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sacred, while at others as little as 32% was sacred; sim- 80.8%) in the average percentage of White-composed
ilarly, percentages of accompanied music ranged from works performed at each school was found, using a paired
36% to 72% of performed repertoire at each school. t-test: 2017–2019 (M = .8925, SD = .0610), 2021–2023
Put bluntly, if the repertoire is the curriculum, then (M = .8075, SD = .0704), t(15) = 3.52, p = .003.
these are radically different curricula. And if our rep- 4 Marques L. A. Garrett, “Unaccompanied Non-Idiomatic
ertoire selections reflect our values as a society and as Choral Music of Black Composers,” Choral Journal 61,
a field, then the repertoire selection practices observed no. 4 (November 2020): 17.
highlight areas of commonality but also areas of stark 5 These findings were confirmed using three paired t-tests:
disagreement about our values. Prospective students de- (1) Overall percentage of Black-composed music at each
serve to be informed about these differences when se- school: 2017–2019 (M = .0659, SD = .0455), 2021–2023
lecting an institution to attend. An ongoing project to (M = .1252, SD = .0571), t(15) = –3.79, p = .002; (2)
collect, organize, and publish these data could prove Black-composed idiomatic music as a percentage of the
valuable to not only these applicants but to the field as entire repertory at each school: 2017–2019 (M = .0500,
a whole. In any case, faculty are encouraged to consid- SD = .0416), 2021–2023 (M = .0545, SD = .0302), t(15)
er whether their revealed repertoire selection practices = –0.53, p = .606; (3) Idiomatic music as a percentage of
truly reflect their stated values as educators of the next all Black-composed music programmed at each school:
generation of choral conductors. Doing so could not be 2017–2019 (M = .7194, SD = .2804), 2021–2023 (M =
more important, as the repertoire we select leaves a last- .4226, SD = .2010), t(15) = 3.42, p = .004.
ing impression on the students who perform it and sets 6 Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the rela-
the stage for the future of the choral art, both inside and tionship between these variables. For the full results of
outside the academy. the logistic regression model, see the author’s disserta-
tion.
NOTES 7 Results of a paired t-test for percentage of male-composed
works at each school: 2017–2019 (M = .8601, SD =
1 Recent examples include William McLean, “Representation .0625), 2021–2023 (M = .7356, SD = .0845), t(15) = 7.24,
in Choral Music: An Examination of Choral Literature p < .001.
Performed by All-State Mixed Choirs 2000–2020,” Cho- 8 Examples include William McConnell, “Examining Our-
ral Journal 63, no. 8 (May 2023): 22–38; Jamie Spillane, selves: Are We Living Up to Our Own Standards?”
“All-State Choral Music: Has It Changed in the Past 15 Choral Journal 51, no. 2 (September 2010): 67–69; and
Years? A Comparison of the Music Selected 1995–2000 Robert J. Ward and Leila Heil, “Repertoire at ACDA
and 2014,” Choral Journal 58, no. 8 (March 2018): 47– National Conferences 1960–2017.”
67; and Robert J. Ward and Leila Heil, “Repertoire at 9 Full results of paired t-test for median composition age at
ACDA National Conferences 1960–2017,” Choral Journal each school: 2017–2019 (M = 36.06, SD = 29.88), 2021–
57, no. 10 (May 2017): 36–42. 2023 (M = 35.22, SD = 33.57), t(15) = 0.13, p = .900.
2 For more details on how each field was coded, how terms 10 The three difficulty ratings included were the Musica In-
were defined, how exceptions and ambiguities were han- ternational database, the Texas University Interscholas-
dled, and how data were deemed valid or invalid for in- tic League’s 2023–2024 Prescribed Music List, and the
clusion in the database, refer to the present author’s dis- thirty-third edition of the New York State School Music
sertation, upon which this article is based: Mark Helms, Association Manual.
“Resonance of Change: An Exploration of Repertoire 11 Full results of paired t-test for percentage of works at each
Programming Shifts in Choral Conducting Graduate school with English-language texts: 2017–2019 (M =
Programs in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic and .5192, SD = .1045), 2021–2023 (M = .5920, SD = .1075),
George Floyd Protests” (DMA diss., University of Mary- t(15) = –4.819, p < .001.
land, 2024).
3 Similarly, a statistically significant decrease (from 89.3% to

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