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

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Cara Bernard is associate professor of more inclusive and accessible. Led by a former high
music education at the University of school teacher now in higher education, the session
Connecticut. She is immediate past pres- explores a model grounded in equity, community, and
ident of CT-ACDA. Bernard has con- artistic collaboration. With no audition or fee and full
ducted, performed, and prepared cho- material support provided, entire school choirs and
ruses for performances at some of the most prestigious their teachers join in a one-day, transformative singing
venues throughout the Northeast. She was the director experience. Learn about the planning, repertoire, and
and conductor of the Count Me In program at Car- outcomes from the first two years, including powerful
negie Hall, where she created a choral curriculum for student connections and teacher feedback. Leave with
beginning-level middle school music students. Addi- adaptable tools and inspiration to create similar pro-
tionally, she worked with the Young People’s Chorus of grams that remove barriers and provide a space for ev-
New York City in their school choral program, bring- ery voice.
ing a choral experience to over one thousand children
throughout the city. Rebecca DeWan is an assistant professor
of choral music education at the Univer-
Kelly Bylica serves as assistant professor sity of Maine, where she teaches under-
of music education at Boston University, graduate courses in music education and
where she works with both undergrad- conducts the Collegiate Chorale. With
uate and graduate students. Originally fourteen years of experience in the K–12 classroom,
from Chicago, Bylica taught general and DeWan’s research focuses on trauma-informed, equi-
choral music throughout the Midwest and has also ty-centered teaching and learning. She holds a PhD in
served on the teaching faculty of several communi- music education from Michigan State University. In
ty-based youth music programs. Her research agenda addition to her academic role, she serves as the music
is focused on curriculum and policy, critical pedagogy, director for the Acadia Choral Society in Maine and
and middle school musical experiences. She has pre- conducts honors festivals for elementary and second-
sented on these and other topics at regional, national, ary students. Passionate about building community
and international conferences. She has also published through music, she is dedicated to creating accessible,
chapters in several edited volumes as well as articles in low-barrier musical opportunities for all.
publications such as Arts Education Policy Review, Journal
of Music Teacher Education, Music Education Research, Bul-
letin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal From Past to Future:
for Popular Music Education, and British Journal of Music
Education. Amplifying Historical Women’s Voices

This session invites conductor-teachers to envision
new possibilities for their choirs by exploring under-
Every Voice Belongs: performed repertoire: the music of cloistered women
Building a Low-Barrier Choral Festival composers from seventeeth-century Italy. Composers
like Raffaella Aleotti, Isabella Leonarda, Sulpitia Cesis,
Honors choral festivals can be life changing, but ac- and Chiara Margarita Cozzolani created expressive,
cess often remains out of reach for students from small accessible works for voices similar to those in today’s
or under-resourced programs. This session shares the treble choirs. Participants will discover the historical
creation of a new, low-barrier choral festival designed background, composer profiles, and a vast repertoire
to reimagine participation and make choral music all with available modern editions. Alongside musical

34 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5