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Conference Schedule

ICDA 2024 Summer Conference Schedule
Mon, June 24
Tue, June 25
Wed, June 26
Mon, June 24
8:00am
Registration/Check-In
8:00am – 8:30am
Marian Hall – Chapel
8:30am
Creating a Culturally Responsive, Equitable, and Anti-Racist Rehearsal Space
Headliner Session
8:30am – 9:45am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dr. Jeffrey Murdock
Read More
9:45am
Vendor Booths Open
Norman Center – 103
10:00am
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
10:00am – 12:30pm
Marian Hall – Theater
Sound Mixers: What’s this button do?
Interest Session
10:00am – 10:55am
Norman Center – 104
Mark Yount
Read More

As mixers become more powerful and digital, there are a lot more special tools choral directors have access to that are built into these units. We’re going to look for a few of these tools and how they can help you in your choirs, musicals, and pop music programs.

Handout

Presenter
MY
Mark Yount
Reading Session: TTB
Reading Session
10:00am – 10:55am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Jared Yoder
Read More
Presenter
JY
Jared Yoder
Doing More with Less: Working with the Small Choir
Interest Session
10:00am – 10:55am
Norman Center – 101
Ross Hanson
Read More

This past year my 6th grade choir has been small. And I mean 11 kids small. Although this frustrated me at first, I soon realized the tremendous opportunities there were working with this smaller group. We can spend more time on individual focus on their voices, trust within the ensemble, stronger part independence, and simpler voice testing. There have been so many great things about having this small choir I’d be excited to share at the conference.

Google Slides Presentation

Presenter
RH
Ross Hanson
11:00am
Using Canva to Create Choir
Interest Session
11:00am – 11:55am
Norman Center – 101
Isaac Denniston
Read More

One of the best ways to get students involved in your music program is to create a brand behind it. Not only a brand but to make sure that your music program is rooted deep into the culture of your school. As a long time user, I have been able to do this by utilizing the well known program called Canva. Using Canva I have developed a brand and recognition of the choir program in our school. This has also been a tool that has helped grow skill for the students as well.

In this session I will go over how to create your own free educators Canva Pro account, Basic skills needed. I will show 9 years worth of examples of how this program has been used in multiple facets of my daily job. There will even be time for everyone to design and create their own things as well for their programs.

Presenter
ID
Isaac Denniston
Reading Session: College
Reading Session
11:00am – 11:55am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dr. Andrew Crow
Read More
Presenter
AC
Dr. Andrew Crow
Participating in All-State Honor Choir
Interest Session
11:00am – 11:55am
Norman Center – 104
Jennifer Kitzmiller, Brian Adcock
Read More

This session will discuss the components of the audition for the Indiana All-State Honor Choir, details of participating in the group, and upcoming changes to the choir.

Canva Presentation

 

 

Presenters
JK
Jennifer Kitzmiller
BA
Brian Adcock
12:00pm
Beyond the Gospel Truth: Exploring the Performance Practices of Gospel Music and Spirituals
Headliner Session
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dr. Jeffrey Murdock
Read More
Headliner
Dr. Jeffrey MurdockDr. Jeffrey Murdock
1:00pm
Lunch Break
1:00pm – 2:00pm
1:30pm
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Marian Hall – Theater
2:00pm
Cultivating Vocal Health and Wellness: A Comprehensive Guide for Choral Directors
Interest Session
2:00pm – 2:55pm
Norman Center – 104
Abbey Carlson, MS, CCC-SLP
Read More

This presentation is designed to provide choral directors with detailed understanding of vocal health and wellness principles, both for personal knowledge and integration into individual programs. First, an overview of laryngeal anatomy and physiology as related to speech and singing production will be discussed. Following, participants will be introduced to evidence-based vocal wellness principles, including strategies for maintaining optimal laryngeal hygiene, mitigating phonotraumatic behaviors, and implementing efficient voice use techniques within the speaking and singing voice. Finally, a review of common vocal fold injuries prevalent among singers and professional voice users will be provided and enhanced with real-life stroboscopy images/videos. Emphasis will be placed on discussing potential management options and the pivotal role of interdisciplinary collaboration between the medical voice care team, choral director, and patient. Join us as we harmonize efforts to safeguard vocal health and resilience in the choral community.

Presenter
ACMC
Abbey Carlson, MS, CCC-SLP
Reading Session: Sr. High
Reading Session
2:00pm – 2:55pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dan Borns
Read More
Presenter
DB
Dan Borns
3:00pm
Choosing Appropriate Literature for Your Ensemble
Headliner Session
3:00pm – 4:10pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dr. Jeffrey Murdock
Read More
Headliner
Dr. Jeffrey MurdockDr. Jeffrey Murdock
4:15pm
Classroom Management in the Middle School Choir Room
Interest Session
4:15pm – 5:10pm
Norman Center – 104
Dan Andersen
Read More

Getting your students to work hard and do what we need them to do can be tricky, especially with middle school students! In this session you will be given some practical ideas to help you gain and maintain control in your classroom. This ultimately will allow you to develop your choirs to their highest level of excellence.

Presenter
DA
Dan Andersen
Reading Session: Vocal Jazz
Reading Session
4:15pm – 5:10pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Mark Yount
Read More
Presenter
MY
Mark Yount
4:30pm
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
4:30pm – 6:30pm
Marian Hall – Theater
6:00pm
Dinner & Beer Choir
Social Time
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Barbecue & Bourbon (1414 N. Main St. Speedway, IN 46224)
Tue, June 25
9:00am
Embodying Music
Headliner Session
9:00am – 10:00am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Moira Smiley
Read More

Playful, gentle musical and movement exercises to free up even the shyest song leader. Moira’s known for her arrangements and compositions with body percussion, and for bringing an authentic, embodied approach to her own singing and her choral pieces.  Here are some of her tools for feeling confident as a singer-mover.

Headliner
Moira SmileyMoira Smiley
9:30am
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
9:30am – 10:30am
Marian Hall – Theater
10:00am
Vendor Introductions
10:00am – 10:15am
Marian Hall – Chapel
10:15am
Vendor Booths Open
Norman Center – 103
10:30am
Words of Wisdom: Thoughts from Retired Educators
Interest Session
10:30am – 11:25am
Norman Center – 104
Joyce Click
Read More

A panel of retired Indiana Choral Directors and past participants in ICDA share their vast knowledge and wisdom as well as important life lessons learned throughout their careers as well as through their involvement in ICDA. They will also share how retired educators can contribute to the choral music community.

Reading Session: SSA
Reading Session
10:30am – 11:25am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Jared Yoder, Kyle Barker
Read More
Presenters
JY
Jared Yoder
KB
Kyle Barker
11:00am
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
11:00am – 12:30pm
Marian Hall – Theater
11:30am
Composing, My Creative Process Shared With You
Headliner Session
11:30am – 12:40pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Moira Smiley
Read More

In this workshop I’ll walk (in some cases, literally!) us through my various processes of writing choral music. From choosing text, to getting an authentic, from-the-heart melody, to creating polyphony and chords, I’ll share the central aspects of making the sounds I love hearing and seeing in other voices.

Headliner
Moira SmileyMoira Smiley
12:45pm
Luncheon Meeting
12:45pm – 2:20pm
Allison Mansion
Headshots with Amy Lentz Photography
12:45pm – 2:20pm
Allison Mansion
1:15pm
All-State Jazz Choir Rehearsal
1:15pm – 5:00pm
Marian Hall – Theater
2:30pm
Community Sing
Headliner Session
2:30pm – 3:45pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Moira Smiley
Read More

– Sing The World Awake SATB

– Refugee SSATB w/BP

– Stand In That River SSA + SATB

– How Can I Cry SAATB w/BP

– Oh, Watch The Stars SSA + SATB

Headliner
Moira SmileyMoira Smiley
3:45pm
Mentoring a New Generation of Choral Music Educators: What Do Aspiring and Early Career Choral Educators Really Want?
Interest Session
3:45pm – 4:40pm
Norman Center – 104
Joyce Click
Read More

Choral Music Education upperclassmen and early career choral music educators from various parts of the state (approximately 5) will share their thoughts on the areas where they need support from experienced choral practitioners. They will offer ideas how ICDA can support them. A brief discussion will follow about how ICDA can offer mentorship to support new choral educators.

ICC Publishing House Reading Session
Reading Session
3:45pm – 4:40pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Leeann Starkey
Read More
Presenter
LS
Leeann Starkey
Do-It-Yourself Cantatas
Interest Session
3:45pm – 4:40pm
Norman Center – 101
Matt Gerhard
Read More

While there are a plethora or church choir cantatas available, often times not every piece is a winner. Many times not every piece will work for your group. Putting together your own program/cantata doesn’t have to be scary. We’ll look at pacing, things to think about outside of the music, and more.

Presenter
MG
Matt Gerhard
4:00pm
Headshots with Amy Lentz Photography
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Norman Center – 102
4:45pm
Motivational Techniques Aimed at Musicianship
Interest Session
4:45pm – 5:40pm
Norman Center – 104
Leeann Starkey, Melissa Garcia
Read More

Do you need fresh ideas to motivate your singers and develop musicianship skills along the way? Both singers and teachers need inspiration and meaningful experiences to create beautiful music together. Come learn new techniques on being inclusive, building self-esteem, working as a team and using songs to spark new joy in your ensemble! Choral octavos presented in this session will be focused on matters of the heart and each participant will receive a sampler from the Indianapolis Children’s Choir Publishing House.

Presenters
LS
Leeann Starkey
MG
Melissa Garcia
Reading Session: Jr. High
Reading Session
4:45pm – 5:40pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Erica Colter
Read More
Presenter
EC
Erica Colter
5:40pm
Dinner Break
5:40pm – 7:00pm
7:00pm
All-State Jazz Choir Concert
Headliner Session
Concert
7:00pm – 7:30pm
Marian Hall – Theater
Dr. Sheryl Monkelien
Read More
Headliner
Dr. Sheryl MonkelienDr. Sheryl Monkelien
Wed, June 26
9:00am
Body Mapping for Choirs: Incorporating Posture Instruction Without Sacrificing Rehearsal Time
Interest Session
9:00am – 9:55am
Norman Center – 104
Amanda Moreno
Read More

Choral educators recognize the impact of physical posture on singing, and many use a variety of general instructions for teaching posture to singers. However, the expectations placed on the choral program can sometimes cause formal posture instruction to be overlooked in favor of repertoire and performance preparation. The Body Mapping method includes instruction regarding postural balance that may be easily incorporated into a choral music curriculum, strengthening both breath activity and vocal output.

Presenter
AM
Amanda Moreno
Reading Session: Community
Reading Session
9:00am – 9:55am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Kyle Broady
Read More
Presenter
KB
Kyle Broady
10:00am
Selecting Literature for the Beginning High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Headliner Session
10:00am – 10:55am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Dr. Sheryl Monkelien
Read More
Headliner
Dr. Sheryl MonkelienDr. Sheryl Monkelien
What You See Is What You Get
Interest Session
10:00am – 10:55am
Norman Center – 104
Matt Gerhard
Read More

We can save valuable rehearsal time by training our choir members to respond to gestures that communicate our desire for such things as phrasing and dynamics. With rehearsal time at a premium, why waste time writing in all the details that could effectively be communicated through our conducting gesture? What if we can fix intonation and other issues with our gestures? We’ll explore the philosophies of Rodney Eichenberger and Gary Bonner.

Presenter
MG
Matt Gerhard
Session File(s)
11:00am
Achieving Success at ISSMA Sight Reading – from an Adjudicator’s Perspective
Interest Session
11:00am – 11:55am
Norman Center – 104
Bill Niederer
Read More

In this session, attendees will be given tips on how to help their students to be successful in the sight reading portion of the ISSMA Organizational Festival, from an adjudicator’s perspective. Since most directors do not get the opportunity to watch other directors’ methods, this session can be especially helpful for less experienced directors. Time will be given for those in attendance to share tips.

Presenter
BN
Bill Niederer
Reading Session: Worship Music
Reading Session
11:00am – 11:55am
Marian Hall – Chapel
Matt Kauffman
Read More
Presenter
MK
Matt Kauffman
12:00pm
Lunch Break
12:00pm – 12:55pm
1:00pm
CANCELLED Show Choir Guest Session: Varying Singing Styles
Headliner Session
1:00pm – 1:55pm
Norman Center – 104
Mark Myers
Read More
Headliner
MM
Mark Myers
Reading Session: ICDA Composers
Reading Session
1:00pm – 1:55pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Read More

Featured Composers:

2:00pm
Conductors as Sound Sculptors: Tools for an Inclusive Approach to Vowels
Interest Session
2:00pm – 2:55pm
Norman Center – 101
Dr. Andrew Crow
Read More

I have been considering and reworking the way I approach vowels in my rehearsals as a matter related to our work for diversity and inclusion. There’s a philosophical side that relates to the cultural values we have historically placed on vowel sounds. It shows up in hierarchical terms like “pure” vowels, and also when we preference “British” vowels vs. “American.” Carrying that further afield, it becomes more difficult for us, then, to advocate for the appropriate timbres associated with music of, say, Eastern European or Southeast Asian traditions, because we have 1) marked those sounds as “weird” or undesirable, and 2) failed to practice them on a regular basis. So, I’m developing value-neutral language and practical rehearsal methods that are more inclusive of vowels as cultural signifiers.

Presenter
AC
Dr. Andrew Crow
Reading Session: Show Choir
Reading Session
2:00pm – 2:55pm
Norman Center – 104
Kyle Barker
Read More
Presenter
KB
Kyle Barker
3:00pm
Tempo is Affect, Duration is Drama: The Conducting Methodology of Carmen-Helena Téllez
Interest Session
3:00pm – 3:55pm
Norman Center – 104
Brandon Hollihan
Read More

Dr. Carmen-Helena Téllez (1955-2021) was a force of nature in the world of conducting. During her years of teaching at both Indiana University-Bloomington and the University of Notre Dame, she provided her students with a wealth of techniques and strategies that prepared them for remarkably successful careers. This presentation provides an overview of Téllez’s teachings, consisting of the following six principles:

1. “Tempo is affect; duration is drama,” which pertains to the importance of tempo for a performance.
2. An exercise that assists conductors with showing rallentando, accelerando, and subdivisions.
3. Téllez’s preparation of the score, including micro- and macro- markings.
4. The number of preps needed to start a piece.
5. Using facial expressions to convey emotion in conducting, i.e. “conducting charades.”
6. An analysis checklist of a major choral composition, consisting of an in-depth historical, structural, and harmonic analysis of the musical material.

I use several compositions in my presentation as examples of how Téllez’s teachings provide a practical impact on the real-time work of the conductor. It is my hope that attendees can take some of these techniques and use them in their own conducting practice, and perhaps share these with conducting students of their own. I would also like to note that this research will appear in a forthcoming issue of Choral Journal.

Prezi

Presenter
BH
Brandon Hollihan
Reading Session: World Music
Reading Session
3:00pm – 3:55pm
Marian Hall – Chapel
Joyce Click, Emma Mundy, Madlen Batchvarova
Read More
Presenters
JC
Joyce Click
EM
Emma Mundy
MB
Madlen Batchvarova
4:00pm
Ice Cream Social hosted by IMEA
Social Time
4:00pm – 4:55pm
Norman Center – Lobby

Headliners

Campus Map

Marian University

Map with Buildings for ICDA Conference

Chapel in Marian Hall – Check-in, headliner sessions, and reading sessions

Norman Center – Interest sessions

Theater in Marian Hall – All-State Vocal Jazz rehearsals and performance

Clare Hall – On-campus meals

Allison Mansion – ICDA meeting and luncheon

Caito-Wagner Dorm – housing for those staying on campus

Connect to Wifi

Please note: up to (3) devices can be connected per account created. Each account will be active for 24 hours, after which point you will need to re-register to the network.

For any questions or assistance, please contact the Marian IT helpdesk at 317.955.6444 or helpdesk@marian.edu

Dining

Lunch and Dinner Options on Campus

If you selected lunch/dinner on campus when you registered, those  will be 
served in the dining commons which is building 12 on the campus map.

Starbucks  is inside Alumni Hall and is open from 8am-11am.
  
Subway is inside Norman Center and is open from 11am-2pm.