Northern Michigan University music and secondary education students attended the Regional American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conference for Michigan. The students represented the student chapter of the ACDA on Saturday, Oct. 21, in Mount Pleasant.
The choral students had the opportunity to meet other singers in Michigan, grow their musicianship and bring back new ideas for fellow NMU classmates and professors. They sight read through books of new and old music, secular and sacred. They also attended informational sessions about modality and grant writing delivered by teachers around the state.
“The research presented on Title I schools was incredibly valuable to me as a future educator and hit close to home,” said Kassidy Bush.
“These conferences energize and inspire us to keep working toward our goals in music education, regardless of the current cultural climate of education in the U.S.,” added Anna Morozov.
Students reported the highlight of the day was listening to high school and university choirs perform during the event. The University of Southern Mississippi, directed by Thomas Fuller, performed from memory and completely a cappella in the closing concert. They sang sacred mass songs from around the world and a medley of tunes by Marvin Gaye, a Detroit native who shaped Motown music.
The NMU students expressed gratitude for the university support that enabled them to attend the conference.