Page 122 - CJJan24

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

In
Interest Sessions
t
essions
est S
er
Limitless Connections: Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State Univer-
How Neuroscience and Everyday Actions sity. She taught choral music at the middle school and
high school levels in Kentucky and was the choir di-
Can Transform a Choir's Expressiveness rector and sight-singing teacher at the Duke Ellington

School of the Arts in Washington DC.
Many directors would like the singers in their choirs
to be more facially and emotionally expressive, but
their attempts to guide them are sometimes not as suc- Limitless Learning Opportunities
cessful as they hoped. This interest session provides a for Lifelong Singers
set of tools that can immediately transform expressive-
ness, leading to a limitless connection with self, text,
music, other singers, and the audience. Participants will This session presents opportunities to support learn-
learn how to apply everyday human behaviors to sing- ing needs of a diverse community choir and offers a
ing, empowering them to transform the choral experi- systematic approach to providing limitless learning for
ence for all. After learning the simple skills, volunteers singers, regardless of age or ability. Key learning out-
will take turns as the “demo choir,” applying their new- comes: Proven steps to implement into your rehearsal
found techniques to songs they all know. that facilitate improved musical skills at all ages. Ideas
for implementing a culture of limitless learning into
Tom Carter will be a clinician for this session. His photo your community choir. Participants will experience
and bio are on page 49. creative learning opportunities embedded into the
rehearsal process and will explore techniques that en-
courage choir members’ participation in choosing rep-
ertoire, collaboration during rehearsals, self-directed
Limitless Ladies: learning, and rehearsal accommodations.
Take the Limits Off:
Women in Choral Music Education Sheri Cook-Cunningham earned her
PhD in choral pedagogy at The Universi-
ty of Kansas and holds degrees from the
This discussion is geared toward women in choral University of Missouri-Kansas City (BM
music education. Topics will be discussed like women and MM, piano performance). She is an
in leadership and work/life balance. Experiences in associate professor and the director of music education
choral music education will be shared, along with how at Washburn University. She conducts three commu-
to navigate difficulties. This session will give a safe and nity choirs: the Johnson County Community Chorus,
brave space for women to discuss topics that are neces- Enharmonics, and Carmen Sororum, a treble chorus.
sary and healing. Attendees will leave encouraged, in- An active researcher, Cook-Cunningham has present-
spired, and empowered. ed her work locally, regionally, nationally, and interna-
tionally. Her research interests include adult learning
Frances Fonza is the director of choral practices, choral error detection, choral warm-ups,
activities at Southeastern Louisiana Uni- musician hearing health, and historical choral diction
versity. Fonza earned a BME at the Uni- practices.
versity of Missouri-Columbia, an MME,
and a doctorate in music education/cho-
ral conducting at the Florida State University. Most
recently, Fonza served on faculty at the University of

120 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5