Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is a nonprofit music-education organization whose central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching. In addition, ACDA strives through arts advocacy to elevate choral music’s position in American society.
Membership
ACDA membership consists of approximately 22,000 choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private schools – kindergarten through senior high school – and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boychoirs, children’s choirs, men’s and women’s choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal-jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in their places of worship.
Organizational Structure
ACDA is divided into seven geographic regions as well as fifty state chapters, each with its own conventions, newsletters, festivals, clinics, and workshops. Whether at the national, division, or state level, ACDA is structured so that its members can easily involve themselves in the organization’s activities.
Conventions (Conferences)
ACDA offers conventions at the state, division, and national levels. National conventions are offered in March of odd-numbered years; the seven division conventions take place in February and March of even-numbered years. Through concert performances by accomplished choirs, educational clinics by leading experts, and exhibits by music-industry representatives, ACDA offers its members a diverse and practical forum in which to develop their skills and professional knowledge.
The Choral Journal
The official publication of the American Choral Directors Association is the Choral Journal. This national publication, issued monthly except for June and July, contains articles and columns of a scholarly and practical nature in addition to reviews of newly released CD recordings, books, and printed music. The Choral Journal is a benefit of membership in the American Choral Directors Association. Subscriptions are available to libraries.
Committees
ACDA has numerous national committees engaged in advancing the choral profession in its many facets. The committees work in several areas of the choral profession, whether through establishing high performance standards, recommending quality choral literature, encouraging research in choral studies, or advocating the importance of choral music in our society.