Tempo! | July 2026

July 2026

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

August 11 - Board Meeting and Volunteer Retreat

August 12 - Summer Membership Event: Community 2026

August 15 - Musical Theatre Audition Workshop Registration Open

August 15 - Music Education/Vocal Performance Audition Workshop Registration Open

August 15 - Musical Theatre Intensive Registration Open

August 15 - Art Song Intensive Registration Open

August 15 - A Cappella Festival 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 12 - Chamber Choir Festival Auditions Open

September 12 - Musical Theatre Solo & Ensemble Registration Open

September 14 - 6789 Regional Online Auditions Open

September 15 - Mini-Grant Application Deadline

September 15 - Membership Renewal Deadline

2026-2027 Calendar

Calendar can be viewed here.

Community 2026

Our summer membership event is coming up soon!

We are so looking forward to celebrating our MSVMA community in a few different ways: through Introduction, through Classroom Culture, through Professional Growth, through Programming, through Song, and through Example.

Come celebrate the joy of singing, connect with fellow music lovers, and discover how an organization builds community through music. We are dedicated to creating meaningful connections through music and fostering an inclusive, welcoming community for all.

August 12, 2026

8:30am - 5pm

Michigan State Capitol

100 N Capitol Ave

Lansing, MI 48933

Member: $100.00

Emeriti/Retiree: $50.00

Full-Time Student: $50.00

First Year Teacher: $50.00

Non-member: $125.00

5 SCECH credits available.

Reading packets available for the first 100 registrants.

Lunch included in registration fee.

For a detailed program, click here.

Bring a friend and join us for an enjoyable summer gathering as we grow our musical community together!

Choral Student Leadership Conference

Please note that this event has a new date of September 9, 2026.

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.

Renew Your Membership

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 school 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.
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.

Announcements

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