ACDA has been the most important professional development and networking organization for me throughout my career.  If only I had found it sooner!  I taught ten years before being invited to join, and five years later I finally became actively involved.   I regret those lost years, and I urge others to not put off joining.

My somewhat average choral program took the turn into becoming accomplished enough to be selected to perform at our divisional ACDA convention only after I attended a national ACDA convention.  I heard the most amazing middle school choir performing wonderful music at an incredibly high level of musicality.  When I discovered it was a non-auditioned public school choir, the scales fell off my eyes.  I knew I could do the same thing, and was determined to find the resources and develop the skills it required.  ACDA supplied those resources, models, and mentors.

ACDA members are pretty much universally terrific people.  I find that interactions come easily among this group, without feelings of competition or fear of judgment, but rather of affirmation and encouragement.  ACDA is for choral directors of every level and genre who care about professional growth and pursuing excellence.  

ACDA helped to affirm my vocational choice in graduate school: I knew then that I wanted to be a choral conductor.

I have always loved to sing.  When I learned how much I loved to share in the leading of song, however, it was a bit of a shock.  My first outings conducting a large choir at Ithaca College under the tutelage of Janet Galván further confirmed this immense joy.  Dr. Galván encouraged me to enter the ACDA Undergraduate Student Conducting Competition, where I was a finalist in Los Angeles in 2005.  Through this event, ACDA helped to affirm my vocational choice in graduate school: I knew then that I wanted to be a choral conductor.  Since enrolling at Yale in 2006 to study with Marguerite Brooks and Simon Carrington, I have attended the regional and national conventions of ACDA each year.  A major highlight was the performance of my work "The Soul's Passing" at the 2007 Miami convention, as it was the Brock Student Composition Competition winner that year.  Hearing the work performed by the Florida State University Singers and Dr. Kevin Fenton was wonderfully humbling and inspiring.  As my time at Yale comes to a close and I prepare to serve the profession through employment, I am grateful to ACDA for all of the opportunities it offers for students like myself--those with a passion for music that every now and then need a little nudge in the right direction.

Photo: Dominick DiOrio conducts the Yale Recital Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of Arvo Pärt's "Te Deum" for three choirs, string orchestra, prepared piano and tape (October 2008). Photo by Mateusz Zachowski - studioteo.com

Joining ACDA has been the single most important event of my career that has led me through the professional path I am on today.  I cannot imagine teaching without this organization.

I became a member of ACDA during my student-teaching experience.  My cooperating-teacher told me of this wonderful organization of choral directors that I had to be a part of.  He did not make it an option – it was something that I was expected to do.

It was this push as a young teacher that opened up a whole new world.  ACDA has impacted my life greatly.  I have been part of the Iowa ACDA board 12 of the past 14 years in various capacities, serving through the ranks all the way to my presidency.  I have a strong passion to give back to the young teachers to give them the opportunities that I was given. 

My teaching has been impacted immensely from the wealth of information I have received by attending various state, regional, and national ACDA conventions.  Having the opportunity to witness live performances, being part of interest sessions, and experience new music through reading sessions has impacted not only myself, but also the thousands of students that I have had the opportunity to work with.  To grow as a teacher - one must seek growth opportunities.

My association with ACDA has provided opportunities to learn and perform that have far exceeded my greatest expectations. 

Sitting in sessions and learning from Weston Noble, Eph Ehly, Hilary Apfelstadt, Elena Sharkova (pictured), and James Jordan to name but a few have given me skills and techniques that I likely would not have encountered without the assistance of ACDA. 

The opportunities that ACDA provides to grow as a conductor and performer are unparalleled with any other organization in America.  It was a thrill for me and my choir to perform at the National convention in NYC and Miami.  The warmth of support from the audience coupled with a high expectation challenged us all to climb to new heights.  I look back on my membership with ACDA with a grateful heart.

I love being connected with other conductors and choral musicians. As a young conductor, their wisdom is invaluable to my own success. It's also great to know that I'll receive Choral Journal every month.  This is a wonderful resource to help me keep on top of the happenings in the choral world.

ACDA has helped me know that I can indeed have a life full of choral music. I'm sure that information I've gained from ACDA publications and conferences has only made my own music-making more fulfilling and meaningful to myself, the choirs I've had the pleasure to be a part of, and the audiences that enjoy the music we make. On a very practical note, being able to indicate on my resume that I am a member of ACDA helps potential employers know that I have an ongoing interest in this field.

Participating in the National Student Conducting Competition was an exciting opportunity to learn a little more about myself as a conductor and to learn from my colleagues in the competition. Even though we all knew it was a competition, we were willing to discuss our musical and gestural choices with each other. This is so important for us novices, seeing how other conductors interpret a score and how they choose to communicate it to an ensemble. I learned a lot about fixing problems very quickly and developing a rapport with people in the choir as soon as you're in front of them.

Conducting at the 2007 ACDA National Convention was exciting and humbling and certainly one of the highlights of my career.  The children knew they had “stuck it to the mat” at that performance.  I was very impressed with the organization of the entire event. 

Though my involvement in ACDA, I have met wonderful processional colleagues and been exposed to many resources at conventions and in publications.  I’ve observed many great conductors. 

Joining ACDA will enrich your career.