Upcoming Events and Deadlines | | |
August 15 - A Capella Festival Registration Open
August 15 - Art Song Intensive Registration Open
August 15 - Musical Theatre Intensive Auditions Open
August 15 - Music Education/Vocal Performance Audition Workshop Registration Open
August 15 - Musical Theatre Audition Workshop Registration Open
August 20 - Adjudication Conferences and Inservices Registration Open
August 25 - Choral Student Leadership Registration Deadline
September 1 - High School Regional Honors Choir Auditions Open
September 9 - Choral Student Leadership Conference
September 11 - Musical Theatre Intensive Auditions Deadline
September 12 - Chamber Choir Festival Registration Open
September 12 - Music Education/Vocal Performance Audition Workshop Registration Deadline
September 12 - Musical Theatre Audition Workshop Registration Deadline
September 12 - Musical Theatre Solo & Ensemble Festival Registration Open
September 12 - Board Meeting
September 14 - 6789 Regional Honors Choir Online Auditions Open
September 15 - Membership Renewal Deadline
September 15 - Mini-Grant Application Deadline
September 18 - Musical Theatre Intensive Participant Registration Open
September 19 - Music Education/Vocal Performance Audition Workshop
September 24 - Adjudication Fast Track Event
September 25 - Musical Theatre Intensive Participant Registration Deadline
September 25 - Art Song Intensive Registration Deadline
September 26 - Musical Theatre Audition Workshop
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To renew your MSVMA membership, log into your membership profile at msvma.org using your email and password. Click the Renew button and complete the process including generating an invoice which can be paid by credit card or check.
Please take a moment to review your membership profile information for accuracy.
- School Membership is available to public, private, or parochial middle, junior high, or senior high schools in the State of Michigan upon the receipt of an online application and submitted fee(s).
- To participate in MSVMA events, students must be members in good standing of their school’s vocal music program, as verified by the director of record under the official MSVMA school membership..
- Additional directors and teachers that are not covered by a school membership and individuals, such as adjudicators, must hold an associate membership.
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A late fee of $20.00 for the current membership period will be applied for memberships created or renewed after September 15.
If you have any questions, please contact the State Office at 231.592.9344.
| | Choral Student Leadership Conference | | |
High school directors may may register up to 10 students (currently grades 9-12) to attend the conference. Please complete the registration form and submit your payment by credit card or check by AUGUST 25, 2026
Cost is $50 per student and includes CSLC Conference materials and lunch.
Directors who are thinking about growing your student leadership program but are not ready to send students - you are welcome to attend. Please complete the registration form and check the Teacher Only level.
Invoices and checks should be mailed to:
MSMVA
P.O. Box 1131
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Registration fees are non-refundable.
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After much discussion and consideration, The Board has made the decision to require members to attend specific sites for Musical Theatre Solo & Ensemble events, State Choral Festival events, and State Solo & Ensemble Events.
Prior to 2020, members were required to attend specific state locations for State Choral Festival & State Solo & Ensemble and this requirement kept individual locations from becoming too large for host sites to manage; in recent years we have seen a shift throughout the state and our West and East sites are reaching or exceeding their capacity, while our Central and South sites are shrinking.
Assigned locations:
UP - Districts 13/14
SOUTH - Districts 8, 11, 12, & 15
CENTRAL - Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, & 9
EAST - Districts 4 & 16
WEST - Districts 6, 7, & 10
We appreciate your understanding.
Directors are encouraged to remain with their assigned district and state events whenever possible. However, there may be extenuating circumstances that necessitate a transfer for a festival. Reasonable accommodations will be granted when plausible. Possible reasons may include, but are not limited to:
- School district or county breaks
- Choral program travel arrangements made prior to the MSVMA calendar published date
- State or regional testing dates
Transfers should not be granted due to personal preference, venue preference, busing, choral program calendars, accompanist availability, etc. Additionally, transfer request may be denied if it will cause undue hardship to either festival due to room constraints, adjudicator staffing differences, or financial hardship as a result of the transfer.
Directors may request a transfer for all events from their school, or for just a few events while the others remain at the assigned festival.
Full details for all events can be found here:
MSVMA SCHEDULING WEBSITE: DISTRICT & STATE EVENTS TRANSFERS
| | Adjudication Conferences and Inservices | |
Interested in becoming an adjudicator? Click below to read about our certification process and register for Adjudication Conferences and Adjudication Inservices.
Participating in festival adjudication is a meaningful opportunity to help students and teachers grow in their musical knowledge and performance outcomes...and we need YOU!
| If you are a certified MSVMA adjudicator and have not received the adjudicator availability form, please contact Brian Leduc (brianleduc@msvma.org). | |
6789 and High School Regional Honors Choir
Online Auditions
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Visit msvma.org to register your students to participate in the 6-7-8-9 and High School Regional Honors Choirs online auditions.
Questions about 6-7-8-9 Honors Choirs should be directed to Anne Lawrence, 6-7-8-9 Honors Choir Supervisor (annelawrence@msmva.org).
Questions about High School Honors Choirs should be directed to Candice Amey, High School Honors Choir Supervisor (candiceamey@msvma.org).
| Specialized Offerings - Registration Open Now! | |
We are excited to offer a reimagined A Cappella Festival which will provide students with a full day of learning, a mass choir experience and an evening concert. A Cappella groups of various levels are encouraged to participate. Intermediate/Advanced ensembles can opt into a featured performance spot in the evening concert and a one-on-one Master Class with our clinician. Beginning ensembles and individual A Cappella singers are encouraged to join by performing with the mass choir and observing clinics and performances throughout the day.
High school and junior high/middle school contemporary and pop a cappella ensembles are welcome to attend! This is a non-adjudicated Festival that features performances of genres such as jazz, barbershop, novelty, pop, contemporary a cappella, and more. We know that your students are doing beautiful work at Solo and Ensemble and Choral Festival. This Festival showcases the great work that your students are doing in these alternative genres.
Be the Audience! We strongly encourage groups to participate as audience members as well as performers for as much of the Festival as possible.
2026 A Capella Clinician: Hayla Alawai
Registration is open from August 15 until October 1.
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MSVMA, in collaboration with Detroit Opera, will welcome singers in grades 9-12 to our Art Song Intensive on October 9, 2026 at The Detroit Opera House. Students will have the opportunity to sing for Detroit Opera Education clinicians and experience a studio class setting with other performers, learning from their clinics as well. This event will foster a collaborative and inviting approach to the classical music tradition, while also providing excellent instruction to students to better prepare them for the Solo & Ensemble season.
Students are asked to prepare an art song of any kind, or any other traditional repertoire.
Music should be memorized and we will ask each student to provide a copy of their music for the pianist.
We strongly encourage every participant to be ready to perform.
Registration is open from August 15 until September 25.
| Musical Theatre Intensive | |
MSVMA will welcome 100 singers in grades 9-12 to our Musical Theatre Intensive on Saturday, October 3 at Thurston High School. We are delighted to have an incredible panel of clinicians from the faculty of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department including Catherine A. Walker.
Students will be divided into four groups of 25. Groups will rotate and have the opportunity to work with each clinician. After working with the clinicians, the top eight performers will be identified and given the opportunity to perform in a mini-recital; from this recital, two outstanding soloists and two alternates will be chosen. The final two outstanding soloists will be invited to perform during Specialized Choral Hour at Michigan Music Conference in January 2027, as well as offered a position in the MSVMA All-State Musical Theatre Honors Ensemble.
Online auditions are open from August 15 until September 11.
| Musical Education & Vocal Performance College Workshop | |
MSVMA invites high school students to participate in the Music Education & Vocal Performance College Audition Workshop. Participants must be in 11th or 12th grade and members in good standing of their school’s vocal music program, as verified by the director of record under the official MSVMA school membership.
This is a multi-faceted opportunity for MSVMA students, families, and directors to better prepare for college audition season, get a glimpse into what being a music major is really like, and ask questions directly to an expert panel of professors.
Registration is open from August 15 until September 12.
| Musical Theatre College Audition Workshop | |
MSVMA invites high school students to participate in its Musical Theatre College Audition Workshop. Participants must be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and must be members in good standing of their school’s vocal music program as verified by the director of record under the MSVMA school membership.
This is a multi-faceted opportunity for MSVMA students, families, and directors. A full agenda is in the works, but participants can expect the following:
- Presentations on audition expectations and experiences
- To be taught a dance combo that they will then receive feedback on from our clinicians
- A monologue audition with feedback
- A voice audition with feedback
- Presentations to help understand the workload, scheduling process, and requirements of the college audition process. These presentations will be for parents, directors, AND students.
- Networking and camaraderie
- A low-pressure environment where students can work together to grow and learn to comfortable approach the audition process.
Registration is open from August 15 until September 12.
| Choral Creativity Conference | |
Are you interested in giving your warm-ups a musicianship-focused approach? Want to infuse your repertoire and rehearsals with creativity through activities that you build into your classroom culture? Or want to connect with your choral colleagues from around the state without taking time away from your friends and families?
District 8 invites you to join them for a professional development session with Dr. Stuart Chapman Hill, from MSU, filled with information and techniques that will encourage creativity in your choral classroom in new and innovative ways! We are also partnering with our local collegiate Student ACDA-Chapters, the goal is to not only grow through the sessions but to also make some connections that will last outside of PD.
September 28, 2026
Okemos High School
Jessica Nieuwkoop, Host
2800 Jolly Road, Okemos
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Dr. Stuart Chapman Hill
Presenter
Assistant Professor
Choral Music Education
Michigan State University
Sessions
Creativity in Warm-Ups and “Musicianship Moments”
Creativity in Repertoire and Rehearsal
Registration: 8 - 9 a.m.
Conference: 9 - 12:15 p.m.
Lunch: 12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch is included with registration.
Registration fee: $20 MSMVA members
$25 Nonmember
$10 college students (you do not need to be an MSVMA member to participate)
Register and Pay by September 21, 2026
3 SCECH credits available
For more information, visit MSVMA.org.
Questions about this Conference? Please contact mattsnell@msmva.org
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The Michigan School Vocal Music Association recognizes that financial support for music and the arts has steadily declined in recent years. We are very excited and proud to offer relief to choral music programs in need in the form of $500 grants. These grants can be used for general operating support of the music program.
Potential expenditures include, but are not limited to:
- Classroom items
- Music Purchases
- Transportation
- Technology
- Uniforms
- Professional development (excluding MMC)
- Innovations/projects
We love supporting our members and encourage you to create an exciting and impactful proposal for consideration.
Please be advised that if a grant was received in FY26, you are ineligible to apply for a mini-grant this year (FY27).
The application deadline for a mini-grant is September 15, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by October 1, 2026. Members will work with the MSVMA State Office on spending their $500 grant during the 2026-2027 school year.
| | 2027 MMC Choral Hour Ensembles | | |
Congratulations to the outstanding ensembles that have been chosen to perform as part of the Choral Hour and Specialized Choral Hour at the 2027 Michigan Music Conference!
Traditional Choral Hour
Traverse City West Middle School Madrigal Singers - Emerick Dee
Northwest Middle School Honors Choir - James Cumings
Northview HS Varsity Voices - Jack Phillipson
Huron High School A Cappella Choir - Kent Wattleworth
West Ottawa High School Select Women's Ensemble - Erin Stier
Specialized Choral Hour
Dakota High School Mixed Varsity Choir - Tyler Dargis
Cranbrook Upper School Madrigals - Cate Gasco
| | 2026 Carolyn F. Leep Scholarship Recipients | The 2026 Carolyn F. Leep Scholarship applications have been reviewed. Selected recipients will receive $1,000.00 to support their pursuit of advanced degrees. | Elisabeth Boaz joined Flushing Community Schools as its high school choir director in 2024. In May 2020, she graduated from the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory with a dual degree in Voice Performance and Music Education. Elisabeth is the founder and executive director of Voices of Flint Youth Chorus established to expand the accessibility of music education in the Flint area. | Sadarra Fields has taught middle school choir for ten years and is the director of the Forsythe Middle School choir. A Western Michigan University graduate, she has previously served as the director of vocal music at Marvin L. Winans Performing Arts Academy in Detroit and as the Principal Chorus Conductor for the Detroit Opera. Sadarra is pursuing a Master of Music degree in choral conducting at Eastern Michigan University. | The Carolyn F. Leep Scholarship is made possible through generous donations of individuals and MSVMA districts. If you are interested in making a gift to the Leep Scholarship or to the Leep Scholarship Endowment, please contact Debra Jacks at debrajacks@msvma.org or visit MSVMA.org and click on the Donate tab. | 2026 Choral Music Education Scholarship Recipient | | |
MSVMA is pleased to announce the selection of Taylor Schleh as its 2026 Choral Music Education Scholarship recipient! Taylor is enrolled at Western Michigan University and will receive a $10,000 scholarship over the course of her degree. She graduated from Reeths-Puffer High School where Joshua Danielson was her choir director. Singing since fifth grade, she participated in the Treble Makers, RPHS Vocal Fusion, and Madrigals; she participated in numerous Solo & Ensemble festivals and MSVMA events.
When asked why she chose to major in choral music education, Taylor responded:
"The simplest answer might be that I love music. But, for me, it goes much deeper than that...when I joined choir, I felt like I could finally be someone instead of just existing without direction. Through the different ensembles I have been a part of, I found people like me, people I could grow with and truly connect to. I want to make a difference by creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and connected through music."
We are incredibly proud of Taylor and look forward to all she will accomplish in the future!
| MSVMA offers Choral Music Education Scholarship annually to a student who is a graduate of an MSVMA member school and is enrolled in a vocal music education program offered by a Michigan college or university. The recipient must maintain a 3.0 GPA and remain in good standing in their program as a full-time student. The application for the next College Scholarship will open April 15, 2027 and close May 15, 2027. | | Our summer membership event, this year called "Community," was a great success! We had a wonderful time at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing! Thanks to all of our attendees and session presenters, as well as so many of our volunteers (Board of Directors, District Managers, Supervisors and Coordinators) for attending and participating in the pre-conference retreat! | | |
We hope you had a wonderful summer and are returning refreshed, inspired, and ready for an exciting new school year with MSVMA!
Our organization is something worth celebrating - a community where voices come together, friendships grow, and we work to create meaningful experiences for vocal music students across Michigan. Your dedication, creativity, and passion are at the heart of what makes our choral community so special.
As we being this new year, we look forward to learning and growing alongside one another: discovering more diverse repertoire, strengthening our skills as conductors and educators, and sharing the energy and excitement that comes along with live performance! We are committed to fostering transparency, encouraging open communication, and building a genuine spirit of collaboration throughout all of our programming.
Most importantly, let's remember the powerful role we play in the lives of our students. We are not only music educators - we are mentors, motivators, encouragers, and memory-makers! Whether you are returning to a seasoned ensemble or welcoming a new group of singers, each new year brings an opportunity to inspire growth, build community, and remind our students of the joy, connection, and purpose that music can bring.
Here's to a year filled with harmony, resilience, creativity, and unforgettable moments both in and our of the classroom.
Let's make this year count...together!
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ACDA-MI invites you to attend “Where Great Lakes Meet, Voices Rise,” the ACDA-MI Fall Conference 2026! Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Derrick Fox will be our headliner clinicians for this conference. We will honor our 2026 Maynard Klein Award Recipient and our 40 yr. ACDA-MI Members. We also have invited four performing choirs and several different interest sessions - nine in total!
- Performing Choirs…
- Las Almas, Pam Pierson, Conductor
- Hope College Chapel Choir, Eric Reyes, Conductor
- Portage Central High School Treble Ensemble, Randi Simons-Miller, Conductor
- Vanguard Voices, Kevin Dewey, Conductor
- Interest Sessions…
- Empowered Ensembles: Building Student Leadership Through Routine, Kate Huizinga
- A Community of Song: Starting or Revamping A Community Chorus, Thomas Larner
- Political Music, Class of 1940: Lessons for our Time, Clayton Parr
- A Very Good Place to Start: Solfege for Conductors & Singers, Dusty Francis
- Chants and Chance: Ancient and Modern Techniques for independent Musicianship, Rose Rodrigue
- Expanding the Canon: Choral Programming and Popular Music, Andrew Martin
- Playful Pathways to Music Literacy, Amanda Goldberg
- Expanding the Canon: Historical Choral Literature by Female Composers, Dr. Meredith Bowen
- The Sacred Sounds of The Black Church Experience, Ryan Bowie, Sadarra Fields, Darrius Washington
The conference will be an opportunity for you to re-connect with colleagues, re-acquaint with friends and introduce yourself to several of Michigan’s future choral conductors. We want to see YOU at our ACDA-MI Fall Conference.
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” (Amy Poehler)
*Take advantage of the ACDA website (https://acda.org/), the ACDA-MI website (https://www.acdami.org//) and our monthly ACDA-MI newsletter, Bella Voce. We, the board, want to improve our reach to our membership and to meet your needs as a conductor, educator and performer. The Mission of ACDA, and that is - to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
It is a privilege to serve and be a part of ACDA-MI.
Thomas Blue
President, ACDA-MI
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The Michigan School Vocal Music Association would like to thank
our higher education partners for their dedicated support to our mission.
Educate. Empower. Experience.
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We are grateful to those who help ensure our continued success
in delivering the highest quality vocal music programming to our students and their teachers.
| | If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in any MSVMA event, please contact the MSVMA State Office at 231.592.9344 or debrajacks@msvma.org to request accommodations at least 72 hours in advance. | | | | |
