President’s Letter: 2019

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Sing-up-Join-up!
A message from the President

At our first board meeting of September your NJ ACDA board representatives went around the room and shared why they were serving ACDA, and what the organization means to them. For all of us there was a joy in getting together with colleagues who understand the challenges of building a choral program, the chance to be inspired at conferences, like last summer’s wonderful work with Abbie Betinis and the justice choir song book, or this upcoming Eastern Division conference Open Ears…Open Hearts. Our Elementary/Junior High Honors Choir is a fantastic inspiring opportunity for your students, as is our High School Festival, now a full week in May and including a day in the southern part of the state. Our urban/inclusivity team has received a Fund for Tomorrow grant to support the Voices United Festival in East Orange in November, bringing in both Donald Dumpson and the Westminster Choir College Jubilee Singers. Our active student chapters are planning get-togethers and enrichment activities throughout the year.

I remember the first national convention I attended as a young conductor—the joy of hearing the voices (so many tenors!) lifted together in Bach’s Dona nobis pacem, and the array of leaders in our field giving of themselves. Over the years, I am always inspired, learning something new (or being reminded of something crucial I may have forgotten) and renewed by conversations with colleagues around the country.

Please join, renew and encourage others today! We have a limited amount of free memberships (new members) available this month, email Josh Melson joshm@pctr.org –it’s that easy.

Please feel free to send your photos and events to me for posting on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/njacdaofficial/. Our Instagram is https://www.instagram.com/njacda/ tag us in your choir posts.

Please feel free to contact your state board R & R Chairs for mentoring and help. Have a wonderful fall, and a sane start-up season!

– Anne
Dr. Anne Matlack 
ann.matlack@choralcommunities.com