Music Students Selected as Scholars for Iowa Choral Directors Association

August 5, 2021

Four Music and Music Education majors, AJ Borroz, Camryn Oakes, Everett Reed, and Shantell Rasty, were selected as Student Scholarship recipients for the Summer Symposium of the Iowa Choral Directors Association, which they attended at Central College July 27-29. ICDA is part of the American Choral Directors Association and is the primary professional organization for choral directors of all sorts, with specializations for elementary, middle, high school, and post-secondary music; children's, community, and church choirs; and specialized choirs such as jazz choirs, show choirs, barbershop, etc.

During the annual Summer Symposium our Grand View students assisted with sessions in various ways and also learned more about their craft from nationally recognized professionals covering such diverse areas as rehearsal techniques and management, building sight-reading skills in choirs, vocal pedagogy, improvisation, incorporating ukulele and mindful movement into the elementary classroom, the concept of anti-fragility and building an anti-fragile choir.  The students also participated in sessions, rehearsals, and performances with outstanding composers. The senior students participated in mentoring sessions with the retired directors, who will serve as mentors to them as young teachers. At the end of the Symposium our students were exhausted, but they were also filled with excitement about the ideas that they want to continue to explore, the techniques they want to incorporate into their musical classrooms and lives, and the professional connections with others that they've made.