Page 100 - CJJan24

2024 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference February 27 - March 2, 2024 Denver, Colorado

Immersion Da ys
Immersion Days

Guiding Social-Emotional Engineer and Production Manager for the ten-time
Learning in the Classroom Grammy-winning group, Take 6, traveling to forty-one
countries. Huerta is also the founder of Urban Meth-
Join Dr. Elizabeth Swanson as she facilitates a con- od, a finalist on NBC’s The Sing Off. His Denver-based
versation that centers on nurturing community through studio, Sonic Audio, has produced, engineered, and
music making and programming. Strategies for promot- mastered a variety of a cappella projects. Huerta is in
ing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the high demand, often incorporating his beatboxing skills
choral classroom take center stage. into live performances.

Elizabeth Swanson will be the presenter for this ses-
sion. Her photo and bio are on page 96.
Using Pop Music
to Build Better Singers

Contemporary A Cappella Why should we perform popular music with our
choirs? How can we use contemporary music to build
Leia Browning, Coordinator stronger singers and diverse programs while expanding
traditional techniques and challenging choral norms?
Leia Browning has a BME from the What exactly is happening in the vocal mechanism
University of North Texas. She also at- when we sing popular music authentically? Join con-
tended Louisiana State University, where temporary a cappella clinicians Rob Dietz, J.D. Friz-
she studied musical theatre. Browning zell, and Christopher M. Diaz as they reveal the ben-
has been teaching high school choir for efits of popular and contemporary music to choral
eighteen years. She spent seven years at South Garland singers and their communities while also addressing the
High School and is in her tenth year at Rockwall High. most common roadblocks directors face while teaching
it. Participants will leave with a better understanding
of the importance of culturally native pop music in the
Sound 101 with Tony Huerta choral program, strategies to successfully and authen-
tically teach this music to their singers, and practical
Are you lost when it comes to working with sound ways to incorporate it into their programs.
equipment? Do you know how to troubleshoot when
no sound comes out? Do you know how to EQ differ- Rob Dietz will be a presenter for this session. His photo
ent groups? What about purchasing a sound system for and bio are on page 90.
your classroom or a cappella group? Tony Huerta will
answer all these questions and more! J. D. Frizzell will be a presenter for this session. His pho-
to and bio are on page 90.
Tony Huerta is a versatile professional in
the music industry, excelling as a singer, Christopher M. Diaz is a vocalist, ar-
beatboxer, recording studio engineer/ ranger, songwriter, producer, coach and
producer, and live audio engineer. He is teacher from Newport News, VA. Diaz
renowned as one of the world’s top acap- co-founded the international touring
pella live sound engineers, having mixed performances group, The Exchange, which performed
for major acts like Pentatonix, Take 6, and Home Free. hundreds of shows for audiences in over fifty countries
For over a decade, he served as the Front of House on six continents, notably opening for The Backstreet

98 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5