Inspiration for Teachers

Inspiration for Teachers is a week-long professional development opportunity for conductors and anyone teaching music that runs concurrently with Singspiration. Educators have the opportunity to sit in on junior and senior choir rehearsals, dialogue with Singspiration guest conductors, and gain practical knowledge from a variety of clinicians.

Flexible Registration

Teachers may attend for the entire week, half a week, or a day. Accomodation and meals on campus are available (Please bring your own bedding, pillow and towels). Lunch, coffee, and snacks are provided for all participants.

Fee Information

• Fees
• Application Form

Teacher sessions

Daily: Choral Rehearsal Observations

Monday

Choir Rehearsal Observations: See how the conductors get started with their new choir. Observe warm ups, rehearsal techniques, and the introduction of repertoire. An extremely valuable opportunity!

Introduction to Conducting: Jordan Van Biert

The basics of choral and conducting techniques. A great primer or review.

Jordan Van Biert is an Edmonton native and graduate of the University of Alberta (MMus) and The King’s University College (BMus). He directs Edmonton community choir Vocal Alchemy, directs music at Trinity Lutheran Church, and teaches at Concordia High School. He also teaches piano and music theory privately.
His conducting teachers have included Timothy Shantz, Debra Cairns and Leonard Ratzlaff; he has also been coached by Robert Sund, Ivars Taurins, Jon Washburn and Simon Carrington.

Jordan has recently conducted both the Vancouver Chamber Choir and the Norfolk (CT) Festival Chamber Choir in concert. He has produced a series of Bach Project concerts in Edmonton featuring sacred music for chamber choir. In 2009, he formed and conducted the Illuminations Choir for Edmonton’s first Winter Light festival.

Jordan has served as assistant conductor to both Edmonton’s Da Camera Singers and the University of Alberta Concert Choir, and has sung in many notable ensembles including the National Youth Choir. He is currently a core singer with Pro Coro Canada.

As an educator, he has taught people of all ages in a variety of contexts, conducted many youth, adult and church choirs, and has instructed in music institutionally at secondary and post-secondary levels.

Tuesday

Rehearsal Observations (every day)

Choral Repertoire for the Elementary Choir: Anne McIntyre

Which pieces are true choral gems for the young singer? Join Anne McIntyre, founder of the Edmonton Children’s Choir as she reads through her favorite repertoire for classroom and choir.

Anne McIntyre is a music education graduate from Mt. Allison and Dalhousie Universities. She completed summer courses at the Kodaly Institute in California and studied pedagogy for children's choirs with Dr. Doreen Rao in Chicago. Anne taught choral music with Edmonton Public Schools from 1972 until her retirement in 1998 during which time she produced award winning choirs at the elementary and junior high levels. She received an Excellence in Teaching Award in 1989. Anne founded Edmonton Children's Choir in 1993 which has expanded to include 140 singers in four choirs. The original choir performed locally with Edmonton Symphony, Alberta Baroque, Edmonton Opera, Kokopelli, Richard Eaton Singers and Alberta Ballet. ECC was honoured as a featured choir for Podium 2000 [Association of Canadian Choral Conductors] and for ISME [International Symposium of Music Educators]. Anne has continued to teach choral music at summer programs in Alberta: MusiCamrose 1991-94 and this past summer at MusiCamp Alberta in Red Deer. For her outstanding work in the provincial choral community, Anne received the Con Spirto Award. Anne now spends her time adjudicating, presenting workshops and clinics, serving on the board of  Alberta Choral Federation and travelling to Ireland with her husband each spring and summer. She will conduct MusiCamp Alberta again this August.

Favorite Division I Activities for Music Class: Anita Perlau

Join Anita as she presents tested strategies and activities for the Division I classroom. A practical and active session. Be prepared to move!

Wednesday

Music Teacher Workshop: Teaching Reading and Writing in the Div. 2 Music Classroom: Anita Perlau

Music class should be fun, but the teaching of music literacy should play an integral part of the elementary music program. In this session, Anita will share activities that teach and reinforce rhythmic and melodic concepts of the Alberta Music Curriculum while at the same time, enhancing children’s love of music. Come prepared to sing, play and dance as we joyfully make music together.

Anita Perlau was an elementary music specialist for 12 years and began teaching at the Mount Royal College Conservatory in 1997. Anita teaches in the Early Childhood Kodaly Musicianship Program for children ages three to nine and loves it!!! Anita also has an extensive choral background. She directed the children's choirs of Mount Royal College for nine years. Presently she directs the "Alleluia Chorus" an ecumenical children's choir.

Wisdom From the Journey: Tried and True Strategies for Music Educators: Judy Pearson Hafso (Junior Choir Conductor)

Join Judy as she shares strategies and activities that make elementary music meaningful to students.

Judy Pearson Hafso is a composer, storyteller and visual artist and loves to use these gifts in her work with children. She has directed choirs and taught classroom music in Alberta, Washington and Iowa and currently heads the Lower School Music program at Saint George's School in Spokane Washington.  In November 2010, Judy’s students will give the opening performance for “Rhythms of the River,” the 2010 National Orff Conference which will be held in Spokane, Washington.  Judy is married to fellow musician Marc Hafso and is proud parent to three daughters and a son.

OR

Singing With Boys: Dr. John Brough (Youth Choir Conductor)

Boys present a unique challenge to the choir teacher. Join John as he gives some very helpful tips on how to help boys through their voice change and to continue singing beyond.

Dr. Brough is Choirmaster and Director of Music at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, artistic director of the Da Camera Singers, and interim Director of Music of the Richard Eaton Singers, where he has served as Associate Conductor since 2005. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and a Doctor of Music degree, both from the University of Alberta.  He also holds associate degrees with the Royal Conservatory of Music and Royal Canadian College of Organists and currently sits on the board of examiners for Conservatory Canada.
In addition to his work conducting, John has been a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta since 1997 where he has taught Music History, Conducting, and Musicianship courses. In 2009, together with local soprano Jolaine Kerley, Dr. Brough founded the Scona Chamber Singers.  The ensemble’s focus is to present rarely performed works for choir and small ensemble, and has received extremely positive reviews from the Edmonton community.
 
Dr. Brough is sought after throughout Canada as an adjudicator and clinician.  An outstanding teacher, he was a recipient of a Graduate Student Teaching award from the University of Alberta in 2004.

Thursday

Effectively Staging Musical Presentations: Stacy Fysh, Victoria School for the Arts Looking for ways to move your students as they sing? Want to explore shapes and patterns of movement while focusing on song? This workshop is designed to explore basic theatrical movement patterns, shapes and focal points as a secondary source of audience engagement. Movement as the ultimate multi-tasking for your young musicians.

Stacy Fysh is currently on the administration team at Victoria School of the Arts in Edmonton.

She uses drama in academic classrooms to engage students in their own learning process. Through improvisation, tableau, scene study, storytelling and characterization she breathes life into every subject.

When Stacy is not at work, she spends her time chasing her toddler in circles and inventing imaginative ways to entertain him. Movement is a large part of her day, structured and unstructured.

In the recent past, Stacy has worked at Theatre Alberta's summer teen drama intensive Artstrek; as a dramaturge on Strathcona High School's production of Anything Goes in Edmonton, with Edmonton Children's Choir as a choreographer and movement coach and as an acting coach for the National Ice Theatre of Canada facilitating figure skaters as they develop characters on ice.

Select directing credits include Sticks and Stones and The Wizard of Oz at Victoria School and The Odd Couple for Horizon Players in Spruce Grove. She has taught acting and improvisation at Festival Place in Sherwood Park for young people aged 6-14 and for adults. 

Vocal Jazz for Choirs: TBA

This session focuses on vocal techniques for jazz repertoire as well as rehearsal techniques for working with the jazz choir. Designed for the high school conductor, this session will give ideas and approaches for doing jazz with any age.

Friday

Arts Integration: Judy Sills

For many teachers, time is precious. Integrating music with Language Arts and other core subjects helps teach both content areas, and provides a way of getting in a little extra music to boot. Join Judy as she shares strategies and activities for integrating music in the elementary classroom.

Christmas in August: Raegina Diceman