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2022 ACDA Southern Region Conference

Interest Sessionsessions
In t e r est S

with Newport News Public Schools Conducting Outside the Box: son planning, student responsibility,
in Southeastern Virginia. She will Creative Approaches to and an insistence on excellence ev-
conduct the European Music Edu- ery day, the classroom will become
cators Association Honor Choir in Practicing Conducting a healthy and safe environment for
Frankfurt, Germany, in 2022. musical exploration. Tools present-
In this interactive session, partic- ed at this session can be tailored to
Lesley Maxwell Mann ipants will engage in a series of un- each unique situation and individual
is associate professor conventional conducting exercises instructor.
of music at Belmont aimed at enhancing the process of
University, where she learning music and practicing con- Lauren Whitham Ray-
serves as coordinator ducting. What’s it like to conduct naud serves as associ-
of music education, teaches course- with only your elbows? How can ate director of choral
work in choral methods, middle movement in the lower body during activities at Western
school methods, conducting, music score study translate to expressive- Kentucky Universi-
theory, behavior modifi cation, and ness of conducting gesture? This ty, where she directs the Universi-
conducts Women’s Chorus. As a session offers tools and strategies for ty Singers and Treble Chorus, and

performer, she has sung with Vocal adding layers of playfulness and ex- teaches music education and aural
Arts Nashville, Collegium, the Festi- ploration to a conductor’s personal skills courses. Her choirs were in-
val Singers of Florida, and the Tal- artistic practice. vited to perform at NAfME confer-
lahassee Bach Parley. At Walt Disney ences in Washington State in 2008,
World, she sang with the Voices of Aaron Peisner is direc- 2010, and 2014, and Kentucky
Liberty and swam with Finding tor of choral activities in 2021. Raynaud earned her BM
Nemo, the Musical! and assistant professor from Pacifi c Lutheran University,
at University of North her MM from Western Washington
Amy Kotsonis is associ- Carolina Wilmington, University, and her DMA from the
ate professor of choral where he directs the Concert Choir University of Georgia.
ensembles and music and Chamber Choir and teaches
education at the Uni- courses in aural skills, conducting,
versity of Northern class voice, and choral methods. He
Iowa, where she conducts UNISing- previously served as interim direc- Fantastic Beasts and
ers and the Cecilians. She also teach- tor of choirs at Goucher College in Where to Find Them:
es conducting, choral methods, and Towson, MD. He holds degrees from Navigating the Quest
music education courses at UNI, and the University of Maryland, Yale for Repertoire that
is the artistic director of the Metro- University, and Wesleyan University.

politan Chorale and UNI Children’s Affirms All Our Singers
Choir. Kotsonis completed a PhD
in music education and choral con- Creative Classroom Management: Representation matters in our
ducting at the Florida State Uni- song selection. Finding authentic

versity, an MM at the University Stop Disciplining and music to fulfill this mission, howev-
of New Hampshire, and a BME at Start Teaching er, can sometimes seem like a myth-
New York University. ical quest. In this interactive session,
Managing a classroom is about discover accessible resources where
communicating clear and consistent you can fi nd repertoire honoring a
expectations. Through creative les- variety of cultures, traditions, and

76 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5