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High Notes Blog

Chorus America's High Notes blog is curated by the Chorus America staff. Here, find articles on what our members are up to, and links to the latest news and commentary on the issues that matter to the choral field. High Notes also includes information about policy issues and advocacy alerts.

Additional Advocacy Information

Chorus America is a member of the Performing Arts Alliance (PAA), a national coalition of nonprofit arts service organizations advocating for federal policies that impact the nonprofit performing arts sector. Membership in Chorus America includes membership in PAA and you can learn more about PAA's policy agenda in the PAA Advocacy Center.

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  • Auditioning for a Solo? Speaking to an Audience? "Power Poses" May Help You Feel More Powerful
    by Chorus America Staff

    "[Social psychologist Amy J.C. Cuddy] and a colleague found that holding 'power poses'—open, expansive body postures that convey confidence and power (imagine a corporate titan with his feet propped on a desk or an Olympic runner raising her arms in victory)—for as little as two minutes changes people’s levels of testosterone and cortisol (hormones associated with leadership), increases their appetite for risk and helps them cope with stressful situations."

  • Western Union Resuscitates the Singing Telegram
    by Chorus America Staff

    "[Western Union has launched] the microsite wu-singingtelegram.com, which will facilitate sending the audio messages via email. In the past, a singing telegram would be delivered by a Western Union operator, but now the sender can utilize their own voice, or choose one from a lineup of artists who have signed on with the company, including Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and K’Naan."

  • LA Phil and Bard College Prepare Teachers to Lead El Sistema-Inspired Programs
    by Chorus America Staff

    "The Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced a new Masters of Arts in Teaching degree, in partnership with the Longy School of Music and Bard College, to position high-level musicians as socially-conscious, engaging teachers in El Sistema-inspired programs in the U.S.

  • Is Offering Cheaper Tickets to Young People a Form of Age Discrimination?
    by Chorus America Staff

    "Hat tip to Thomas Cott at You’ve Cott Mail for making us aware that attempts to attract younger audiences through special pricing may be a form of age discrimination. The D.C. Office of Human Rights has determined the special pricing offered to young people at 30-35 years old are a form of age discrimination."

  • Performance of the Day: Lorelei Ensemble, "Dona Nobis Pacem"
    by Chorus America Staff

    Lorelei, the first all-female ensemble-in-residence at Boston University's Marsh Chapel, rehearses composer Scott Ordway’s “Dona Nobis Pacem”:

  • Musicians May Experience Less Age-Related Hearing Loss Than Non-Musicians
    by Chorus America Staff

    "Investigators wanted to determine if lifelong musicianship protects against normal hearing decline in later years, specifically for central auditory processing associated with understanding speech. Hearing problems are prevalent in the elderly, who often report having difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise. Scientists describe this as the 'cocktail party problem.' Part of this difficulty is due to an age-related decrease in the ability to detect and discriminate acoustic information from the environment.

  • Artist Turns Weather Data into Musical Score Sculpture
    by Chorus America Staff

    "Each sculpture not only maps the meteorological landscape of a specific time and place, but is also a fully functional musical score to be played and interpreted by musicians on instruments as varied as piano, French horn and electric guitar."

  • Missing This Year: GRAMMY's "Best Classical Album" Category
    by Chorus America Staff

    "Among the deletions were Best Classical Crossover Album, merged vocal and chamber/small group music categories and – most importantly – the dissolution of the Best Classical Album category.

  • Christmas Carols: Why Do We Keep Singing Them?
    by Chorus America Staff

    "Consider the bizarreness of the product at hand: At face value, the Christmas carol may be the least captivating style of occasional song. While other popular tunes arise from passion or desire, heroism or defeat, the Yuletide songbook is a catalog of modest thrills and postindustrial neuroses.

  • GRAMMY Award Nominations Announced: Best Choral Performance
    by Chorus America Staff

    2011 GRAMMY Award Nominations were announced last night--view the complete list here. The awards show will air on February 12.

    The Best Choral Performance nominees are as follows:

    Beyond All Mortal Dreams - American A Cappella
    Stephen Layton, conductor (Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge)
    [Hyperion Records]

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