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2026 ACDA Eastern Region Conference February 25-28, 2026 Providence, Rhode Island

way. Join us in a practical exploration of how to free Katy Green is the director of choral ac-
yourself and your singers from the chains of standard- tivities and assistant professor of music
ization. education at Pacific University in Forest
Grove, Oregon. In this role, she conducts
Doreen Fryling, EdD, is a thirty-year the Chamber Singers and Concert Choir,
public school music educator. She teach- teaches choral music education and conducting cours-
es IB music and chorus in Rockville es, and oversees the Choral Project: an after-school mu-
Centre, NY, and has taught K–5 gen- sic program taught by undergraduate music education
eral music and middle school chorus. majors for K–12 musicians. Green’s research focuses on
She teaches graduate courses in music education at the cognitive, behavioral, and social impacts of poverty
Hofstra University in philosophy, research, and curric- on learners and provides support strategies for music
ulum and instruction. Fryling is a founding member teachers in Title I schools. Currently she is engaged in
of the eVoco Voice Collective. In addition, she directs scholarship aimed at adopting procedures to support
the MYO Nassau Concert Choir. She has a doctor- and promote a broader array of musical aesthetics
ate of education in learning and teaching from Hof- and reduce implicit bias within choral auditions. She
stra University. She holds degrees from Susquehanna earned her DMA in choral conducting from Michigan
University and the University of Michigan. In 2015 State University.
she was recognized as a semifinalist for the Grammy
Music Educator Award. Fryling is a past president of
NY-ACDA. She shares her love of music making with Envisioning Communities
her husband, David, and their two adult children.
of Belonging and Growth

We envision a space where every member of your
Envisioning Auditions for a New Era— choir can thrive as both an individual and a collabo-
From “Next” to “Welcome” rative musician. This session is designed to empower

music educators with practical strategies for advocat-
We are in the midst of a long-overdue effort to in- ing program needs to stakeholders, creating meaning-
crease diverse representation in choirs across the Unit- ful individualized learning opportunities and ensemble
ed States. Yet, there is an area in our field that contin- experiences, and sharing that work with the commu-
ues to be overlooked: the audition process. How can nity. We will explore the integration of: individualized
we build on the progress we’ve made and work to in- student goals, interdisciplinary standards, student-cen-
crease diverse representation in our select, auditioned tered repertoire selection, games that teach learning
choirs? This session will examine frequently assessed targets, meaningful leadership roles, recruitment and
audition criteria and propose adaptations for a more retention strategies, and tiered objectives within ensem-
equitable audition process. Although auditions were bles. Interactive discussions will foster the exchange of
never designed to be inherently inclusive, that doesn’t ideas and experiences among attendees. Participants
mean we can’t take steps to make them more equita- will leave with access to tangible resources ready for im-
ble. Together, we can implement audition criteria that mediate use.
affirm, welcome, and celebrate the wide spectrum of
musical aesthetics and lived experiences that our pro- Louise Carrozza is the choral director at
spective musicians bring to the table and, ideally, to Farmington High School in Farming-
our choral ensembles. ton, CT. At FHS she directs five choral
groups and teaches guitar, discovering the
world through music, and a music cap-

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 31