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THE PURPOSES OF ACDA

at my own teaching career, I fell significantly short in actively promoting • To foster and promote choral
the career viability of the teaching profession. Yes, I have a few students singing, which will provide artistic,
who have become music educators. However, it was not intentional, and cultural, and spiritual experiences
for the participants.
I often wonder about the students who could have taken this path but
did not because I was not aware of the role I could play in this decision • To foster and promote the finest
and journey for them. types of choral music to make
these experiences possible.
Music educators have unique advantages in almost every way when
it comes to inspiring our future generation of choral directors. You see • To foster and encourage rehearsal
your students day after day, month after month, and often year after procedures conducive to
attaining the highest possible
year. The relationships built through these hundreds of hours spent level of musicianship and artistic
together are key to casting the vision of a teaching future for students. performance.
Additionally, you have developed the trust and confidence of the guard- • To foster and promote the

ians of these students and, in many cases, spend more time with their organization and development
children than they do in an average week. You should not underestimate of choral groups of all types in
schools and colleges.
the impact of the level of influence you wield with your students and

their families. • To foster and promote the

Another advantage we have is that our medium is filled with engage- development of choral music in the
church and synagogue.
ment. While other subjects struggle with “real world application” and
“project-based learning,” music educators almost know no other way to • To foster and promote the
teach! You ARE preparing the next generation of music teachers every organization and development
of choral societies in cities and
day and you may not even be aware of it. If you have a student lead- communities.
ership team, section leaders, peer-to-peer mentoring, you are already • To foster and promote the
preparing students to be future choral educators. If you actively involve understanding of choral music as an
your students in evaluation of their performance, you are already pre- important medium of contemporary
paring students to be future choral educators. If you have student con- artistic expression.
ductors or student composers, you are already preparing students to be •To foster and promote significant
future choral educators. research in the field of choral music.
With all of these things built into what we do every day, do you take •To foster and encourage choral
an intentional approach to casting a vision for your students to be a composition of superior quality.
music teacher? Do you say anything like, “You solved a really important
challenge for us as the section leader today. This is exactly the kind of • To cooperate with all organizations
dedicated to the development of
skills needed to be a choir director. Have you thought about that as a musical culture in America.
career?” I admit that I was never this intentional. If only I knew then •To foster and promote international
what I know now! As you start your fall semester, give some consider- exchange programs involving
ation to the role you can play in encouraging your students to consider performing groups, conductors, and
pursuing choral music education as a career choice. If every member in composers.
ACDA even had one student who made the decision to join the ranks, • To disseminate professional news
there would be 14,000 more music educators in our future. It will take and information about choral
work in every area to solve the teacher shortage issue, but maybe, just music.
maybe, you have an opportunity to make your own contribution to the • To foster and promote choral singing
cause directly from your own classroom today. No one is a better adver- in the pursuit of peace and justice
that enhances social and emotional
tisement for the wonderful life of the choral educator than you. well-being.

• To foster and promote diversity and
inclusivity through active engage-
ment with underrepresented choral
musicians and potential choral
participants.

—ACDA Constitution and Bylaws
CHORAL JOURNAL October 2022 Volume 63 Number 3 3