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2024 ACDA Northwestern Region Conference January 24-27, 2024 Spokane, Washington

Coty Raven Morris is a proud alumnus of Music in Worship
Texas State University-San Marcos and
Michigan State University, where she at-
tained a master’s in choral conducting. Singing from Sunrise to Sunset
Morris is a sought-after clinician, speaker, and artist
across the country and has recently served as the clini- Choirs in our places of worship provide rich oppor-
cian and headliner for Florida ACDA and Minnesota tunities for multi-generational music making and social
ACDA. Along with her work at Portland State Universi- and spiritual interaction. By learning how to effectively
ty as the visiting professor of choir, music education, and work with senescent (aging) singers, we preserve the
social justice, she is also the founder of Being Human tremendous impact they can have on the following
Together (BHT), a budding community utilizing music generations. Part reading session and part interactive
education to normalize difficult topics in our field. She workshop, this session will provide both new and tried-
was nominated for the Portland State University George and-true repertoire for church choirs and give practical
C Hoffman Faculty Award and was a quarter-finalist for tips for working with senescent singers both from a psy-
the 2023 Music Educators Grammy. chological and a technical point of view.

David B. Gardner, DMA, has conducted
college, community, and church choirs
Junior High/Middle School for more than three decades, and since

2014 has served at University Presbyte-
Through the Lens of Literacy rian Church in Seattle, WA, where he is
the director of worship and the arts. He holds degrees
from Seattle Pacific University, Western Seminary, and
This reading session will examine how we can develop The University of Arizona. Gardner has served as a
literacy through rehearsal of repertoire with emerging, guest conductor at honor choirs and festivals in six
intermediate, and advanced middle school and junior states and has traveled with his choirs nationally and
high ensembles. Anchored in score analysis techniques internationally. He is a past president of the Kansas
inspired by secondary Kodály practices, we will explore Choral Directors Association, and currently serves as
varied methods of designing, preparing, and practicing the NWACDA R&R Chair for Music in Worship.
literacy activities that can be embedded within a choral
rehearsal.
Geoffrey Boers will be a clinician for this session. His
photo and bio are on page 26.
Kyra Rengstorf is pursuing her MM in
choral conducting at Western Washing-
ton University, where she directs the Uni-
versity Choir and teaches aural skills and Versatile Jewish Choral Repertoire
secondary choral methods. She has taught
middle school and high school mixed, SA, TB, and jazz for Concerts and Worship
choirs; piano, theater, musical theater, and elementary
general music. Rengstorf holds a BM from Barnard Many choirs perform Jewish choral music in De-
College of Columbia University, and a Post-Baccalaure- cember, but the repertoire is vast and just waiting to
ate Degree in Music Education and a WA teaching cer- be programmed year-round. Jewish music comprises
tificate for K-12 general, instrumental, and choral music disparate cultural traditions. This session will address
from the University of Washington. She serves as trea- how to select literature and perform it with sensitivity.
surer on the board for the Northwest Kodály Educators. Attendees will learn some chestnut and contemporary

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5 29