Page 60 - CJJan25

ACDA NATIONAL
Alphabetical Listing of Interest Sessions
2025 2025 ACDA National Conference March 18-22, 2025 Dallas, Texas
(
O
r
acks
Interest Sessions (Open to Both Tracks) )
B
oth T
pen t
o
March 18-22 Dallas, TX In t er est S essions

Dustin S. Cates is a teacher, conductor,
Preparing and Performing Extended Choral singer, and researcher who is passionate
Works for Social Justice about building meaningful relationships
with people through music. Cates is assis-
A Joint Initiative by the National Diversity tant professor of choral music education
Initiatives Committee and the National at Temple University, where he conducts the University
Composition Initiatives Committee Chorale and teaches courses in music education, cho-
ral/vocal pedagogy and choral methods. He currently
serves as National ACDA R&R Chair for Tenor-Bass
choral ensembles and is past president of the Kansas
Thursday 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm Choral Directors Association. Cates considers his most
National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe important roles to be husband to Raymond Cattaneo
Grand Salon and father to their son, Emmaus.

G. Preston Wilson, Jr., PhD, is the musi-
While it has become more common for choral direc- cal director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers
tors to program repertoire that addresses issues of social and assistant professor of music at Fisk
justice, a deficit remains in our understanding of how University. His research includes urban
choral directors and their communities responsively music educational experiences, race re-
and thoughtfully prepare and perform extended choral lations in music education, and practical applications
works for social justice. In this session, presenters will of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prior to his current
share findings and key aspects of a large-scale research position, he was the assistant professor of music educa-
study involving three different university’s preparation tion at Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
and performance of extended choral works, specifically He also serves as the Diversity Initiatives Chair for the
Rollo Dilworth’s Weather, Craig Hella Johnson’s Con- Tennessee American Choral Directors Association.
sidering Matthew Shepard, and Andrea Ramsey’s Suffrage
Cantata. Singer and conductor perspectives on rehearsal
considerations, context-building discussions, and com-
munity-specific needs will be shared to propel future Recruiting and Retaining Singers:
possibility.
Building the Present, Planning the Future

Elizabeth Cassidy Parker, PhD, is professor
of music education at the Boyer College
of Music and Dance at Temple University. Wednesday 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm
Prior to her work at Temple, Parker taught National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
at the Schwob School of Music at Colum- Sanctuary
bus State University and held PreK-12 school positions
in New York, Nebraska, and Georgia. An active choral
conductor, Parker leads Commonwealth Youth Choir, As choral directors, we are always exploring ways
a community-based program in Philadelphia. Her re- to recruit and retain singers in the ensembles. When
search interests include adolescent musical identity and growing choral programs in all settings, it is helpful to
issues of preservice music teacher identity. Published consider the following three opportunities: 1) explor-
widely nationally and internationally, Parker is the sole ing or modifying program structure to meet the needs
author of Adolescents on Music (Oxford University Press). of the community/school; 2) identifying and connect-

58 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2025 Volume 65 Number 5