also incorpo-rate repertoire suggestions for beginningand advanced choral groups.

Law and Order: Sight ReadingVictims Unit – Would you like some newideas on how to inspire that sub non-varsity group, or any group, to soundspectacular? Have you wondered whysome folks are successful with sightreading every year and how they accom-plish the goal? Motivate and energizeyour choral groups with sight reading.Follow the clues and join Heather Orr,Montgomery HS, who will help you addLaw and Order to your sight readingroutines with tips that start the first of dayof school and pay off the rest of the year.

Our high school session conductorsfor this summer will be Gloria Stephens,Booker T Washington HS; MichaelLysinger, J J Pearce HS; and DenisePitcock, Harlingen HS. Joe Weir, TMEAVocal Division Chair, will conduct theAll-State Reading Session. Our talentedlist of accompanists includes LauraTaylor, J J Pearce HS; Carl Braden,Humble ISD; Jennifer Franz-Melady,Magnolia HS; Sherrie McMahon, KleinOak HS; and Janet Pummill, TexasChristian University.

Great news! The TCDA BBQ is back!Not only is the BBQ back, but we alsohave exciting entertainment to headlinethis year’s event. We have nationallyacclaimed actor, Broadway star, andentertainer Jaston Williams of GreaterTuna! Be sure to pre-order your ticket.You will not want to miss this night offun and laughter.

So, please mark your calendars andplan now to attend the 2010 TCDAConvention! This is a year you will notwant to miss! See you in San Antonio! √

HighSchoolSharon Paul

voices and instruments. Many timeschoral conductors rehearse combinedchoral/orchestral forces, as do theirinstrumental counterparts, with a degreeof insecurity due to unfamiliarity withthe medium. This session addressesissues that will help conductors speakeffectively to the entire ensemble. Thepanel will consist of a leading choralconductor, Dr Donald Bailey, ProfessorEmeritus at Baylor University, and TroyPeters, a leading orchestra conductor and

Music Director of the Youth Orchestras ofSan Antonio. They will discuss baton andrehearsal techniques that will facilitateworking with voices and instruments.Session attendees should leave with a listof do’s and don’ts to use when conduct-ing choral/orchestral works.

Tip of the MonthOnce a piece is into the rehearsal

process, I find it very effective to beginworking from the end backwards. One

of the frequently less-well-rehearsedsections of the score, the end, thusreceives extra attention. Movingbackwards to the preceding section andrehearsing to the end, the choir issinging from less-familiar into more-familiar music. That’s pedagogicallyeffective and psychologically gratifyingfor the singers. The process continuesuntil the choir reaches the beginning ofthe piece and is ready for a completerun-through. √



Officer Comments

Beauty Awakes!

Ilove beautiful gardens, especially in thespring. I love watching my plants comeback to life after lying dormant during

the cold months of winter. I’m oftenamazed that plants which show the leastsign of life during the winter seem to bethe ones whose blooms are the mostspectacular in the spring. This is becauseunder the protection of the earth, theroots of the plant have continued togather life-sustaining nourishment fromthe soil throughout the winter.

No doubt like many of you, I havespent the late fall and winter monthsnourishing my students’ musical skills.I have done this by purposefullychoosing quality literature, interjectingquick theory lessons in the middle ofrehearsals, and including sight readingexercises in our daily routine. It seemsthat every year there comes a timewhen I begin to wonder if my studentstruly understand the concepts I havebeen drilling day after day. Afterendless weeks of tedious rehearsals, Iconvince myself that the material hasbeen adequately covered. I find thecourage to go out on a limb and ask mystudents a question that will providethem an opportunity to demonstratethat they have indeed absorbed everycrumb of valuable knowledge I haveimparted to them. I deliver myskillfully crafted leading question and,as all good teachers do, I give mystudents ample wait time to formulatetheir brilliant, accurate answer. About45 seconds later I realize that what I amexperiencing is not “wait time”. Mystudents have no idea what I am talking

about. I look at my class as I wonder,“Is there any sign of life out there?”

This scene is followed by a fewmore weeks of “drill and kill”. Then,just about the time I am ready to giveup, a small bud of understandingappears. Michael raises his hand andsays, “It looks like measure 33 is justlike the beginning of this song.” Inanother class, Manhattan raises herhand and asks if the Soprano II’s cango back to singing on solfege becausethey are still missing their pitches onthe first phrase of the “B” section. Andfinally, in my sixth grade class, Paytonyells out, “We’re in the key of G!” Cuethe “Spring” movement from Vivaldi’sThe Four Seasons. We have blooms ofknowledge in the choir room!

I hope your spring is filled withmoments when you realize your hardwork has indeed paid off. I encourageyou to use the remaining weeks of theschool year enjoying the fruits of yourlabor. Look over the garden of childrenin your choir room and feel a sense ofpride. The garden is in full bloombecause of you!

2010 TCDA ConventionAs you begin finalizing your

summer plans, be sure to include the55th Annual TCDA Convention, July28-31 in San Antonio. There are manyworkshops and reading sessionsdesigned to inspire new ideas andliterature you can incorporate in the2010-2011 school year. The followingare just a few of the highlights for thisyear’s Convention.

MS/JH WorkshopsDr Lynne Gackle from Baylor

University will present two workshopson the female adolescent voice. Inthese sessions we will explore subjectssuch as the physiological changes girlsexperience, classifications according tostages of development, and how to usethis information to improve theperformance of individual singers andthe ensemble. A group of youngfemale singers ranging in age from 10-15 will serve as a demonstration groupfor the second session and the processof individual voice classification will bedemonstrated.

Kari Gilbertson will present a

workshop entitled, Shift . . . ChangingApproaches for a Changing ChoralWorld. In this workshop Kari willprovide information about makingchanges to your approach on disci-pline, communication, and dealingwith administration. She will alsodiscuss rehearsal strategies that willsave you time throughout the schoolyear. You’ll leave this session withpractical, creative, and humorousapproaches to managing a traditionalchoral program in a less traditionalworld.

Christina Chapman’s workshop,Middle School Boys, the Eighth Wonderof the World, will include topics such ashow to keep boys excited about choir,channeling their energy to createproductive rehearsals, voice assessmenttesting, appropriate repertoire for boys,and vertical teaming ideas for middleschool and high school men’s choirs.

Joel Price and Tammy Benton willpreside over the Tried and True session.These successful directors will intro-duce choral literature that works wellfor MS/JH choirs. The pieces present-ed at this session consist of music thatis not currently on the PML list. Theaccompanists for this session will beLaura Taylor and Katie Johnson.

New Music Reading SessionsOur new music reading sessions

will include selections for JH/HStraining choirs led by Candy McComband accompanied by Debbie Morton.Jason Brown will introduce us to newTenor/Bass repertoire and will also beaccompanied by Debra Morton.Michelle Willey will lead the MS/JHtreble reading session with KatherineJohnson serving as the accompanist.

Wait! There’s more!There are exciting clinics and events

planned by the other TCDA divisions aswell. Be sure to make time in yourconvention schedule to watch RolloDilworth work with the ElementaryHonor Choir. You certainly won’t wantto miss John Rutter who will presenttwo sessions during the Convention.And, the TCDA BBQ is back! BBQtickets can be purchased at the time youregister for the Convention.

Enjoy the rest of your school yearand I look forward to seeing you in SanAntonio! √

MiddleSchool/Junior HighDianna L Jarvis

Find back issuesof Texas Sings!

at www.TexasSings.org



Officer Comments

The countdown has begun! It isalmost unbelievable that it’s alreadyMay and the end of the year is just

a stone’s throw away. End of yearconcerts, field trips, choir festivals, andfun days will get us through! Before weknow it, the TCDA Convention will behere – and believe me, it’s going to be afantastic Convention!

Before I give you a preview, I takethis opportunity to thank the member-ship for allowing me the great honorand opportunity to serve as theElementary Vice President. It has beenthe most enjoyable and fulfillingexperience of my teaching career. Ithank my fellow Board members fortheir hard work, creativity, inspiration,and dedication to this organization, aswell as their support and friendship.Special thanks to Dan Wood andJeanne Kuhn for their never ending,tireless, and behind-the-scenes work.Without them, our organization wouldnot succeed. Thank you Lu Marler andthe entire JW Pepper staff for yourhard work in ensuring our musicreading sessions run smoothly. Themany hours of planning for Conven-tion are done with and for you, themembership. It has been a privilege toserve and be a part of such a wonderfulorganization – Thank you!

Now it’s time to have a preview ofthe great things happening at Conven-tion this summer…

Over the past few years, there havebeen many changes in the ElementaryDivision of TCDA. We have tried toprovide inspiring clinics and work-shops for the general music teacher aswell as the elementary choir director.This year will be no different. Comejoin us and treat yourself to a greatvariety of worthwhile and fun events.

The Elementary Honor Choir willperform under the direction of DrRollo Dilworth, Associate Professor ofChoral Music Education, Boyer Collegeof Music and Dance at Temple Univer-sity. Approximately 160 students fromall over the state will be in openrehearsals for your observation,culminating in their concert perfor-mance at the Annual Business Meetingon Friday afternoon. Judith Herring-ton is the commissioned composer.Robin Brockway-Nichols will serve asthe Honor Choir accompanist. SectionLeaders will be Debra Beam Moses,soprano, Shelba Gorham-Bell, secondsoprano, and Cyndie Lowry, alto.Kellan Hickman will serve as choirorganizer assistant.

Diane Owen of Garland will leadour Unison/SA New Music ReadingSession with Wendy Jenkins serving asher accompanist. You will be sure tofind at least one new piece for the nextschool year from this packet of newlypublished pieces.

In addition to our reading sessionand honor choir open rehearsals, wewill have several workshops for you. Iknow these will be filled with ideas andstrategies you will be able to use at thestart of the new year! Ann Burbridgewill present Singing Immersion:Register, Pitch Etching, Tuning &Artistry where we will learn more abouthow to promote excellence in singing atthe elementary level. Darla Meek willbring Movement With Masterworkswhere we will participate in engagingmovement that immerses children inthe music of the masters!

Billy Ferguson, from Carrollton-Farmers Branch, will conduct TeachingMusic Through Children’s Literature,where we will explore the Orff processof singing, speaking, dancing, andplaying along with children’s story-books. Colleen Norton comes fromMansfield and will present Signing andSinging – Artistry in Sound and Sight,where we will learn a basic vocabularyof signs that are found in many songs,plus some great resources for signing.

Have you ever been to a workshopand found an absolute treasure you useover and over in your classroombecause it works? Have you ever seen

something and thought “I could tweakthat and make it work for my stu-dents?” If so, you won’t want to missBorrowed Treasures – The Best Ideas WeEver Stole, presented by Jan Lancasterand Jodie Johnson.

In addition to the open rehearsals,Rollo Dilworth will present ChoirBuilders For Growing Voices. Thissession will focus on fundamental vocaltechniques for developing choirs and isbased upon the Choir Builders series.

Last, but certainly not least, the BBQis returning! Greater Tuna’s JastonWilliams will provide us with somehilarious entertainment for the evening.

Please be sure to invite those new toour profession or new to TCDA, andjoin me in encouraging our elementarypopulation to come to San Antonio.The energy at Convention is invigorat-ing, inspiring, and contagious. Seeingold friends and making new ones willrefresh you for the new school year.

I look forward to seeing you soon! √

Elementary

Karen Gonzalez



Officer Comments

John Rutter Returns to TCDA

If the ancient Hebrews were instructedto “bring the best of the first fruits tothe house of the Lord” (Exodus 23:19),

should we who serve as church musiciansin our day not bring the best of our craftand gifts to the house of the Lord? Ithink we should. This was the approachtaken when thinking and praying aboutwhat the 2010 TCDA Convention shouldlook like.

One of the joys of serving on theTCDA Board is the responsibility oftrying to provide both inspiration andpractical/workable solutions for theministry of music that we love and share.When first elected I tried to thinkthrough a list of people who wouldinspire us and who would bring thefinest and best ideas to the TCDAmembership. Two of the first to come tomy mind – people who have hadprofound influences on music andministry where I have served – were JohnRutter and C Michael Hawn. We arefortunate indeed to have both as a part ofTCDA’s 55th Anniversary year.

But, before I get ahead of myself, I’dlike to offer the Reader’s Digest version ofthis summer’s church offerings. In anutshell, here is what is happening!

• Two sessions with composer andconductor, John Rutter

• We Raise Our Hymn of GratefulPraise – a Worship Service – Travis ParkUMC with Dr Betty Devine and thechoir of Foundry UMC in Houston andwith John Rutter conducting his anthemswritten for TCDA

• Dr Michael Hawn leading twopractical and wide-ranging sessions onexpanding congregational singing

• Three fabulous new music readingsessions: Sacred General, SacredAdvanced, and Sacred Unison/2 Part

Thirty years ago this year, a youngJohn Rutter (age 34) wrote three pieces

for a young TCDA (age 25). Today,those three anthems are known theworld over. One, For the Beauty of theEarth, has to be among the most lovedand cherished anthems ever written. Wecould not be more pleased that DrRutter will come back to TCDA to helpus celebrate the past 30 years of greatmusic in person. John Rutter is one ofthe most beloved composers of the pastcentury. His contributions to qualitypractical church literature have beenenormous. The three anthems writtenthose 30 years ago (Open Thou MineEyes and Lord, Make Me an Instrumentof Thy Peace in addition to For theBeauty of the Earth) will form theframework for We Raise Our Hymn ofGrateful Praise – A Worship Service onThursday evening.

In addition to the Thursday eveningworship service at Travis Park UMC, weare delighted that Mr Rutter will presenttwo sessions on Friday open to the TCDAmembership. We will have the opportu-nity to hear first hand what makes a greatcomposer “tick.” I have highly valued themoments of learning from the truemasters. This summer, TCDA will againhave that opportunity.

Please help me express our greatappreciation to Hinshaw PublishingCompany and President, RobertaWhittington, for their substantialsupport in helping to bring Mr Rutterfrom London, England, to San Antonio,Texas for this Convention.

Michael Hawn’s understanding ofand love of music ministry – from avariety of cultures and ages – has beeninspirational and instructional tocountless people, and certainly to thisminister of music. That his contribu-tions are in high demand is evidencedby the almost unreasonable schedule hekeeps. He is indeed highly sought afteras a clinician, and for good reason.Michael not only loves and understandschurch music from a large cultural mix,but he also has the ability to bring it tous on a practical level, demonstratinghow it can be done. I am overjoyed thathe is able to share with the TCDAmembership in two amazing work-shops. The first is titled, Expanding theConcept of Congregational Singing. Thesecond session is titled, Singing Beyondthe Score: Exploring Oral Traditions withthe Literate Choir. These sessions will

explore ideas such as enabling congrega-tional singing through the choir, thecongregation as choir, and singing aworld-wide faith (using global song forlocal congregations).

We Raise Our Hymn of Grateful Praise –A Worship Service

This service is held at Travis ParkUMC thanks to the wonderful collabora-tion of Lana Potts, Director of Worship,Music, and the Arts for the church, andDr Gary Mabry, Director of Sanctuaryand Youth Choirs.

We are delighted to welcome DrBetty Devine and the Foundry UMC ofHouston as the service choir this year.John Rutter will conduct the Rutteranthems. It will be a glorious one hourservice, the goal of which is to connectwith God and with each other, and toinspire us to action. I believe and hopeall will be refreshed and renewed havingattended.

Last year the Hallelujah Amen!worship service involved multiple choirstelling one story. This year the servicewill more closely resemble the servicefrom 2008. Included this year are:

• the music of perhaps the finest comp-poser of church choral music alive today

• a great service choir• the leadership of John Rutter, Dr

Betty Devine, Lana Potts, Thomas Coker,and others

• litanies of writer Erin Conaway andothers

• great congregational singingWe will indeed “raise our hymn of

grateful praise”!

New Music Reading Sessions!TCDA is all about reading new

music, and this year is no exception. TheBoard has been very busy cullingthrough nearly 2,000 new publications,from which come packets of new music.The three church sessions are: SacredUnison and Two Part led by LoraRobinson of Gilmer and accompanied byWendy Jenkins; Sacred General led byTim Lyles, Minister of Music at FirstBaptist San Marcos accompanied byCammy Burkhalter of Mount Pleasant;and Sacred Advanced led by LahondaSharp, of Christ UMC in Sugar Land,also accompanied by Cammy Burkhalter.

People, this is going to good! Reallygood. Spread the word. √

Church

Thomas Coker



Officer Comments

Are You Packed for the Trip?

As I write this article I have justfinished packing for my springchoir trip to New York. First I

made my list then began packing. I amdefinitely a list person! Well, I startedthinking, when you pack, you thinkthrough the trip and plan your outfits,accessories, and shoes (men probablydon’t stress about this as much aswomen) . . . well you get the picture. Sowhy not pack for the “trip” known as thespring semester? But let’s pack mentally.Let me suggest a few ways to get yourmental packing in order!

Pack Patience – prepare yourselfmentally for how your choir will sound

after a long break or holiday. If youenter your rehearsal with this mindsetthen you will set yourself and studentsup for success. I know it can be frustrat-ing to hear your group after a break,especially during the UIL and SpringConcert preparation. It is a simpleconcept but difficult to do – Patience!

Pack Perseverance – prepare for allthe distractions that seem to take placeduring the spring semester. As choraldirectors we do focus on the musicalaspects of the day — you know, theending chord tuning, the sopranos toneor lack thereof, having enough tenorsound the list goes on and on . . . but youalso know all the absences that interruptyour rehearsal time — testing, voting forstudent council elections, athletic events,holidays, I could go on and on . . . Beprepared and have your lesson planready for the distractions – Persevere!

Pack Pride – allow yourself to beproud of your students. Take time toreflect through the year. Be proud ofyour students’ accomplishments andyour own! One of my favorite things todo is record my choirs the first week ofschool and play it for my students at the

end of the year. You will be so proudwhen you hear the difference! – Pride!

After you are packed to finish thissemester and have a restful summer thenpack up to attend the Annual TCDAConvention and New Music ReadingClinic in San Antonio. This is a great wayto end a wonderful summer and getmentally prepared for a new year! Thisyear’s Convention is going to be incredi-ble, so make plans to attend by pre-registering. As our membershipcontinues to grow, pre-registering helpsus in preparing the facilities andmaterials needed in advance. It savesyou time by not standing in long linesand saves you money as well. Get yourhousing requests in early and be sure tomake all of your travel arrangements.Please encourage colleagues who havenot attended in the past to join TCDAand attend the Convention. There issomething planned for all levels. TheConvention schedule is available in thismagazine and at TexasSings.org. I lookforward to seeing you at Convention.Now remember, get mentally packed forthe end of the year! See you in SanAntonio! √

Secretary/Treasurer

Kay Owens

Twitter, you can be sure that themessage was received immediately!Most students and parents have textmessaging on their phones and havetheir phones with them all the time!There are several things you can do toencourage students and parents tosignup for Twitter. First, send anEMAIL (through your choir email list)explaining the benefits of Twitter andwhy they need to start following your“tweets.” Include instructions on howto set up the account for people whoneed step by step help. If you want toprint out a premade instruction sheet,visit www.olivebranchchoirs.com/infoand download the document. Thencome up with a way to make thestudents WANT to have their accountset up. For example, at our last choirretreat, I sent a “tweet” that told thestudents that the first group to bring mean acorn and a caterpillar would getextra points for their team. Studentsthat had not signed up for a Twitter

account were obviously at a disadvan-tage! You could also offer candy, etc.

WebsitesWebsites are a great way to offer

constant information to your studentsand parents. They do take some time toset up, but after it is done, it can saveyou time when you can direct questionsto the website rather than having toreaddress the same questions over andover again. Long ago, only the verysmart and elite knew how to create webpages. Now there are several very user-friendly sites that will guide youthrough creating your own page, step bystep. Wix.com is one of those sites.Although the thought of creating a webpage can be very daunting, this siteallows you to walk through step by step.You can start with something verysimple and then let it grow from there.Yahoo SiteBuilder is another programthat is user friendly but allows you somemore freedom in designing your site.Some things you may want to includeon your site are: a choir events calendar,a choir description page, an information

page with details about upcomingevents, links to resources and record-ings, or downloadable documents suchas your choir handbook, permissionslips, trip itineraries, etc.

If you aren’t currently using any ofthese tools to communicate, don’toverwhelm yourself by trying to addeverything at once. Pick one or twothings that you think would be mostuseful to you and your program and gofrom there. If you get stuck, don’t giveup! Your students can often helptroubleshoot technological problemsvery quickly. The internet also offersseveral options for step by step instruc-tions or forums where you can askquestions about a specific problem youare having. Generally, you can alsoGoogle your question and find some-thing that will help you forge throughwhatever problem you are having.Whatever you decide to use, make sureyou are committed to using the sametools consistently so that parents andstudents can adjust to your newmethods of communication. Happytweeting! √

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Texas Sings! Vol 26 No 3 Spring 2010

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Transcript of Texas Sings! Vol 26 No 3 Spring 2010