Since Weston Noble passed away on December 21, 2016, at the age of 94, many have shared stories about the legacy of this musical giant. My experience with Weston Noble is slightly different. I not only had the privilege of singing for him at Luther College in the Nordic Choir, but I also spent the last nine and a half years living in the same community as him. In our community, I am the choral director at Decorah High School and director of an adult community choir, The Decorah Chorale. Being a student of Mr. Noble’s was exciting. In choir, you were always ready for a question to be directed your way. The questions he would ask were to help us engage our imaginations. “Why did the composer set this…
Planning a division ACDA conference is a lengthy process that takes many dedicated people working diligently over a long period of time. There are site visits, endless emails, frequent phone calls, and meetings packed with information. The process also involves dreaming and imagining ways in which to inspire and serve our members, so it’s a good mix of detail and creativity and engages the whole brain. Planning for North Central Division’s 2018 Chicago conference with Central Division began in the summer of 2015 and has been ongoing ever since. Unite in Song! is our theme, and the dates – February 14–17, 2018 – are confirmed. Hotel contracts have been signed, the budget is prepared, we’ve got a great team of ACDA members on the planning committee, and Mark Munson, Central…
Dear Reader, In summer 2011, I assumed the editorship of this newsletter, a moment that took place very shortly after Melisma’s move from its traditional paper copy to a solely electronic format. I was admittedly a bit nervous; although I do a lot of editing of theses and other scholarly writings, I had not edited a newsletter before, much less one that was only online. I was extremely lucky to lean heavily on the expertise of Judy Periolat, the division’s all-purpose webmaster/design guru/etc. I was never sure what Judy’s title was; I just knew she could basically do it all! I am also grateful to Aimee Beckmann-Collier, division president at the time, for her faith in my ability to learn and then do the job. In 2015, President Bob Demaree…
