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Repertoire & Resources
               Reper                 toire & R                      esources





















          Two-Year College Choirs



                  Carolina Flores                           to coauthor this article to share insights and further ex-
                  National Chair, Two-Year College Choirs   amine actionable solutions for change.
                  cflores@hartford.edu

                                                                            Core Challenges
                                                              In the article “An Examination of Student and Fac-
             Supporting Transfer Students Between           ulty Perceptions Regarding Music Education Transfer
                Two- and Four-Year Institutions
                                                            Student Preparedness and Experiences,” Natalie Steele
               by Carolina Flores and Arlie Langager        Royston and her coauthors shared that “college music
                                                            faculty members perceived transfer students as unpre-
           Music  majors  at community colleges  nationwide   pared for the rigors of a four-year institution.”  Trans-
                                                                                                     1
        represent  an increasingly diverse and nontraditional   fer students often deal with challenges outside the class-
        student  population.  Stronger  collaboration  between   room, including limited  training  opportunities  prior
        two- and four-year institutions is vital in order to re-  to transfer, financial pressures, and family obligations
        move existing barriers  toward students completing   that require them to work twenty to thirty hours per
        their education; otherwise, we will continue to overlook   week while managing a full course load. While many
        talented artists who could enrich undergraduate choral   students succeed within the resources available on cam-
        programs and shape the future of the choral commu-  pus at a two-year institution, they frequently encounter
        nity.                                               barriers when transferring to four-year programs.
           This concern was central to a panel discussion ti-  Even if they’ve completed similar coursework, stu-
        tled “Reimagining Transitions between Two-Year and   dents may not be used to being around advanced stu-
        Four-Year  Colleges” at the 2025 National Collegiate   dents or navigating a larger campus. They may also
        Choral Organization Conference (NCCO11). As mod-    have  come  from programs with  fewer options—such
        erator, Dr. Arlie Langager invited panelists Dr. Caro-  as a limited selection of electives and repertoire—re-
        lina Flores, Dr. Raymund Campo, and Dr. Anne Ly-    sulting in uneven experience levels. Incoming students
        man to share perspectives and solutions for directors of   may struggle with self-confidence, feel isolated, or even
        both four-year and two-year programs. Following the   feel like they don’t belong at all in a four-year setting.
        NCCO presentation, Dr. Flores invited Dr. Langager   Several additional challenges include:

        CHORAL JOURNAL  May 2026                                                                                            Volume 66  Number 8          27
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