This three-volume series is a comprehensive tool for beginning conductors or more experienced conductors who are beginners in choral conducting. Volume 1, "The Promising Conductor," presents fundamental conducting patterns along with numerous practice exercises. Approaches to repertory, programming, score marking, rehearsal strategies, and singing techniques are also introduced. It is a concise guide that offers a wealth of practical information and can stand alone as a resource. In Volume 2, "Music for Classroom Use," more than thirty printed and recorded selections complement the exercises in Volume 1. To further enhance study, each selection is accompanied by a brief note about the composer and the work, a translation of the text, and a short discussion of its conducting issues. Volume 3, "The Practicing Conductor," addresses topics that any practicing conductor is likely to face, including working with an orchestra, conducting musicals, the psychology of conducting, and using movement in the choral rehearsal.

In a world full of conflicting voices, it's not always easy to find your own. John Jacobson brings you a garden of beautiful flowers, "flowers that sing," in this collection of heartwarming essays and inspirational stories. Not just for music teachers, this book is full of life lessons for all of us, so we each can find our very own "place in the choir." Available in hardcover, softcover, or motivational 2-CD set.

Choral directors everywhere are endorsing this superb resource! This handbook contains more than 300 pages of techniques and concepts for pop, jazz, and show choir style and interpretation that have been proven effective through years of use in graduate schools and choral-conducting seminars and workshops. Included are two CDs containing numerous musical examples notated in the book. Topics include: developing the appropriate choral tone, rehearsal techniques, conducting, chord tuning, rhythmic intensity, melodic interpretation, repertoire selection, programming decisions, and many more. If you direct a pop, jazz, or show choir, you owe it to yourself and your singers to let this exceptional book take your performances to new heights!

This definitive choral methods text is an invaluable reference for student choral conductors and seasoned professionals alike. 18 authors - all leading choral directors, administrators, practicing teachers or clinicians - share their practical insights and perspectives on a wide range of topics: Philosophies and teaching styles; History of choral music; Designing and scheduling the choral program; Choosing repertoire; Care and feeding of the high school choir; Assessment; The choral rehearsal and warm-up; Elementary and middle-school choral programs; The changing voice; Improvisation; Vocal jazz and music theatre; Multicultural considerations; Movement and rhythm; Commissioning works for choirs; Choral programs in urban settings; Touring with your choir. Included with the book is a CD containing recordings of exemplary high-school choirs. This book breaks new ground in choral music education, providing choral directors with the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom and at the podium.

Written, researched, and compiled by choral scholars and educators with a wealth of teaching and conducting experience, "Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Volume 2" aids conductors and educators on their quest toward full musical awareness. This book is an ideal tool for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the preeminent music composed for choir and a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the most expert voices in the choral profession. Volume 2 uses the choral repertoire grading system developed for Volume 1 and contains thorough analyses of more than 100 of the most significant works for choir ever composed, Levels 1-5. Repertoire Resource Guides include information on the composer and composition, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, musical elements, suggestions for additional listening, and a guide to selected references. This is an essential resource for choir directors at all levels and a major contribution to the choral field.

This book is an ideal tool for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the choral repertoire and wishes to learn from leading conductors and educators in the choral profession. In Part I, noted choral directors and teachers Frank Abrahams, Anton E. Armstrong, Joseph Flummerfelt, Graeme Morton, and Weston H. Noble cover such topics as breath control, stylistic awareness from polyphony through the Classical period, the challenges of modern music, "Performance Practice in the African-American Slave Song," and "Meeting the National Standards Through Choral Performance." Part II establishes a new system for assessing the difficulty level of choral literature, and contains nuts-and-bolts analyses of more than 100 of the most significant works from levels 1 through 5. Repertoire Resource Guides include information on the compositions and their composers, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, musical elements, suggestions for additional listening, and a guide to selected references. Also included is an in-depth analysis of the choral masterwork "Requiem" by Gabriel Faure. "Teaching Music through Performance in Choir" is a major contribution to music education and an essential resource for choir directors at all levels!

Volume 3 in this highly successful series is ideal for those seeking a deeper understanding of the preeminent music available for high school and college choirs. In Part I, five leading experts in the choral music field (Frank S. Albinder, Philip Brunelle, Bruce Chamberlain, Rodney Eichenberger, and Sandra Snow) focus on topics such as "Male Choirs and Male Singers," "The Joy of Commissioning," teaching strategies in the choral rehearsal, articulation, and the power of gesture. Part II uses the innovative choral repertoire grading system developed for this series in thorough analyses of almost 90 of the most significant works for choir ever composed, Levels 1-5. Each teacher resource guide includes information on the composer and composition, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, musical elements, suggestions for additional listening, and a guide to selected references. Also included is a detailed study of and guide to Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria. In this section, Bruce Chamberlain gives an extended history of the work, analysis charts, and rehearsal strategies. This book is an essential resource for choir directors at all levels and a major contribution to the choral field.

This book is one of the most comprehensive resources ever published for middle school choir directors - written, researched, and compiled by conductors and educators with a wealth of teaching experience. It is ideal for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the best choral literature for middle school singers and who wishes to learn from some of the seminal voices in the profession. In Part I, Sherri Porterfield discusses the role of assessment in middle school artistry; Judy Bowers outlines a hierarchy for independent part singing; Patrick Liebergen and Paul D. Head discuss selecting and preparing quality repertoire; James Jordan encourages the inner journey of a young singer; and Frank Abrahams introduces comprehensive musicianship through the lens of critical pedagogy and reciprocal teaching. Part II includes teacher resource guides for 80 works considered by these experts to be the best available for middle school choirs of all ability levels. Each teacher resource guide includes information about the composer or arranger, the composition, historical perspectives, technical and stylistic considerations, musical elements, form and structure analysis, and text guidelines. Each guide also contains valuable suggestions for rehearsing the music with middle school students. Resource recordings of many of the works are available on the companion CD.