Page 164 - CJJan24

2024 ACDA Eastern Region Conference February 28 - March 2, 2024 Providence, Rhode Island

essions
er
t
In
Interest Sessions
est S
and community members. We will explore how the Timothy Little Tr`ân is the director of
participatory, liberatory, and inclusive nature of the choral studies at Slippery Rock Univer-
aural-oral framework for teaching and learning can be sity. Prior to SRU he was executive di-
experienced, understood, valued, and centered in mu- rector and professor of choral music at
sic classrooms. We will also explore important issues of Notre Dame College. Little Trần has also
ownership and the intersection of race and teaching in worked in the arts at Oberlin Conservatory, Louisi-
this great art form. ana State University, Interlochen Arts Academy, and
School of Creative and Performing Arts-Manhattan.
Whitney Covalle is a singer, researcher, He holds a DMA in choral conducting from the Uni-
and choral music educator. Her research versity of Washington, an MM in choral conducting
focuses on music education in the city, and literature from Louisiana State University, and a
the aural-oral tradition, and the inter- BM with vocal and music education studies from the
section of race and teaching music. Her Shenandoah Conservatory.
dissertation research on Philadelphia experts teaching
Black Gospel music was recently published in Bulletin
of the Council for Research in Music Education (2022). She
is a postdoctoral teaching and learning fellow in mu- The Unbounded Voice:
sic education at Montclair State University. She was a An Exploration into Finnish Vocal Folk Traditions
choir director in public schools and community music
organizations in urban settings for seventeen years, pri- This session will focus on elements of Finnish cho-
marily in Chicago at Jones College Prep High School ral tradition from “kelkyttely” to “kyylaus,” cattle-calls,
and Chicago Children’s Choir. and healthy chest voice. Participants will explore holis-
tic, instrument-like sound creation, Finnish vowels, and
extended vocal ranges. Participants will also experiment
with the limit(lessness) of vocal dynamics and percus-
Teaching the Voice through Empathy: sive consonants, and vocal improvisation. Participants
Laban Movement Analysis will walk away with flexible repertoire options, resourc-
es and connections with Finnish choral composers and
choral professionals, Finnish diction guide, experiences
This session provides a framework for teaching cho- of exploring their own vocal potential, and tools to fur-
ral pedagogies to culturally, ethnically, and artistically ther explore the emotional palette of their choirs.
diverse singers through interaction with a live choir.
Participants will employ Laban Movement Analysis Riikka Pietiläinen Caffrey is an associate
(LMA) to explore gesture, meaning, and communica- professor of the practice and director of
tion through a study of conducting techniques. Par- choral and vocal performance at Boston
ticipants will focus on specific skills that produce ar- College. She is a native Finn and holds
tistic empathy, convey musical imagination, and evoke degrees in choral conducting from Uni-
sound and its related vocal technique intentionally. versity of Colorado, Boulder, and jazz performance
Session outcomes include assessing/classifying/execut- from the City College of New York. Her research is
ing movement through LMA; analyzing the physical focused on holistic choral pedagogy, challenging pa-
sensations of singing and breathing to an awareness of triarchal narratives in music, and cross-disciplinary
physical gestures; and applying performance practice collaborations. She is an active conductor, soloist, and
congruent with all genres, cultures, and learning styles. vocal coach, and frequently works as a clinician and

162 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5