Vol.40 #1 JANUARY 2024
President’s Notes:
Janice Vlachos, President
Hello, I hope you are having a wonderful start to 2024. The new COACDA Board has been busy planning this summer’s ACDA workshop. We are thrilled to announce our headliners-Dr Jace Saplan will be presenting: Singing Culturally Responsive Pedagogies, Belonging and the Brain, Singing Hawai’i: Decolonial Applications and the Performance Practice of the Pakipika, and Weaving the Wonders: Stitching Score-Study and Rehearsals with Inquiry. John Stafford will be directing a College Jazz Lab Choir, open to all College students and directors who want a deeper dive into jazz singing. Do you want to know how, why, and where to start with jazz? Be a part of the jazz lab, or observe rehearsals and learn from one of the best. John will also be presenting several sessions on choosing appropriate jazz repertoire and voice placement for the jazz choir. As I spoke to people around the state, one of the leading concerns was rebuilding our Middle School choir programs. If you know Abby Martinez, you know she is one of the most knowledgeable and passionate middle school choral directors in the Colorado Area, she will be directing the Middle School Honor Choir, so sign your students up and come learn and be inspired by Abby! Lastly, I heard how many of you want community, you want a chance to connect with your colleagues and have meaningful conversations with them, so we will be building that into your summer workshop. I know that giving up time during your summer can be difficult, so the goal of the board is to bring you headliners and time together that is inspiring and informative, so mark your calendars for July 22-24, 2024 to join us at Bethany Lutheran.
Community-worship
Day
Brian Stone,
Community Choir R&R Chair
Adam Waite
Music & Worship
R&R Chair
Monday’s schedule is all about ‘Community Choir’ and ‘Music in Worship’ areas of Colorado ACDA. Led by Brian Stone and Adam Waite, the morning will provide space for conversations driven by YOU, our members. Topics will be flexible and likely range from ideas for repertoire and programming to rehearsal Rand community-building techniques. The afternoon will feature John Stafford, who will explore methods to teach jazz through repertoire both sacred and secular. John will aim to demystify jazz from an intimidating genre only the most proficient of musicians can perform, to an approachable sound and style that is an important cornerstone of our American musical heritage.
COACDA Presents...
The Board is focused on making this summer’s conference a time to learn, connect, collaborate and create lasting ways that we can forward choral music in our state, for both our members and future members. Please check back for the final schedule of events.
C
John
Stafford
director of choral activities &
co-coordinator of music dept
Kansas City Community College
Professor Stafford serves as the Jazz R&R Chair of the Kansas Choral Directors Association and Commercial/Contemporary Music R&R Chair of the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association. He is a sought after clinician and adjudicator for Jazz festivals all over the country. His award winning group, The Standard, from KCKCC, has shared the stage with Take 6, New York Voices, m-pact and Carmen Bradford.
Click here for link to full bio
2024 Summer Middle School Honor Choir
We are so excited to bring back the Middle School Honor Choir to our Summer Conference. We know that this is something our middle school teachers and students value greatly and we are thrilled we can offer this experience one again.
Open to the first 110 SATB students in grades 6-9 who are nominated by their choir teacher.
Click here for link to details and registration
COACDA VOICE | VOL 40 #1 JANUARY 2024
UPCOMING EVENTS
mark your caLENDARs for these upcoming acda events
2024 SWACDA Conference
February 27- March 3
Denver, Various Venues
Clinicians & Concerts
COACDA BOARD MEMBERS
Past-President: Emily Crile
President: Janice Vlachos
President-Elect: Julia Dale
Secretary: Katie Kenkel
Membership: Keri Murphy
Webmaster/Director of Operations:
Josh Jackson
Event Coordinator/Exhibits:
Sara Garza
R&R CHAIRS
HS MIXED: Elizabeth Hohweiler
Treble: Mikey Hawke-McDermott
Tenor-Bass: Jimmy Howe
Jazz: Paul Falk
Middle School: Michaela Rael
Middle School: Wes Sparkes
World Musics & Culture: Phil Drozda
Composition Chair: Kevin Padworski
Children's/Youth: Larisa Dreger
Music & Worship: Adam Waite
College/University: Raul Dominguez
Youth and Student Activities:
Clelyn Chapin
Community Choirs: Brian Stone
COACDA VOICE | VOL 40 #1 JANUARY 2024