Interest sessions

2026

In this dynamic and engaging session, you’ll discover powerful strategies for revitalizing the sense of community in your choral classroom. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or new to teaching, this session is designed to help you foster an environment where students feel connected, valued, and excited to participate.

You’ll learn how to build stronger relationships with your students and create a collaborative atmosphere that encourages both individual and group growth. In this interactive session, we’ll explore methods for developing inclusive and interactive classroom activities that promote teamwork, mutual respect, and creativity. You’ll also gain insights into effective classroom management strategies that keep students engaged and motivated.

Our experience has shown us that building community leads to greater intrinsic motivation and musical success. By focusing on creating a positive, supportive environment, you’ll help students develop not only as musicians, but also as individuals who feel connected to one another and to the music they create together. This session will leave you with practical tools and fresh perspectives to take your choirs to the next level.

Session 1

Wednesday, March 4th 3pm

Step Up Your Game: Revitalize the COMMUNITY in Your Classroom

Jennifer Kercher

In this dynamic and engaging session...

Are you interested in programming world music repertoire but unsure of how to select and teach pieces while avoiding cultural appropriation? In this session, we will define and review the major concepts of World Music Pedagogy and discuss issues of authenticity, cultural validity, appropriation, and collaboration as they relate to world music repertoire in the choral ensemble. Additionally, we will discuss the ways students experience World Music Pedagogy in the choral ensembles when directors program repertoire from students’ home cultures (Sánchez-Gatt et al., 2025; Author, in review). I will introduce a checklist for selecting choral arrangements of world music pieces and a brainstorming worksheet for how to teach and rehearse world music for choirs based on research and practitioner articles (e.g., Abril, 2006; Bennet, 2022; Sánchez-Gatt et al., 2025; Shaw, 2019). During this session, participants will use the checklist to evaluate sample octavos for cultural validity, cultural bias, and practicality and then use the worksheet to brainstorm ways to introduce and rehearse sample pieces with their ensembles in ways that engage cultural collaboration and avoid cultural appropriation. Participants will leave this session with practical tools to select and teach world music repertoire in ways that celebrate and honor the world’s cultures in a spirit of intercultural collaboration.

Session 1

Wednesday, March 4th 3pm

Appropriation or Collaboration? Programing World Music

Austin Norrid

Are you interested in programming world music ...

More than half of American school children have experienced some form of trauma. Teachers often find themselves in the role of counselors, supporting not only students' academic growth, but also students' emotional healing. The stress teachers incur working with students who have experienced trauma has been identified as secondary trauma stress (STS). Secondary trauma occurs when a person encounters another individual experiencing trauma and deeply feels the impact of that person's distress. Secondary trauma causes secondary traumatic stress responses such as flashbacks, situation avoidance, negative changes in beliefs and feelings, anxiety, depression, hyper arousal, compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma.

Symptoms of secondary trauma mirror symptoms of burnout making the identification of the underlying causes problematic. The purpose of this study was to identify the ways in which STS impacts the emotional well-being of teachers, both professionally and personally. A mixed-methods research study conducted in 2024 examined teachers' experiences with STS in school environments by assessing STS in secondary choral teachers in the Pacific Northwest. The study used the Teachers Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale and semi-structured interviews with choral directors. Findings from the study indicated that secondary choral teachers experience moderate levels of STS, negatively impacting their personal and professional lives contributing to high levels of emotional exhaustion.

This session will inform choral teachers about secondary trauma stress, and the ways STS impacts their emotional well-being. In addition, the session will explore ways to minimize the negative effects of STS, so that choral teachers can thrive in their profession.

Session 1

Wednesday, March 4th 3pm

Secondary Trauma Stress and the Choral Director

Lynn Ryan

More than half of American school children...

Middle school choir doesn’t have to feel like crowd control with sheet music. In this session, Lesli Olson shares how she’s built a program that students actually want to be in—one rooted in connection, consistency, and joy. With 22 years of experience in elementary, high school, and now middle school choir (her favorite), Lesli offers real strategies that meet students where they are—musically, emotionally, and developmentally.

You’ll learn how to create weekly routines that break up rehearsal monotony while building musicianship, scaffold melodic and rhythmic sight reading (sometimes with a Biggie beat), and use warm-ups to build classroom culture. Lesli also shares how she empowers students through repertoire choice, assesses changing voices with care, and uses flexible classroom management tools to keep rehearsal time focused and productive.

If you’re looking to reignite your love for middle school choir or just need ideas that actually work, this session is for you. Come for the real talk—leave with practical tools, fresh energy, and a reminder that great teaching starts with trust.

Session 2

Wednesday, March 4th 4:30pm

From Chaos to Choir: Building a Program That Works

Lesli Olson

Middle school choir doesn’t have to feel like crowd control...

This session focuses on vocal and mental wellness for choral music educators, led by presenters familiar with vocal fatigue and burnout/vicarious trauma. Attendees will gain practical resources, coping strategies, and guidance on when to seek professional help. There will be hands-on activities to identify stressors (burnout, vicarious trauma, vocal fatigue) and find support resources within attendees’ schools or communities, including contact information/directories for medical professionals and voice-care resources. We invite you to come with questions and specific challenges we can workshop together.

Session 2

Wednesday, March 4th 4:30pm

Vocal and Mental Wellness: Cultivating Long-Term Wellbeing

Olivia Salzman-Coon

This session focuses on vocal and mental wellness ...

A Voice from the Piano: Exploration of Conductor-Choir Effectiveness through Development of a Collaborative Pianist. This session will explore the immense power of the conductor-accompanist relationship and its effect on developing your ensemble. As conductor and pianist co-develop a collaborative model, shared teaching in conducting, vocal pedagogy, artistry, technique, and leadership becomes possible.

Whether we conduct an elementary all-school choir, auditioned high school ensemble, highest-level college/university choir, or a non-auditioned choir, we share a general framework in our rehearsals. Conductor, singers, and accompanist, more recently referred to as a collaborative pianist, join in teaching and learning. The “collaborative pianist” is a relatively recent term as our discipline discovers the power of co-teaching and coaching.

This session will discover ways in which a conductor can encourage and help develop a collaborative relationship with the accompanist - no matter the level - and utilize keyboard skills and aural skills to a greater degree. In addition, session attendees will discover tricks of the trade: ways in which a collaborative pianist can help the choir with rhythm, tuning, onsets, sight-singing, and vocal pedagogy.

By looking through the lens of both conductor and pianist, this session will provide valuable insights into developing and effectively utilizing the power of conductor-pianist collaboration in the choral setting through invitation, observation, and participation.

Session 2

Wednesday, March 4th 4:30pm

A Voice from the Piano:Conductor-Pianist Collaboration

Amy Boers

A Voice from the Piano...

When adolescent choral students are motivated, they are unstoppable. How do you channel their energy so that you can guide them on a musical journey? Refresh your choral director toolkit by exploring tips and ideas from various master choral music educators who teach adolescent singers. Be ready to move and sing!

Outcomes
• Attendees will leave the workshop with songs, materials and teaching strategies that they can implement on Monday morning with their own choirs.
• All attendees will sing and move during this highly interactive workshop.

Session 3

Thursday, March 5th 9am

Middle School Choral Students: How Do You Motivate Them?

Lynn Brinckmeyer

When adolescent choral students are motivated...

This interest session will attempt to demystify the concept of diversifying your repertoire by providing practical tools based on research on culturally responsive teaching and methods of programming. Repertoire selection is a critical part of the work of a secondary choral music educator; but it can feel time consuming, costly, and increasingly fraught as we seek to break down systemic biases our music libraries perpetuate. This session will define important terms related to culturally responsive music programming, provide an overview of current best practices, and provide directors with two practical tools for programming in their own work: a template for tracking music selections that creates a culture-focused overview of the pieces they are programming, and a guiding framework of probing questions to ensure music selections are culturally responsive. Identity groups addressed include racial/ethnic minority groups; the LGBTQ+ community; religious beliefs and practices; communities of persons with disabilities; and others.

Session 3

Thursday, March 5th 9am

Culturally Responsive Music Programming for Secondary Choirs

Emily McKinney

This interest session will attempt to demystify the concept...

"The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter." This well-known quote is attributed to Nel Noddings (1929-2022), who believed that caring should be the foundation of every K-12 education, and that our primarily responsibility as educators is to model caring behavior, engage students in dialogue, give opportunities to practice, and acknowledge (or confirm) progress when it occurs. Students are deeply influenced by the manner in which they are taught. Each semester, I invite undergraduate music education students to reflect on their secondary choral experiences. Most share examples of engaging repertoire, inspiring mentors, lifelong friendships, and unforgettable memories. Too often, they speak also of erratic conductors who swear or throw objects in fits of anger, or in other ways, demonstrate a sincere dislike for teaching. This session, co-presented by two undergraduate students from Idaho State University, will share specific strategies for establishing an ethic of care in the choral ensemble. Examples of modelling, dialogue, practice, and confirmation will be given primarily from work we do with the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center (PWCC) Choir. This session will also include survey results from 150 undergraduate choral students; resources from Fred Rogers, François Clemmons, and others who share similar philosophies about kindness in the classroom; and information about how to start a prison choir in Idaho.

Session 3

Thursday, March 5th 9am

An Ethic of Care in Choral Music Education

Jeffrey Francom

"The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter."...

In our pursuit of musical excellence, do we sometimes lose sight of the singers behind the score? As choral educators, we know our craft - but the artistry of leadership often lies in how we connect, motivate, and inspire. In a time when change defines the educational and cultural landscape, this session invites a mindset shift: from focusing solely on the repertoire to focusing on the real reason our singers walk through the door.

Drawing on qualitative research featuring students' own words, we will explore wha the choral experience means to them - identity, joy, emotional refuge, friendship, transformation - and how we as conductors can build that meaning into every rehearsal. Through student-centered rehearsal design, imaginative solfège-based literacy strategies, and reflective leadership practices, participants will be equipped to create rehearsal environments where students feel valued, seen, and inspired.

Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies to: 1) Redefine success through student motivation and connection, 2) Elevate musical interpretation through text-to-self and text-to-world engagement, 3) Inspire deeper commitment and joy through intentional leadership, and 4) Embrace their role as a changemaker in the lives of young singers.

This session empowers conductor-teachers to embrace a new way forward - one where great artistry begins by honoring the "Mi" at the center of "Do-Re-Mi."

Session 4

Friday, March 6th 8:30am

Do, Re, But What About Mi? Centering Singer Identity

Ryan Beeken

In our pursuit of musical excellence...

This session is designed for choral directors who are eager to start a jazz choir, or who have suddenly found themselves in front of one, but feel uncertain where to begin. This session breaks down the essentials of vocal jazz in an accessible, encouraging way—covering key stylistic elements, rehearsal techniques, and core concepts like swing feel, jazz harmony, and scat singing. Attendees will learn how to use the tools they already have to select repertoire, work effectively with rhythm sections, and guide students through improvisation and performance practice. With practical tips, listening recommendations, and resource suggestions, this session will give you the tools and confidence to start jazzing—even if you’ve never jazzed before.

Session 4

Friday, March 6th 8:30am

How to Jazz When You've Never Jazzed Before

Steve Danielson

This session is designed for choral directors who are eager to start a jazz choir...

The Choral Canon is Changing! Composers like Reena Esmail and Shruthi Rajasekar are writing wonderful music influenced by Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) traditions, and their music is increasingly popular with choirs of all ages. Our choir embarked on a year-long exploration of South Asian music through multiple lenses: we learned from choral composers as well as from local culture bearers, and we are eager to share what we learned with the NW-ACDA community while giving suggestions on how to replicate this project or similar ones. This session explores several possible paths into South Asian music: from the choral perspective, and from the Carnatic perspective. In order to understand and appropriately perform either traditional Carnatic music or choral compositions with Carnatic influences, musicians need to have a solid understanding of the foundations of Carnatic music and dance. We will introduce the art of konnakol (vocal percussion), swaras (improvisatory solfege), traditional songs appropriate for beginner musicians of all ages, and Bharatanatyam dance that incorporates all of the above. We will introduce a resource for finding choral music from all over India and South Asia, and look at examples of several pieces that incorporate traditional musical forms into the compositions. At the end of this session, participants will have resources and contacts necessary to plan a similar project, while also understanding a new framework for exploring music of any specific culture in a Western choral setting.

Session 4

Friday, March 6th 8:30am

A Cornucopia of Carnatic Curriculum

Ethan Chessin

The Choral Canon is Changing! ...

Children attending a concert will often naturally move to the music in the room as their parents remind them to sit still. After growing up with this mindset, music and dance teachers then spend their years attempting to undo this conditioning. Singers can also be moved emotionally through movement leading to a deeper personal connection and a sense of communication with the audience. As teachers, we can also strive for technical precision in our ensembles but without singer engagement and commitment, the meaning of the music and text may be lost; movement engages both the technical and the music/text.

Singing is an art form that engages the whole person. Enhancing Rehearsals and Performances Through Movement is a collaborative session between myself and Samuel Booth’s high school chorus from Bellarmine Preparatory School. This session reminds the body of what it did naturally through movement rehearsal techniques as an aid to our singers’ vocal development for performance. Attendees will learn said rehearsal techniques that can be used immediately with their ensembles, followed by a live demonstration with Bellarmine’s singers utilizing accessible repertoire. Attendees will also participate alongside Bellarmine’s singers and hold small group discussions on how movement enhances their abilities. The strategies provided engage the singing muscles, aid intonation and artistry, allow ensembles to build community by working together, and invite singers to develop a full-bodied tone for performance. In order to “Sing for a Change,” we must first, Move for a Change!

Session 5

Friday, March 6th 1:00pm

Enhancing Rehearsals and Performances Through Movement

Raul Dominguez

Children attending a concert will often naturally move...

We Are Voice Teachers Too! is an interactive session designed to share and reinforce current science-informed vocal pedagogy essential to choir directors and their ensembles. For most singers, participation in choir is the only formalized vocal instruction they will receive throughout their lives. As such, it is the responsibility of choir directors to provide well-informed, accurate, and efficient cues and instructions so that they can remain true to the performance practice of the repertoire and do not inadvertently cause harm to singers’ voices or hinder progress in rehearsals.

Attendees will review the four systems of the voice and discuss the nuances of source-filter theory and formant tuning to gain a deeper understanding of the voice. Often, the vocal pedagogy presented in choir is either outdated, is rooted in a Western classical master-apprentice model that may not be supported by modern vocology, or is not applicable when performing music outside of the Western canon. Because of this, there are many misconceptions that lead choir directors to provide instructions that may actually be unhelpful, inaccurate, or even detrimental to the ensemble’s progress or the singers’ vocal development across all styles. Phrases like “support from the diaphragm,” “raise your soft palate,” or “use more air” are commonly heard in choral rehearsals, regardless of the style being performed, even though their effectiveness and accuracy is debatable. Attendees will examine the science behind some of these misconceptions, and volunteers will have the opportunity to lead a vocal warm up of their choosing in order to explore a more effective means of achieving their desired outcome in any genre or style through the application of science-informed practices.

Session 5

Friday, March 6th 1:00pm

We're Voice Teachers Too! Science-Informed Choral Pedagogy

Stevie Hirner

We Are Voice Teachers Too!..

Intermezzo, part of Seattle Children’s Chorus, is a non-auditioned treble choir for singers in 4th to 7th Grades. Choristers rehearse once each week, performing in three main series concerts each year. The Seattle Children’s Chorus, founded by Kris Mason 38 years ago, nurtures excellence in young musicians through performance of the finest choral music. Every rehearsal fosters musical development and personal growth through teamwork, friendships, community, and cross-cultural experiences. Find out more at seattlechildrenschorus.org.

Session 5

Friday, March 6th 1:00pm

Encounter Choir Making Sense of Squiggles: Building Blocks for Choral Literacy

Jean-Marie Kent

Intermezzo from Seattle Children's Chorus

MusicSpoke will present a reading session of new and exciting works focused on composers who live in the Pacific Northwest. You'll find new pieces for your ensembles and interact with the composers who created the works.

Session 6

Saturday, March 7th 9:45am

MusicSpoke Reading Session

Kurt Knecht

MusicSpoke will present a reading session...

We are in the midst of a long-overdue effort to increase diverse representation in choirs across America. Yet, there is an area in our field that continues to be overlooked: the audition process. And in many ways, that’s completely understandable- auditions were never designed with inclusion in mind. In fact, they often do the opposite.

So, how can we build on the progress we’ve made and work to increase diverse representation in our select, auditioned choirs- whether in schools, universities, or at the regional, state, and national honor choir levels?

This session will examine frequently assessed audition criteria and propose adaptations for a more equitable audition process. These adaptations aim to enhance representation in select choral ensembles by identifying and exploring processes to mitigate implicit bias and more intentionally embrace the rich contributions of musicians from varied educational and cultural backgrounds. Examples of audition content and rubrics will be provided for session attendees.

Although auditions were never designed to be inherently inclusive, that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps to make them more equitable. Together, we can implement audition criteria that affirm, welcome, and celebrate the wide spectrum of musical aesthetics and lived experiences that our prospective musicians bring to the table, and ideally, to our choral ensembles.

Session 6

Saturday, March 7th 9:45am

From 'NEXT' to 'WELCOME!' -Equitable Auditions for a New Era

Katy Green

We are in the midst of a long-overdue effort...

We each sing with just one voice, but we use it very differently depending on what genre we’re singing and whom we’re singing with. Far too often, voice teachers and choral conductors face conflicts when teaching different styles of singing to the same students. In this presentation, we prioritize the collaborative efforts that studio teachers and ensemble directors can make to guide their singers. Join both a voice teacher and choral conductor as we dive into the similarities and differences between teaching solo and ensemble singing. We’ll explore resonance, breath, phrasing, tone, diction, style, vocal health, movement, and more. With a healthier knowledge of vocal pedagogy, we can all teach our students healthy singing concepts regardless of whether they're singing alone or in a large group - or singing classical, jazz, pop, musical theatre, or any other genre of music. Our goal is to explore the science of singing in a way that is accessible to all teachers so that we can help our students to be as successful as possible in all their pursuits. Learn how to help your students understand the role of their voices and find freedom and balance no matter where or how they sing!

Session 6

Saturday, March 7th 9:45am

One Voice: Vocal Pedagogy Ideas for Solo and Choral Singing

Interest sessions

Jennifer Kercher

In this dynamic and engaging session...

Austin Norrid

Are you interested in programming world music ...

Lynn Ryan

More than half of American school children...

Lesli Olson

Middle school choir doesn’t have to feel like crowd control...

Olivia Salzman-Coon

This session focuses on vocal and mental wellness ...

Amy Boers

A Voice from the Piano...

Lynn Brinckmeyer

When adolescent choral students are motivated...

Emily McKinney

This interest session will attempt to demystify the concept...

Jeffrey Francom

"The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter."...

Ryan Beeken

In our pursuit of musical excellence...

Steve Danielson

This session is designed for choral directors who are eager to start a jazz choir...

Ethan Chessin

The Choral Canon is Changing! ...

Raul Dominguez

Children attending a concert will often naturally move...

Stevie Hirner

We Are Voice Teachers Too!..

Jean-Marie Kent

Intermezzo from Seattle Children's Chorus

Kurt Knecht

MusicSpoke will present a reading session...

Katy Green

We are in the midst of a long-overdue effort...

Matthew Myers

We each sing with just one voice...