April 2025

Upcoming Events

April 25-26 I State S&E Festival Central

April 25-26 I State S&E Festival West

April 28-30 I State Choral Festival East

April 30-May 2 I State Choral Festival South

May 1 I Choral Music Education Scholarship Application Closes

May 2, 5, 6 I State Choral Festival West

May 5-6 I State Choral Festival Central

May 7 I A Cappella Festival

May 8-10 I All-State Festival

May 15 I Carolyn F. Leep Scholarship Application Closes

May 15 I MMC 2026 Performance Applications Due

Student leadership in the choral classroom provides the opportunity for emerging leaders to set the pace musically, organizationally and inspirationally within their choir community. Recognizing the potential of young people early offers them time to consider the type of leadership style that fits with their values and beliefs. Consciously considering the leadership styles that they are experiencing in their daily lives creates an awareness of effective leadership and its impact. MSVMA has created a conference experience designed to encourage and develop the leadership skills and knowledge of our high school and college student leaders. MSVMA members will serve as facilitators for related sessions.

Make plans to join us for Summer Conference! 

Registration includes entrance to all sessions and music for your interest sessions. 

Headliner Sessions

Business of Choir

Based on Dr. Burch's work as advocacy and collaboration national chair for ACDA and a book she co-authored, "The Business of Choir," this session will cover telling your story, recruitment/retention, travel and project management.

Break It Down: From process to the product, making transfers, creating meaningful sequencing and utilizing intentional student leadership

This session will focus on a variety of ways to teach, rehearse, review and memorize (if you want to) in order to create the most impactful musical moments. 

Tossing in Creativity and Improvisation

What happens when music improv intersects with the learning process. This session will explore a variety of ways you can tap into your students' (and your) improv skills. You'll walk away with a handful of activities you can immediately use as a path forward to keeping your singers on their toes - and you, likely having some new fun, remembering the spark of why we chose music.

Dr. Emily Williams Burch

Coordinator of Music Education and Professor

University of South Carolina, Aiken

Please consider sharing your knowledge and experience by presenting a session at

Summer Conference. Some suggested topics are:

• Choral Literature/Reading Session
• Vocal/Choral Pedagogy
• Rehearsal Techniques
• Warm-ups
• Music Literacy/Sight Reading
• Choral Program Growth/Recruitment
• Diversity/Equity/Inclusion

If you have additional ideas for sessions related to vocal music instruction, please submit them. 

To submit your session topic, please complete the Summer Conference 2025 Session

by May 2.

If you have questions or would like additional information about presenting at Summer Conference, please contact the State Office.  

MSVMA offers so many things to its membership; educational opportunities, specialized events, honors choirs, literature recommendations, program enrichment opportunities, networking...the list goes on and on!

None of this is possible without volunteers.

From our amazing District Managers, site hosts, festival coordinators, and members helping out in headquarters during festivals, we see volunteerism alive and well within our organization - but we need YOU to ensure our continued success!

There are many upcoming opportunities for you to help out as we wrap up this school year. Perhaps one of these events is close to you either in location or to your heart!

State S&E Festivals 

• Central Site, April 25-26 at Traverse City Central High School
• West Site, April 25-26 at Allendale High School

State Choral Festivals

• East Site, April 28-30 at Oakland University
• South Site, April 30-May 2 at Leslie High School
• West Site, May 2, 5, 6 at Hope College - Jack Miller Center
• Central Site, May 5-6 at Saginaw Valley State University

A Capella Festival, May 7 at Ann Arbor Skyline High School

All-State Festival, May 8-10 at Fairchild Theatre - MSU

Choral Student Leadership Conference, June 18 at Earl V. Moore Music Building - U of M

Summer Conference, July 23-24 at The Lansing Center

Please use this form to sign up for any of these opportunities. 

Thank you in advance for your willingness to serve. Our festival hosts, supervisors, and coordinators will surely appreciate all the help they can get! When people support each other, incredible things happen.

Submitted by Brian Leduc, Board of Directors, Member-At-Large

Plaques may be ordered from the State Office by going to the Plaque Order Form for entries receiving Excellent ratings at District Choral Festival or State Choral Festivals occurring in the 2008-2009 school year or later. 

Join the Fun!

MSVMA is the Nonprofit of the Night

at the Detroit Tigers game.

We will sing the national anthem as a teacher choir!

Monday, July 8, 6:40 PM

Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Complete the registration form to sing, get a free t-shirt

and be featured on the video scoreboard!

The Michigan School Vocal Music Association is proud to offer one, $10,000 scholarship to an outstanding high school choral student who is pursuing a degree in choral music education. The scholarship is paid in increments of $1,250 per semester for the duration of a 4-year college degree. To be eligible, the following requirements must be met or maintained:

Student must graduate from a High School member of MSVMA

Student must attend one of the following collegiate music programs for choral music education:

        Adrian College

        Albion College

        Alma College

        Andrew's University

        Aquinas College

        Central Michigan University

        Cornerstone University

        Eastern Michigan University

        Grand Valley State University

        Hope College

        Michigan State University

        Northern Michigan University

        Oakland University

        Saginaw Valley State University

        Spring Arbor University

        University of Michigan

        Wayne State University

        Western Michigan University

Scholarship recipient must maintain a 3.0 GPA and remain in good standing in their respective degree program as a full-time student.

The application deadline for full consideration is May 1, 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic school year. Recipients will be contacted by the middle of May and will be announced publicly at the 2025 Summer Conference in July.

NOTE: Students must be accepted to a collegiate music program prior to applying.

It's Not Too Late!

Are you pursuing an advanced degree, wanting to learn more about a particular teaching method or wishing you had the funding to attend an upcoming workshop? Then you need to apply for the MSMVA Carolyn F. Leep Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 1988 in honor of Carolyn‘s service to the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. In her position as head of the Choral/Vocal Department of Malecki Music Inc., Carolyn worked tirelessly for 20 years to provide MSVMA members with the materials to better perform our jobs as music educators.

Traditionally, the scholarship has been awarded to an MSVMA member in January at the Michigan Music Conference. This year, it has come to our attention that many universities do not announce acceptance until December 1 for graduate studies. This date falls after our deadline. With this in mind, it has been decided to move the award to align with the academic calendar. We will accept applications until May 15 each year. The committee will decide on a recipient to be announced during the MSVMA Summer Conference. The award will need to be used during the following academic year. The application form and eligibility details can be found on the MSVMA website under the Resources, Grants and Scholarships tab. 

For more information, visit msvma.org/CarolynLeepScholarship

Submitted by Gail Worden, Past President, Leep Scholarship Chair

2026 Michigan Music Conference

MMC Sessions

The 2026 Michigan Music Conference Call for Sessions is open!

These educational sessions provide relevant professional development for music educators and students across the state. 

 Some suggested topics include:

• Choral Literature/Reading Session
• Vocal/Choral Pedagogy
• Rehearsal Techniques
• Warm-ups
• Music Literacy/Sight Reading
• Choral Program Growth/Recruitment
• Sessions related to vocal music instruction

Session submission closes April 25, 2025.

MMC Choral Hour

MSVMA is proud to feature outstanding ensembles at the Michigan Music Conference. We are privileged to showcase ensembles chosen by a blind panel of vocal music professionals. 

Choral Hour is open to Middle or High School choral ensembles and specialized choral performances including but not limited to Jazz, Pop, A Cappella, Gospel, Show Choir, Musical Theatre, Barbershop, Non-Western traditional and other alternative genres. 

Application closes May 15, 2025.

Blue Lake’s Festival Chorus comes together for a special performance of Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare, conducted by Dr. Steven Hankle on Thursday, July 31st at 7:30pm, at the historic William Stewart

Memorial Music Shell. A part of the annual Summer Arts Festival, the Festival Chorus is under the leadership of Blue Lake Choir Department Chair Shirley Lemon, and is open to educators, supporters, alumni, faculty, and staff. To join us, visit Festival Chorus.

Submitted by Richard Erne, Director of Arts Programs, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

Rising 9th - 12th graders and graduating seniors: June 25 – July 6 | July 9 – July 20

Rising 7th - 9th graders: July 23 – August 3 | August 6 – August 17

Accepting scholarship applications and nominations

Submitted by Thomas Blue, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Representative

The Gordon Institute of Music Learning offers Professional Development Level Courses for teachers interested in learning more about Music Learning Theory and practical applications for the classroom. There’s a new track that focuses on choral music, and we’re offering that track at MSU this summer from June 16–27.

Submitted by Stuart Chapman Hill, Ph.D. [he/him], Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, Michigan State University

Have something you'd like to share with the MSVMA membership?

Here's your opportunity!

Email Janet K Romanowski-Newberry, Membership & Office Coordinator