Fall 2018: Volume 38, Issue 1

ContentsFrom Your President . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Richard Schnipke

The Mixed-Age Choir . . . . . . . . . 2Tim & Tracy Carpenter

Evaluating Cultural Validityin Choral Repertoire . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Julia T. Shaw

OCDA Distinguished ServiceAward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Amy Gelsone

A Conversation with Jocelyn Hagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Daniel Parsley

Everybody Needs Somebody,Sometimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Brad Pierson

Vocal Jazz Group Listening Primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Christopher J. Venesile

Summer Conference Recap . . . 13Christopher Dent

Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . 17Kent Vandock

Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Leadership Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

AdvertisersBob Rogers Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CMS Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Musical Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Otterbein University . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Stanton’s Sheet Music . . . . . . . . . . 9

University of Akron . . . . . . . . . . 16

From Your PresidentWarm Greings om the OCDA! I trust thIs message finds you busy in the midstof the December performance and worship sea-son, and I hope you are able to find some time toenjoy the season not only with your ensemblesand singers, but also with important familymembers and treasured friends.

I write to you this month with some excitingnews pertaining to the future of OCDA. Due tothe financial solvency of our organization over the past several years andunder the advisement of our organization’s treasurer, Kent Vandock, yourOCDA board has established a formal Investment Committee. Committeemembership is comprised of the OCDA Executive Board members (Presi-dent, President-Elect, Vice/Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer). Overthe summer, this newly formed committee worked to create an OCDA In-vestment Policy that was approved by the full board at our fall meeting.is fall, OCDA partnered with Ohio-based investments manager Collinsand Gulliford, and on November 28 we made a $50,000 investment ofOCDA funds. e intent of this initiative is to maximize the assets of OCDAin order to further the mission of the organization. While no definite planspertaining to allocation of the investment profits have been made, initia-tives including student activities and scholarships, engagement of our re-tired members, and outreach to underserved communities have been dis-cussed as possible areas for support. I am incredibly excited for this posi-tive step forward and want to thank all previous board members, especiallyTreasurer Vandock, for managing our resources in a way that allows for thisopportunity. Specific questions pertaining to the Investment Committeecan be directed to Kent Vandock, chair of the committee. (Kent’s contactinformation can be found in the board roster listed in this newsletter.)

I also want to take a moment to recognize the entirety of the board fortheir service to OCDA and specifically for their contributions to thisnewsletter. In this issue alone, you will find wonderful submissions by ourvery own Ohio colleagues including articles pertaining to mentorship,building vocal jazz skills through listening, evaluating multi-cultural reper-toire, and working with mixed-age choruses, as well as an interview withcomposer Jocelyn Hagen, and recognition of our 2018 OCDA Distinguished

OCDA President Richard Schnipke

Service Award winner. Addition-ally, I would like to thank TimCloeter for his work and dedicationas Editor of the OCDA News. Weare fortunate to have many won-

derful colleagues in our state thatgive of their time and talents toserve not only our organization,but also our profession.

I wish you all a wonderful holi-

day season and look forward toseeing many of you at OMEA andACDA conferences in the newyear! d

Fall 2018 table of contents 2

the communIty choIr experIence

is one which can embody the spiritof lifelong learning in choral music.Whether we are at the earlieststages of music learning (what theCincinnati Youth Choir calls “Pic-colo Coro”), or we are easing intoour golden years, choral music pro-vides an opportunity to learn, sing,and socialize for as long as ourbodies (and voices) allow. In ourgreat state of Ohio, there are com-munity children’s choirs, like theKettering Children’s Choir(www.ketteringchildrenschoir.org);community choirs for young adultsunder 45, like Cincinnati’s YoungProfessionals Choral Collective(ypccsing.org); and gender-basedcommunity choirs like MUSE, theCincinnati Women’s Choir(www.musechoir.org), and the menof the Teutonia Männerchor ofToledo (gafsociety.org). Each ofthese groups, and many others likethem, sound the way they do be-cause of the voices of which theyare comprised.

We are Tim and Tracy Carpen-ter, co-artistic directors of the Cler-mont Chorale (clermontchorale.org), and OCDA Community R&Rco-chairs within the Lifelong Area.e Clermont Chorale is a mixed

ensemble (SATB) of singers whoseages range from 14 (high schoolfreshmen) to over 80, and whosemission is to bring timeless and in-novative music to ClermontCounty. Our work with this grouphas led us to endorse the blendingof voices of different ages to createa signature sound. is span of ageshas added a wide variety of per-spectives to our group’s dynamicand influenced our programmingchoices in a positive way.

e younger voices bring an en-durance and vigor to our rehearsalsand performances. eir voicestend to be a bit lighter, but theirwork ethic is often energetic, in-spiring their older cohorts. eiryouthful attitude makes them will-ing to approach modern/more dif-ficult literature without fear or pre-conceived notions. Additionally, wehave seen students from many ofthe different school districts in ourarea come together in our choirand not only work together, butalso become friends. ey havebegun to see each other at honorchoirs and camps, and their senseof community has expanded. eyhave then taken their experiencesin our group (and others) back totheir schools, and inspired others

to branch outthrough choralmusic. Addi-tionally, withcareful seatingarrangements(as created byus), the studentvoices can sitnext to a“model” adultvoice that can help lead them intogood tone and production. evoice in adulthood (with good pro-duction) tends to be more warm,with a natural vibrato. In this set-ting, these young singers have beenable to grow and mature safely, andwith structure, monitoring, and en-couragement. Our teenage singersenjoy the maturity and support ofthe older choir members.

More mature singers bring ex-perience to our rehearsals, not onlyby being great choir members, butalso by bringing to bear their pastchoral performance experience ofclassics like the Schubert Mass inG, or the Fauré Requiem, as theyenjoy this repertoire from a newplace in their lives. eir desire forsocial interaction through musicbrings with it a stability in atten-dance and continuing participation,

e Mixed-Age Choir

Tim & Tracy Carpenter, Lifelong Area: Community R&R Co-Chairs

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and varied socio-economic back-grounds bring natural diversity tothe ensemble. Continuing partici-pation allows singers of all ages todiscover changes in their voices,and to sing through these changes,and maintain vocal health. Socially,the older members seem to enjoybeing surrounded by the youth inthe group, often viewing them asgrandchildren pro tempore.

As we enter into our seventhyear as co-artistic directors of theClermont Chorale, we feel fortu-nate to have singers spanning eightdecades of life with us on our jour-ney, enjoying choral music andeach other’s company along theway. e blending of human voicesin the different stages of develop-ment, and the blending of humanbeings in the different stages of

“becoming,” has been a source notonly of musical accomplishment,but also of joy shared and friend-ships formed. We highly recom-mend that choral directors formmore community choirs, particu-larly those whose memberships en-compass a wide range of ages, andexperience those joys and friend-ships for themselves. d

as school populatIons in theUnites States have become increas-ingly culturally diverse, teacher-conductors have turned attentiontoward how choral music can sup-port the goals of multicultural andculturally responsive education.Many music specialists gravitatetoward diversifying curricular con-tent as an accessible entry point forparticipating in these broader edu-cational movements, a process inwhich repertoire-related decisionsfigure prominently. Includingrepertoire representing diverse cul-tural traditions in the curriculum isan important preliminary step to-ward attaining truly culturally re-sponsive education, and investingeffort into making responsiblerepertoire choices with regard toways that cultural groups are rep-resented, misrepresented, or un-derrepresented in choral curriculais a worthwhile endeavor.

Reading sessions provided by

professional organizations such asACDA offer one avenue throughwhich conductors can discoverrepertoire worthy of considerationfor exploration with their ensem-bles. While reading sessions canplay a valuable role in educators’professional learning, some limita-tions of the format merit discus-sion. First, much of the repertoirethat would be ideal for explorationin a multicultural or culturally re-sponsive curriculum would belearned aurally in its culture of ori-gin, making reading sessions (astraditionally structured) an illogicalcontext for exploring that reper-toire. Considering this, teacher-conductors are advised to seek av-enues beyond reading sessions inorder to locate repertoire repre-senting diverse cultural traditions.Selections drawn from aural tradi-tions can be obtained by consultingwith culture bearers (representa-tives of particular cultural groups)

either in personor virtually, orby consulting multimedia re-sources that can support aurallearning experiences.

It is also important to acknowl-edge that the individual selectionsin a reading packet are unlikely toserve the needs of all teachers in allsituations. is is especially true ifthe goal of instruction is to createlearning experiences that are re-sponsive or relevant to the culturalidentities of specific singers. us,it is not the specific pieces includedin reading packets themselves, butthe thought processes that in-formed their selection, that arelikely to be most helpful to conduc-tors as they select repertoire thatwill best serve their specific singers.However, the compact timeframeof a typical reading session doesnot typically allow for in-depth dis-cussion of criteria that guided theselection process. Accordingly, this

Evaluating cultural validity in choral repertoire:ree exemplars illustrating guiding principles

Julia T. Shaw, Repertoire-Spific: Ethnic Music—Developing Voic R&R Chair

column will describe three exem-plars in depth, highlighting guidingprinciples that can inform conduc-tors’ processes of selecting reper-toire from diverse cultural tradi-tions.

Exemplar 1: “Uno, Dos, y Tres”arr. Carlos AbrilWorld Music Press, VTS#45

When evaluating published choraloctavos, the arranger’s or editor’sexpertise with the cultural and mu-sical tradition represented is a pri-mary consideration. e followingguiding questions might be in-formative:

• Is information provided aboutthe arranger’s or editor’s knowl-edge of the cultural group rep-resented?

• Have they edited or arranged a

piece that held personal mean-ing for them, having experi-enced it as a member of the cul-tural group represented?

• Is the publication the result ofextensive research carried outwith that cultural group?

An absence of informationabout the arranger’s/editor’sknowledge of the tradition they areattempting to represent shouldraise teacher-conductors’ sense ofhealthy skepticism, prompting ad-ditional research into the arranger’sor editor’s credibility.

e inside cover of Abril’sarrangement of “Uno, Dos, y Tres”contains contextual details thatprovide reassurance regarding theintegrity of this arrangement. eorigins of the musical genre and as-sociated dance are clearly de-

scribed, and an accurate transla-tion is provided. Readers also learnof Abril’s personal knowledge ofand connection to Cuban culture:

My family fled Cuba in 1960,right after Castro’s takeover,and arrived in Miami before Iwas born. I was raised in a de-cidedly Cuban household in atransplanted Cuban commu-nity. . . . Music was one of ouronly connections with themotherland, since everythingelse had to be left behind. . . . Irecall first learning to sing“Uno, Dos, y Tres” in gradeschool. . . . is simple arrange-ment conjures up the sights,sounds, and feelings of my mu-sical childhood. (Abril, 2002)

Another question helpful forguiding conductors’ selection

Fall 2018 table of contents 5

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the annual OCDA conferenceluncheon is a special time eachsummer when our membershiphonors one of its own for outstand-ing performance and service. isyear’s recipient has represented notonly Ohio, but the ACDA CentralDivision as well. We proudly an-nounce that Dr. Mark Munson isthe 2018 Distinguished ServiceAward recipient!

Dr. Munson serves as the Direc-tor of Choral Activities at BowlingGreen State University, where hehas conducted the CollegiateChorale, University Choral Society,A Cappella Choir, and UniversityWomen’s Chorus. He currentlyconducts University Choral Soci-ety; teaches choral methods, reper-

toire, and conducting at the under-graduate level, and choral literatureand conducting at the graduatelevel; supervises student teachers;and serves on thesis committeesfor students pursuing master’s de-grees. A past president and treas-urer of OCDA, Dr. Munson is thecurrent ACDA Central DivisionPresident. He was vital in the plan-ning of the first combined NorthCentral/Central Division Confer-ence last February which was heldin Chicago, Illinois. He also servesas organist at First UnitedMethodist Church in BowlingGreen, Ohio.

Dr. Munson has served thechoral arts in Ohio for decades. Hehas worked with choirs of all ages

includingfounding theBowling GreenChildren’s Chorus and the BGSUMiddle School Honor Choir. Hehas also conducted numerous jun-ior high and high school honorchoirs as well as serving as thechoral conductor of the Ohio Am-bassadors of Music. During histenure at BGSU, Dr. Munson hasguided the career paths of numer-ous undergraduate and graduatevocalists and students of choralconducting. He has been instru-mental in assisting numerous stu-dents in locating positions follow-ing graduation. In addition, Dr.Munson is the founder of the vocalensemble Opus 181, and is a for-mer conductor of the Lima Sym-phony Chorus.

What characteristics distinguishMark Munson? e letter of rec-ommendation written by OCDAtreasurer Kent Vandock describesit best:

“Mark is a forward thinker, anda hard worker. He gets things done.Mark stepped into the role ofOCDA President during a time oftransition and change. He oversawthe growth of the State Board andmajor constitution and bylawchanges that were decades over-due. While these may not soundlike the most exciting things a pres-ident could undertake, Mark un-derstood that in order for OCDAto grow and thrive, structural, lo-gistical and procedural changes

OCDA Distinguished Service AwardAmy Gelsone, Historian

Fall 2018 table of contents 6

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Fall 2018 table of contents 8

needed to take place. is laid thefoundation for future OCDA lead-ership to establish new initiativeswithin the state and at our SummerConference. You see, the workMark did was never about him—ithas always been about others.”

e nomination letter continuesto outline Mark Munson’s out-standing qualities as a father and aperson. “I think Mark’s greatestquality is that of a role model—

someone who has set an examplefor countless young singers and as-piring music educators. . . . I didn’trealize it at the time, but Mark sys-tematically modeled how to be agreat family man, musician, andleader all at the same time.”

Mark Munson has proven to bean outstanding role model forBGSU students and Ohio choral di-rectors, and an outstanding leaderfor not only OCDA, but ACDA as

well. Recognized as an outstandingmusician, leader, role model,teacher, and friend, Mark Munsonis creating a legacy through his for-mer students. Mark’s students are“paying forward” the valuable les-sons they learned under his tute-lage. We are proud that Mark cannow add OCDA DistinguishedService Award to his long andgrowing list of accomplishments! d

Jocelyn hagen has been making aname for herself as a choral com-poser over the past decade. I hadthe opportunity to talk with Joce-lyn about a smattering of things theother day, and we got to some top-ics that might be relevant for youas you consider music in worshipand/or your programming of sa-cred choral literature. Here are thehighlights.

Dp: I understand that there is awhole family of musicians in yourlife that has influenced you andcontinues to influence you.JH: I grew up in a family that reallyvalued music. My mother was apiano teacher and later a professorof music education. She was one ofthree sisters making music in herhousehold, and they still get to-gether and sing whenever they can.I grew up listening to the sound ofthree women singing in harmony,

and absolutely loved it. My motherwas also my first piano teacher.

I have also absolutely loved col-laborating with my husband, Timo-thy Takach, in recent years, both asa composer (we have a jointly com-posed extended work called “isIs How You Love”) and as a per-former (in our band “Nation”).Making music with him is so satis-fying—he’s a deeply talented manand we have many of the same mu-sical instincts. It’s also brought useven closer together, which I didn’tthink was possible!

Dp: Describe your compositionalstyle and some of your favoritetools in creating new works.JH: I have worked very hard overthe years at developing my compo-sitional voice, and I believe itshows. My music doesn’t soundlike anybody else’s. I rely heavily onmy craft and the art of counter-

point. Mymusic often hasa rhythmic intensity with deepmelodic sensibility and fun tex-tures. Much of my sacred music isfor advanced adult choirs, but I dohave a few very accessible worksfor church choirs (“I Will Pray andSing,” “From Heaven Above toEarth You Come,” “Now Our Meet-ing’s Over,” “Psalm 121,” “Under theStars,” “One Holy Night”).

Dp: What does the word “sacred”mean to you?JH: Dale Warland says that all goodmusic is sacred. I think there issome truth to this, but ultimately Ibelieve that it is sacred if it meansit is suitable for the church.

Dp: can you briefly talk aboutyour compositional inspirations?Who are your “bread and butter”influences?

A Conversation with Jocelyn Hagen: “Composing in the Sacred”Daniel Parsl, Lifelong Area: Music in Worship R&R Chair

JH: I always preferred listening toand performing 20th and 21st cen-tury compositions. I grew up ador-ing Copland and Barber, thenPoulenc and Britten. And now I lis-ten to a lot of new music, just tosee what other artists are doing.

Dp: What would you consideryour favorite sacred compositionyou have created so far?JH: My “Benedictus” from the ora-torio amass has been performed bylots of amazing groups and haswon a few awards. You can find the2011 performance by e Singers(directed by Matthew Culloton) onYouTube. It really is stunning. Youneed some great basses to pull it off!

Dp: What’s the deal with“graphite publishing”?

JH: We started Graphite Publishingin 2006, and it was, from the start,an online music publisher that onlysold PDFs. Back then peoplethought we were crazy! But in truthwe were ahead of the curve, andover the years we have built a brandthat musicians trust. It’s been an in-credible journey. (And if you haveyet to check out our site, please do!www.graphitepublishing.comAmazing music will be found.)

Dp: What upcoming projects areyou most excited for?JH: I’m currently working on twohuge projects! I have a commissionfrom Conspirare called Songs forMuska, which will premiere inMarch in Austin, Texas. It’s anevening length featuring the poetry

of women from Afghanistan. I’m also working on my first

multimedia symphony for SATBchoir, orchestra, and video projec-tions. What a process this has be-come! e work is called e Note-books of Leonardo da Vinci, andI’m sourcing his notebooks fortexts and images. I’ve been workingwith museums and animators fromaround the world to craft the ac-companying video.

I love collaborating with con-ductors, and have been doing moreconsortiums in recent years. isallows groups to band together forthe creation of a new piece, split-ting the commissioning cost, andperforming multiple premieres. It’sgreat for composers because we get to work with more people and

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receive more performances, and it’sgreat for conductors because theystill get the opportunity to be apart of a premiere opportunitywithout undertaking the full cost.

About Jocelyn HagenJocelyn Hagen composes musicthat has been described as “simplymagical” (Fanfare Magazine) and“dramatic and deeply moving”(Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Trib-une). Her first forays into composi-tion were via songwriting, and thisis very evident in her work. emajority of her compositional out-put is for the voice: solo, chamber,and choral. In 2015, Test Pilot, herdance opera collaboration withchoreographer Penelope Freeh, re-ceived a Sage Award for “Out-standing Design,” and the panel de-clared the work “a tour de force oforiginality.” Her melodic music isrhythmically driven, texturally

complex, and has recently becomemore experimental in nature. In2013 she released an EP entitledMASHUP, in which she performsDebussy’s “Doctor Gradus Ad Par-nassum” while singing Ed Sheeran’s“e A Team.”

Her commissions include Con-spirare; e Minnesota Orchestra;the American Choral Directors As-sociations of Minnesota, Georgia,Connecticut and Texas; the NorthDakota Music Teacher’s Associa-tion; Cantus; the Boston Brass; theMetropolitan Symphony Orches-tra; and e Houston ChamberChoir, among many others. She iscurrently an artist-in-residence atNorth Dakota State University andregularly composes for their en-sembles. For ten years she was acomposer-in-residence for the pro-fessional choir she also sang in, eSingers, under the direction ofMatthew Culloton. Her music has

been performed all over the world,including Carnegie Hall and Lin-coln Center in New York City. Herwork is independently publishedthrough JH Music, as well asGraphite Publishing, G. Schirmer,Santa Barbara Music Publishing,Fred Bock Music Publishing, andBoosey and Hawkes.

For more information or to con-tact Jocelyn, visit www.jocelynhagen.com d

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mentorshIp Is not a tool reservedfor people who are new to the pro-fession, young, and struggling.Rather, mentorship, at its best, isabout developing relationshipswhereby people are able to shareideas and experiences for the bet-terment of every party involved.While our Mentorship programhas been successful where imple-mented, we continue to struggle toget people involved. is is cer-tainly not because there is not a

need for mentorship within ourranks—everybody needs some-body, sometimes. ere are, how-ever, many barriers to creating aconsistent mentorship program. Iam writing to ask for your help inbuilding a stronger community ofchoral conductors, by consideringthe following.

Encourage Involvement. Whetheryou are a collegiate educator send-ing new graduates out into the fieldas young teachers, or a colleague in

a district,county, etc. whois aware of peo-ple who might benefit from addedsupport, please consider advocat-ing for involvement in the OCDAMentorship Program. Encouragethose who might benefit to enrollvia our website, or contact me di-rectly and help me get in touchwith these conductors.

Broaden your definition of mentor-ship. Remember that mentorship is

Everybody Needs Somebody, SometimesBrad Pierson, Mentorship Chair

not for the few, but for the many.We all can benefit from the wis-dom and experience of our col-leagues. I regularly call colleagues,friends, and mentors for their sup-port. We have such a wonderfulcollection of educators in Ohio,and an increase in engagement be-tween colleagues can onlystrengthen our programs. I wouldinvite participation in the mentor-ship program from conductors, re-gardless of where they are in their

career. I will work to pair partici-pants, through dialogue and plan-ning, with colleagues who can helpprovide varied insight and support.

Get people involved in OCDA.e primary thing to do is to en-courage your peers (and remindyourself ) to stay involved in thiswonderful organization. is goesbeyond attending our annual sum-mer conference: read and write foryour OCDA News, visit the web-site, support your colleagues with

exchanges and attending concerts—the list goes on.

Mentorship is something we allneed. Please help us to create ameaningful exchange of ideas, andespecially to support those teach-ers who are early in their career,teaching in a new school or at anew age range, or who are other-wise in need of support. Visit www.ohiocda.org/interests/mentorshiptoday to register for mentorshiphelp, or to become a mentor. d

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all contemporary Forms of groupsinging arrive at their own stylethrough the aural tradition. Activelistening to live and/or recordedmusic of these ensembles is essen-tial in capturing the style of themusic. Since the rhythmic compo-sition of popular music containslots of syncopation, without listen-ing, our students would have greatdifficulty in reading and perform-ing the rhythms with stylistic in-tegrity.

An example would be puttingtwo pianists in practice rooms andhaving them learn a Mozart sonata.When the piece is learned the pi-anists would have slight degrees ofvariation in their interpretation. Ifwe assigned two singers a jazz tuneto practice—Student A, who neverlistens to or performs contempo-rary music, and Student B, com-

fortable with the style—we wouldhear two vastly different perform-ances. e student who has no ex-perience with contemporary musicwould not possess the “feel” neces-sary for stylistic authenticity.

Listening to the followinggroups can energize and motivateyour singers to try this less familiargenre. As a classical pianist and aFrench Horn major in my under-grad, as well as a classically trainedsinger, I have never been as chal-lenged as when my ears and“chops” were involved in learningmusic arranged in the jazz style.Or, as Kerry Marsh, the brilliantarranger, puts it, “the harmonicand rhythmic content is nearly al-ways informed by contemporaryinstrumental jazz” (Kerry Marsh,kerrymarsh.com).

What follows are two lists of

vocal jazzgroups: the firstgroup were the innovators andconsolidators of the music that wasgoing on around them. e secondgroup contains the “modern”sound of contemporary pop/jazzthat have continued pushing theboundaries of what are the con-temporary sounds of Americanand world music.

eir recordings can be foundat www.singers.com, iTunes, Spo-tify, and other places where jazzrecordings are featured.

Classic Vocal Jazz Groupse Comedian Harmonists Apre-war, German, close-harmonyvocal group of five men and a pi-anist from the 20s and early 30sthat influenced future groups, including the Mills Brothers and

Vocal Jazz Group Listening Primer: History and Style rough ListeningChristopher J. Venile, Repertoire Spific: Vocal Jazz R&R Chair

others. ey split in 1934 to escapethe Nazi regime. recommendedalbum: Auf Wiederseh’n, My Dear

e Four Freshmen A very popu-lar group of horn players that lovedto sing also; arrangements werevery hip; several good compilationsavailable. recommended album:Four Freshmen and Five Trombones

Hi-Lo’s Gene Puerling’s first groupof four young men with virtuosic

talent; his writing is fresh, new, un-like any other before or since; en-ergy and enthusiasm is captured inrecordings, several available onCD. recommended album: Sud-denly It’s the Hi-Lo’s / e ColumbiaYears

Lambert, Hendricks, and RossCompletely different type of vocalgroup than the above; they pio-neered bop vocalese—taking fa-mous jazz recordings and writinglyrics to the improvised solos; focusis on the accuracy of the transcrip-tion, innovative lyrics rather thangroup sound. recommendedalbum: Everybody’s Boppin’

Les Double Six A short-livedgroup of twelve singers, of whichWard Swingle was a member andarranger before starting theSwingle Singers in the early 60s.e voices doubled the instrumen-tal bebop lines. recommendedalbum: Les Double Six

e Mills Brothers Billed as “FourBoys and a Guitar,” their style wasimpeccable and their ability to imi-tate instruments was extraordi-nary; heyday was the 1930s and40s, when they performed with Ellaand Louis. recommended album:20th Century Masters: the Best ofthe Mills Brothers (e MilleniumCollection)

Contemporary Vocal Jazz Groups

Accent e latest sensation in theworld of vocal jazz. e six menare each from a different countryand recently came together to re-hearse, record, and perform in theUnited States. In the tradition of

the Hi-Lo’s, they are astonishingvirtuoso voices that smash anystyle they choose. recommendedalbums: Here We Are; Covers, Vol. 1

Groove For ought GFT can bestbe thought of as a vocal group thatcan adapt to any of the styles of thegroups in this list: they can per-form an a cappella chart in themanner of a Take 6, swing with aband like Singers Unlimited, anddo hybrid pop/jazz like New YorkVoices. ey came to prominenceon NBC’s “e Sing-Off” with Pen-tatonix. recommended albums:Songs of Good Cheer; Inspired;Groove For ought

e Manhattan Transfer A NewYork quartet that eventually movedto California, they are going on 30years in recording. An eclecticgroup from the beginning, theyhave done doo-wop, be-bop, vo-calese, and lush choral arrange-ments. recommended albums:Extensions; Vocalese; Brasil

New York Voices Originally a sex-tet, now a quartet. NYV leadarranger Darmon Meader is a tal-ented writer, sax player, and scatsinger. eir style is impeccable,whether doing vocalese, pop-typestyles, or Latin. recommended albums: Sing! Sing! Sing!; Songs ofPaul Simon

e Real Group A Swedish quin-tet educated at the Conservatory inStockholm. All classically trained,they are an a cappella group thatswings with a great lead from thewomen and a deep bass. Scope andbreadth of material is impressive.recommended albums: Unreal! ;Live in Stockholm

Fall 2018 table of contents 12

Important UpcomingOCDA Eleionsloren VeIgel, ocDa past presIDent

All members of OCDA shouldbe proud of our active and ded-icated Board, who keep ourstate organization at the top ofthe nation in quality of activi-ties, membership, and financialsecurity. You will receive anemail soon detailing nextspring’s election for a numberof Board positions, but now isthe time to think about yourown desire to serve!

In this year’s election, wewill vote for President-Electand Secretary, as well as Re-gional Chairpersons for theNortheast, Southwest, andSouth Central Regions. If youwould like to run for any ofthese positions, please do con-tact me at lveig@sssnet.com orcall 330-685-2558. I will be gladto speak with you about nomi-nations and job requirements,and I’ll be happy to work withyou toward serving our organi-zation in a more active way.

Singers Unlimited A group thatnever performed live. Gene Puer-ling’s vehicle for lush arrange-ments. Four singers provided up to8 parts in multi-track recordingsengineered in Germany. Several al-bums with jazz greats. In vocal jazzcircles, this is the model for themodern vocal jazz group sound.recommended albums: MagicVoices; e Singers Unlimited withRob McConnell

Swingle Singers Made its reputa-tion doing transcriptions ofBaroque and classical instrumentalworks. Last few decades have beenindependent of founder, WardSwingle. A double quartet that stillprograms lots of instrumentaladaptations. recommended al-bums: Around the World; Anyonefor Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi?

Take 6 Remarkable group due tothe complexity of the arrangements(cannot be replicated). Writing forthe group is based on Gene Puer-

ling’s style for Singers Unlimited.Have stayed true to their Christianmessage. recommended albums:He Is Christmas, Greatest Hits, Bestof Take 6

Additional RecommendedVocal Groupse Boswell Sisters Classic groupfrom the 1940sChanticleer 12 male voices, spe-cialize in early music, one jazz CDClare Fischer With studio singersand Clare on keysGlad Christian group with a dis-tinctive soundGold Company Premiere ensem-ble from Western Michigan Uni-versityJust 4 Kicks Kirby Shaw, VijaySingh, Randy Crenshaw, KirkMarcye King’s Singers Longtimegroup with several CDs with jazzstyling

e New Collection New commu-nity-based jazz choir near Dallas,led by recently retired UNT JazzSingers directorMel and the Meltones MelTorme’s group from the 1940s-50sPhil Mattson & the P.M. SingersGrammy nominated group, twoterrific recordingsRare Silk Denver group from the80sSoVoSo World beat with improvi-sationUniversity of Miami JV1 Premieregroup at MiamiUNT Jazz Singers University ofNorth Texas premiere vocal groupVertical Voices Kerry Marsh, JuliaDollison, Jennifer Barnes, GregJasperseVoicestra Bobby McFerrin’sjazz/world beat vocal groupVox One From Berklee School ofmusic, now on faculty d

Fall 2018 table of contents 13

OCDA’s 2018 Summer Conferencewas held this year June 18–20, onthe campus of Otterbein Universityin Westerville. is year OCDAwelcomed Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt,retired Director of Choral Activi-ties from e University ofToronto, and composer andarranger Jake Runestad as our cli-nicians. Dr. Apfelstadt offered in-sight into Canadian choral com-

posers, discussed productive anduseful warmups, and led a con-ducting masterclass. Highlights ofRunestad’s presentations includeda session on composition and im-provisation, and sessions about textand the commission process.

One of the highlights of theOCDA Summer Conference arethe high-caliber performances.is year was no different and the

conferenceboasted greatperformancesby the Granville High SchoolWomen’s Chorus, the Bay HighSchool Choraleers, e New WorldSingers from the Columbus Chil-dren’s Choir, and the Hilliard Me-morial Middle School 8th GradeWomen’s Choir.

is year the OCDA High

Summer Conference Recap Christopher Dent, Summer Conference Coordinator

School Men’s and Women’s HonorsChoirs were directed by Dr. PeterJarjisian and Dr. Gayle Walker. isone-day event saw over 100 highschool singers join together fromhigh schools across the state andperform several outstanding selec-tions.

e annual Children’s HonorChoir is always a huge part of Sum-

mer Conference, with singersgrades 4–8 coming to participate inthis rigorous, three-day event. isyear’s Children’s Honor Choir wasdirected by Dr. Kristina MacMullen.

is year’s OCDA SummerConference included jam-packedreading sessions highlighting thetireless work of our Repertoire &Standards chairs who hand-pick

the best music to share with you;terrific social events including ourannual Gemütlichkeit at QuakerSteak and Lube and the All-Confer-ence Party at Brio; and a crowdedexhibit hall with several vendorsfrom across the region.

I look forward to seeing you atnext year’s conference, June 17–19,2019, at Otterbein University. d

Fall 2018 table of contents 14

(“Evaluating Cultural Validity in Choral Repertoire,” continued from page 5)

process is whether members of thecultural group represented wouldrecognize the piece as relating totheir lived experiences, or whetherthe piece instead offers a distorted,decontextualized, or stereotypicalview of the cultural group. eabove description of Abril’s per-sonal connection to Cuban culture,and to this piece specifically, pro-vide evidence of the piece’s “cul-tural validity,” meaning the extentto which selections are typical andcharacteristic of a cultural group(Abril, 2006). Abril advises teach-ers to seek repertoire that is high incultural validity and low in culturalbias (2006). “Uno, Dos, y Tres” isone example of a choral arrange-ment that meets those criteria,while also being vocally and devel-opmentally appropriate for ele-mentary-aged singers. e detailsprovided about the piece’s social,cultural, and historical context aswell as the arranger’s knowledge ofthe cultural tradition are positivefeatures that teachers can seekwhen evaluating additional publi-cations.

Exemplar 2: “e Joy I Feel”arr. Tim Gregory, transcr. DanLeJuene, Hal Leonard #08754126

is publication of three choralarrangements from Tanzania andKenya also provides helpful con-textual detail in the octavo’s insidecover. Upon investigating thearranger’s qualifications, one learnsthat Gregory is an ethnomusicolo-gist and music educator who hasconducted extensive research inKenya and Tanzania. In addition,the octavo provides detail about thesocio-cultural contexts from whichthe songs originate. Importantly,the specific ethnic groups and na-tions from which the songs origi-nate are recognized in the octavo:the Meru people in Tanzania andthe Kamba people of Wamun yu,Kenya. is level of specificity con-trasts with octavos in which piecesare vaguely designated as “Africanfolksongs,” for example. Such gen-eral designations are problematicin that they portray large groups(e.g., the population of an entirecontinent, the population of Span-ish speakers) as though they areculturally homogenous, glossing

over important details of national,ethnic, cultural, or individual iden-tity within those broad popula-tions. When choral octavos essen-tialize culture in these ways (seeErickson, 2005), conductors areurged to undertake further re-search to ascertain the specific na-tional, ethnic, and cultural contextsfrom which the songs originate. Ifsuch information cannot be lo-cated, an alternative selectionwould likely provide the basis for amore culturally valid learning ex-perience.

Of course, the amount of con-textual information that can beprovided within the compact spaceof an octavo’s inside cover is likelyinsufficient for developing an in-depth understanding of a givenpiece’s socio-cultural context. isoctavo is one of few examples I’vefound that directs teachers towardadditional resources through whichthey can continue their study ofmatters pertaining to cultural con-text and culturally valid perform-ance practice. e octavo refers ed-ucators to Gregory’s website, wherefield recordings generated within

the cultures of origin can be heard.Such recordings facilitate conduc-tors’ ability to track editorial deci-sion-making and carefully considerthe cultural validity of those deci-sions. e videos also feature musi-cians native to each culture asvocal models, allowing teacher-conductors and singers to discernimportant details regarding thevocal timbre, style, and perform-ance practices with which themusic is traditionally performed.

e availability of such refer-ence recordings is a rare and usefulfeature, especially if teachers areconsulting a transcription of apiece that would be taught viaaural tradition in its culture of ori-gin. When pieces drawn from aural

traditions are transcribed intostandard notation, important de-tails are often not captured in thenotated score (e.g., stylistic ele-ments such as scoops, slides, orbends, or pitches that do not corre-spond to the twelve-note chro-matic scale). Additionally, for mu-sicians accustomed to learningWestern classical music from no-tated scores, the very presence ofstandard notation may cue them toapply stylistic details appropriatefor Western classical music ratherthan those appropriate to the cul-ture of origin (Goetze, 2000). If apiece would be learned via auraltradition in its culture of origin,teaching and performing it aurallyin the classroom would yield the

most valid learning experience.is can be accomplished by con-sulting with a culture bearer eitherby having them visit in person orvia distance learning technology.Multimedia resources featuring na-tives of a particular culture as vocalmodels provide another practicallyaccessible way to facilitate an aurallearning experience with yourchoir, a possibility explored in thenext example.

Exemplar 3: Vela, VelaDVD created by Mollie Spector Stone,available from thechoralimperative.comStone’s interactive DVD, Vela, Vela,presents e University of CapeTown Choir for Africa’s perform-

Fall 2018 table of contents 15

Now you can purchase the actual OMEA sight-singing contest pieces for

2000 and later, composed by Dr. C. M. Shearer. These quality compositions

are perfect for intensive skill-building practice. The music conforms to OMEA

guidelines for age, group, and skill levels. What’s more, these pieces are truly

musical and can even be used for concert performances.

Texts are age, meter, and verbiage appropriate and include all measure

numbers and expression markings. Everything is here for a complete

musical learning experience. Take your students to a first-division rating with

the finest practice compositions available!

The Ohio Music Education Association choral sight-reading contest music

for 2000 and later is available for purchase from

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S GHTIS N N

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ances of seven South Africanchoral arrangements. e DVDfeatures South African musiciansperforming voice parts, pronuncia-tion, dance movements, and vocaltimbre and style, providing modelsthat can support choirs’ efforts to

make their performances as cultur-ally valid as possible. Interviewswith South African musicians andan accompanying booklet providesubstantive detail about the social,cultural, historical, and politicalcontext surrounding each of thepieces. e resource is an out-growth of Stone’s grant-supportedresearch in South Africa, which in-volved sustained engagement inthe field. Since publishing Vela,Vela in 2004, Stone and collabora-tor Cuyler have published a seriesof DVDs featuring music from Bul-garia, Georgia, and South Africa(also available through thechoralimperative.com), each of which hasbeen thoroughly researched in col-laboration with natives of each cul-ture. Some DVDs feature singersfrom the United States as vocalmodels, which may be helpful inencouraging singers that culturallyvalid renditions of music from cul-tures beyond the realm of theirprior experience are attainable,provided they invest time and ef-fort into research and preparation.

is article has described specificexamples of choral music drawnfrom Cuba, Tanzania, Kenya, andSouth Africa, highlighting featuresthat may lead teacher-conductorsto include them in their curricula.While the specific selections areunlikely to be useful to all conduc-tors in all situations, the principlesand questions guiding their selec-tion may be informative to educa-tors interested in making their cur-ricula more representative of cul-tural diversity. It is important to

emphasize that consulting printedchoral octavos is not the only, ornecessarily the best, way to locateculturally valid repertoire. If thegoal is to locate repertoire that istypical and representative of spe-cific cultural groups, beginning byconsulting with people aboutrepertoire relevant to their culturalbackgrounds and identities is oftenmore productive than starting theprocess with materials such asscores or publisher’s catalogues.While diversifying curricular con-tent does not in and of itself consti-tute multicultural or culturally re-sponsive education, it can offer apoint of departure for choral teach-ers interested in engaging moresubstantively with these ap-proaches to teaching. rough re-sponsible repertoire-related deci-sion making, teacher-conductorscan make important strides towardhonoring cultural diversity in thechoral classroom.

Referenc

Abril, C. R. (2006). Music that repre-sents culture: Selecting musicwith integrity. Music EducatorsJournal, 93(1), 38–45.

Erickson, F. (2005). Culture in soci-ety and in educational practices.In J.A. Banks & C.A.M. Banks(Eds.), Multicultural education:Issues and perspectives (5th ed.,pp. 31–60). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Goetze, M. (2000). e challenges ofperforming choral music of theworld. In B. F. Reimer (Ed.), Per-forming with understanding: echallenge of the national stan-dards for music education (pp.155–169). Reston, VA: MENC. d

Fall 2018 table of contents 16

www.uakron.edu/music330-972-7590

music@uakron.edu

Schoolof Music

The University of Akron School of Music

@uakronmusic

@uakronmusic

Find your focus.Scholarship Audition Dates:

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019Monday, Feb. 18, 2019

Fall 2018 table of contents 17

Treasurer’s ReportKent Vandock, Treasurer

Fall 2018 table of contents 18

Upcoming Events

omea professional Development conferenceJanuary 31–February 2, 2019, Cleveland, OH

omeapdc.com

acDa national conferenceFebruary 27–March 2, 2019, Kansas City, MO

acda.org

Pridentrichard schnipkerschnip@bgsu.eduBowling Green State University

Vice (Past) Pridentloren Veigellveig@sssnet.com Witte Travel

Prident EleBrandon mossbrandonlmoss@gmail.comCentral Crossing High School

SraryZebulon highbenzhighben@muskingum.eduMuskingum University

TreasurerKent W. Vandockkwvandock@gmail.comPerrysburg High School

EC Region ChairFranklin millerfranklin.miller@legacychristian.schoolLegacy Christian School

NE Region ChairFrank Bianchifbianchi@bw.eduBaldwin Wallace Conservatory

NW Region ChairBeth Vaughnbethvaughn@me.comBowling Green High School

SC Region Chair John mcclainjmcclain@capital.eduLogan High School

SW Region ChairBrian pottspottsb@wyomingcityschools.orgWyoming City Schools

Conference Chairchristopher r. Dentchristopher.r.dent@gmail.comIndianola Presbyterian Church

Exhibits Chairholly lewis pembertonHollyLewisPem@gmail.comWorthington Kilbourne High School

Membership Chairmarla Butkembutke@otterbein.eduOtterbein University

IT Coordinatoreric Westewest@defcity.orgDefiance High School

Newsler Editortim cloetertimothycloeter@gmail.comMasterworks Chorale of Toledo

Mentorship ChairBrad piersonBradley.Pierson2@utoledo.eduUniversity of Toledo

Historianamy gelsoneajgelsone@yahoo.comAnthony Wayne High School

Rired ReprentativeBen aylingb-ayling@onu.eduOhio Northern University (ret.)

Student Chapter ReprentativeVacant

Elementary Ftival Chairlei ramoslramos@oldtrail.orgOld Trail School

Children’s Honor Choir ChairJennifer calljennifer.call@cim.eduCleveland Institute of Music

High School Honor Choir Co-Chairsann Johnsonsingerann82@gmail.comWhitehall Yearling High SchoolJessica myersmyersj@lickingvalley.k12.oh.usLicking Valley Local Schools

Leadership Roster

Repertoire & ResourcesChairs

Youth AreaArea Coordinator: Doug O’Neal

S C HO OL C HILDR E N

Jeremy Davidjeremydavid@foresthills.eduMaddux Elementary School

C OMMUNIT Y C HILDR E N

Jeanne Wohlgamuthjeanne@columbuschildrenschoir.orgColumbus Children’s Choir

JR . HIGH/MIDDLE S C HO OLVacant

SE NIOR HIGH S C HO OL

Doug o’nealrdohio@gmail.comOlentangy Liberty High School

Lifelong AreaArea Coordinators: Tim & Tracy Carpenter

C OMMUNIT Y

tim and tracy carpenterCarpenter_tim@milfordschools.orgCarpenter_t@milfordschools.orgClermont ChoraleMilford First United MethodistChurch

MUSIC IN WOR SHIP

Daniel parsleyparsledt@mail.uc.eduSt. Timothy’s Episcopal Church

Collegiate AreaArea Coordinator: Marie Bucoy-Calavan

C OLLEGE/UNI V E R SIT Y

marie Bucoy-calavanmbucoycalavan@uakron.eduUniversity of Akron

ST UDE N T AC TI V ITIE S

Bradley naylornaylorb@ohio.eduOhio University

Repertoire-Spific AreaArea Coordinator: Kristina MacMullen

C ON TE MP OR ARY A C APPE LL A

Brody mcDonaldBrody.mcdonald@ketteringschools.orgKettering Fairmont High School

ETHNIC: DEV E LOPIN G VOIC E S

Julia shawshaw.784@osu.edue Ohio State University

ETHNIC: IN TE R ME DI ATE/ADVAN C E D VOIC E S

lynda hasselerlhassele@capital.eduCapital University

ME N’S C HOIR S

Jason Falkofskyjfalkofsky@ignatius.eduSaint Ignatius High School

SHOW C HOIR

Jeff clarkshwchr78@aol.comIndian Hill High School

VO C AL JAZ Z

chris Venesilecvenesil@kent.eduKent State University

WOME N’S C HOIR S

Kristina macmullenmacmullen.1@osu.edue Ohio State University

Fall 2018 table of contents 19

tim cloeter, editor • timothycloeter@gmail.com • 262-527-8151

OCDA News, the official publication of the OhioChoral Directors Association, is published threetimes annually and is distributed without charge tomembers of the Association as well as to selectedmembers and officers of the American Choral Direc-tors Association. Distribution is by PDF file that is e-mailed and posted at ohiocda.org. OCDA reservesthe right to determine inclusion of materials submit-ted and to edit all materials proposed for distribution.

Copy and Ad Submission Deadlines: September 15for the Fall Issue, January 15 for the Winter Issue, andApril 15 for the Spring Issue.

Advertising Rates: a full-page ad is $135 per issue, ahalf-page ad is $80 per issue, and a quarter-page ad is$45 per issue. A 15% discount is offered on the pur-chase of three consecutive ads; other discounts areavailable. Please contact the editor for exact ad sizesand other specifications.