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2022 ACDA Eastern Region Conference

In t e r est S
Interest Sessionsessions

Philosophy and Praxis: Shohei Kobayashi is a paign. He is published in Choral
A More Inclusive Pedagogy conductor and vocal- Journal and Music Educator’s Journal;
ist. He is an assistant his book, Aligning Voices: Exercises to
through Repertoire Selection
professor of music and Build Choral Musicianship, is available
director of choral ac- through GIA Publications.
By which criteria do we select rep- tivities at Reed College in Portland,
ertoire for our ensembles and how Oregon. Kobayashi’s diverse music-
might we design our commitments making experiences include collabo- “Resonate” in Rehearsal:
to diversity, equity, and inclusion rating as a songwriter and bandmate
(DEI) into that selection process? in contemporary music settings. He Revisiting the Harmony that
Beyond diversifying our concert pro- holds a BM from Lewis & Clark Col- Distinguishes Choral Music
grams, our DEI-focused practices lege and an MM and DMA from
must intentionally seek to distinguish University of Michigan School of We will read and sing tradition-
between the varied cultural con- Music, Theatre & Dance. al and shape-note notation, learn
texts of our chosen repertoire, fi nd warm-ups for tuning, and review
the musical and pedagogical mer- sight-singing strategies that incor-
its of every piece, and expand our The Power of Story in Song: porate improvised harmonizations.
storytelling to include often untold This session is based on the multiple
narratives. This session will explore Feeding the Choir’s Soul expected outcomes of a 21st-century
an approach to repertoire selection rehearsal emphasizing the skills sing-
that centers the cultivation of both Over the course of rehearsal ers need to be productive in rehears-
our singers’ musical skills and their period, our singers speak, sing, re- als of Western and other musics but
developing worldviews. peat, practice, and scrutinize each also emphasizes the ability to create
word of our repertoire. This leads to a harmony part “by ear.”
Jabarie Glass is an as- “message fatigue” and a numbing to
sistant professor of mu- the power of the story in the song. As Bryan E. Nichols is a
sic and the associate di- choral conductors we must bring the teacher and conductor
rector of choral studies magic of the text back. This session at the Pennsylvania
in the School of Music will teach you how to inject aesthetic State University, where
at the University of South Carolina. intention into your singers’ perfor- he leads the University
His varied conducting experiences mances through poetry, visual art, Choir, teaches courses in music and
have included working with universi- creative writing, and collaborative education, and directs the Pitch Ex-
ty, secondary, community youth, fes- processes. ploration Lab. Nichols has served in
tival, and church ensembles. Ensem- leadership positions in NAfME and
bles under his direction have given Dean Luethi serves ACDA. He served on the Future
performances at state and regional as the director of the Directions Committee for the Ken-
conferences of ACDA. Glass earned School of Music, direc- tucky MEA and was the Region 4
degrees from the University of Mis- tor of choral activities, Choral Chair.
sissippi, the Florida State University and associate professor
College of Music, and the Univer- at Washington State University. He
sity of Michigan School of Music, received degrees from University of
Theatre & Dance. Wisconsin–Green Bay, University of
South Florida in Tampa, and Uni-
versity of Illinois–Urbana/Cham-

30 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5