The IUP Choral Area is excited to host the third annual Crimson Hawk Cavalcade of Choirs on April 28, 2016! At the Cavalcade of Choirs, each ensemble will have the opportunity to perform for other high school singers in a noncompetitive format.
Ensembles will sing in IUP’s beautiful Fisher Auditorium and be professionally recorded. In addition, choirs will be provided written and verbal feedback from IUP faculty Dr. Ryan Beeken and Dr. Craig Denison. Each choir will receive direct instruction via an on-stage clinic. This year’s distinguished guest is Elizabeth Hogan McFarland. McFarland serves on the faculty of Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri as the conductor of the Women’s Choir. She also teachers courses in choral music education and is the deputy director of the St. Louis Children’s Choirs.
Guest Clinician
Elizabeth Hogan McFarland
Elizabeth Hogan McFarland serves on the choral music education faculty of Webster University as conductor of the Women’s Choir and as a supervisor of student teachers. Ms. McFarland has over 10 years of teaching experience in K-12 and higher education throughout Missouri. She taught vocal and general music in Parkway and Lindbergh School Districts, and previously taught courses in the areas of music and education and supervised student teachers at the University of Missouri and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. At the University of Missouri, Ms. McFarland directed the MU Women’s Chorale. Under her leadership the ensemble performed at the MU Women’s and Gender Studies conference, commissioned and premiered new works for women’s choir, and participated in partnerships with Columbia Independent School’s middle school choir and Battle High School’s women’s choir.
Ms. McFarland is also on staff with the St. Louis Children’s Choirs as community engagement coordinator and as an ensemble director. In this role she directs the Choristers ensemble (an 80-voiced advanced ensemble for students in 7th-12th grades), leads community engagement and partnership efforts, and oversees implementation of special projects such as the Music Teacher Workshop and Summer Camp. She designed and leads a new program called Music Made Together, which seeks to connect students and teachers in under-served areas of St. Louis with resources in Choral Music.
Elizabeth earned her MM from Michigan State University in Choral Conducting, her BS in Education from the University of Missouri, and her Artist Teacher Certificate through the Choral Music Experience Institute. She is currently a PhD candidate in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum with emphases on choral conducting and vocal pedagogy at the University of Missouri. She studied conducting with Dr. Paul Crabb, Dr. David Rayl, Dr. Jonathan Reed, and Dr. Sandra Snow; she studied voice with Prof. Ann Harrell. Her research/teaching mentor is Dr. Wendy Sims.
An active singer, clinician, adjudicator, and coach, Ms. McFarland brings a passion for helping people discover beauty in themselves and the world around them through the study of music. She has presented posters and workshops at conferences of the Missouri Choral Director’s Association, Missouri Music Educators Association, ACDA’s Southwestern Division Conference, and the National Middle School/Junior High Conference. She has conducted honor choirs in Missouri and Arkansas. Ms. McFarland serves the American Choral Directors Association as the Repertoire and Standards chairperson for Youth and Student Activities for the Southwestern Division, and previously served Missouri ACDA in this same capacity. Her research interests include school-community partnerships involving choral music, middle school/junior high singers, and choral music for women’s voices. She strives to be an advocate and supporter of young choral music professionals.
Rules
The intention is for this to be simple and nonthreatening. You are free to present whatever music you choose. Each choir will have a total of 30 minutes. This includes both performance time and your clinic.
Please be prepared to supply three original copies of each of your scores, with the measures numbered, for our panel. These will, of course, be returned to you.
Each clinician will fill out the enclosed “rubric.” Numbers and ratings will not be used, nor will they be posted. This is simply a form to help guide our listening and provide you with feedback. In addition, recorded comments, a performance recording, and on-stage clinic will be provided.
We respectfully ask that food and drink be kept out of Fisher Auditorium.
Attire
While it is typical that ensembles wear their performance attire for adjudication, this is not required. Changing facilities/dressing room space will be limited. It is suggested that each ensemble wear what they intend to perform in. This is completely at the conductor’s discretion.
Hosts
Each participating school will have one to two IUP students serving as their hosts. These students will meet you when your buses arrive, escort you through campus, help you stay on schedule, and assist you in any way needed. Expect that they will be contacting you via e-mail prior to the event to establish your ETA so that they are prepared to meet you.