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3) Address the need to create a place of belonging in choir. For me, being in the classroom with students while
the choral space that supports the social and emotional working together and finding what techniques work best
needs of every ensemble member. for our ensemble is a fun and enjoyable process. It is in
these spaces where we discover those “tricks that click”
Through our session, titled “Accessible and Beautiful: that develop and become defined across time. Teachers
SATB/SAB Music by Minority Composers/Arrang- and students in the classroom are all learning together,
ers,” we sought to share with attendees a body of rep- every day. I have always enjoyed the rehearsal process
ertoire that may potentially serve them in their teaching just as much (and sometimes more) than the actual per-
contexts. We chose to structure the session in a sequen- formance. Therefore, the opportunity to present the in-
tial format for each of the six selections: performance, sight choir session was well suited for my musical goals.
discussion of the piece, followed by singer perceptions. It was neither exclusively an interest session nor concert
Each piece was performed by the Oakland Mills sing- performance but the melding of both.
ers along with the audience in a reading session-style Making the decision to present this session came
format. with a plethora of human emotions and insecurities.
After singing each selection, I guided session partic- “Am I smart enough to talk to a room full of choral
ipants through the points of accessibility for teaching, colleagues?” “Are we good enough to sing in a room
including pedagogical tools and potential challenges. of other choral conductors at ACDA?” And generally,
Lastly, the Oakland Mills High School choral students “Am I doing this right?”
shared their perceptions as they related to belonging in There have been times at ACDA conferences when
choir through their personal connections to the selected I have witnessed other teachers commenting about not
repertoire. These insights sometimes encompassed sto- feeling a sense of belonging or even feeling welcomed
rytelling that related to engagement with the text, how at all. The content of many of these comments are the
rehearsing the music brought the singers closer to each challenges in some schools’ finances, not being able to
other, and specific elements in the process that fostered afford the experience of singing at a conference, and
deeper connection and belonging. comments expressing that the sound or style of their
specific ensemble would not be seen as “ACDA-worthy.”
Comments like those sadden me, although I, too, have
Making a Decision and felt that way. This session was intended for all of those
Navigating Insecurities unheard and marginalized voices who felt as if their
Although it may be a daunting task to present a ses- choir didn’t belong at ACDA! Insecurities need not ne-
sion at a national conference in front of peers, my ad- cessitate inaction. As the saying goes, “Anything worth
vice is for everyone to consider adding your voice to the having is worth working for!”
important conversations happening in our profession. The first thought after deciding that “I am going
So many of us choral musicians have wonderful ideas to do this!” was, “Now, what am I going to do?” That
to share, but the thought of presenting in front of an surely sounds comical, but it was true for me. I felt very
audience of professional colleagues can be intimidating. deeply that my school program was emblematic of the
And indeed, it can be. However, there are so many im- conference theme (“A Place of Belonging”), which was
portant messages for all of us to share with one anoth- my driving motivator to submit the application. I had to
er in the spirit of uplifting the profession and engaging ask myself many hard questions, giving serious thought
meaningfully with our beloved choral art. Although it to what we could offer in this style of session, for ex-
was a risk I undertook with trepidation, my students and ample: “What routine(s) or procedures have I infused
I are so much richer for it. with my music teaching that yields positive results in our
When structured carefully, I believe that the choral classroom?” I wanted to present a session that would be
rehearsal is a magical, experimental place where rela- as impactful, inclusive, and encompassing as the confer-
tionships of trust are formed between conductor and ence theme itself.

58 CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2025 Volume 65 Number 7