ACDA of Minnesota

⭐ IDEA Fund Feature: Music as Healing: Community Song Circle at Lino Lakes Correctional Facility⭐

Thanks to support from the ACDA-MN IDEA Fund, Isabel Nelson brought a pilot Music as Healing program to MCF–Lino Lakes. Over two ten-week sessions, participants built community, explored vulnerability, and experienced the power of singing together.

Learn more about ACDA-MN's IDEA Fund here: https://acda-mn.com/idea-fund/

📣 Summer Dialogue 2026 Session Spotlight: State of the State 📣

What’s happening in ACDA-MN, and where are we headed next?

Join Mark Johnson for State of the State, an informative session highlighting ACDA-MN’s recent accomplishments, updates on the organization’s new strategic plan, and opportunities for members to get involved in shaping the future of choral music in Minnesota.

Whether you're a longtime member or new to ACDA, this session offers valuable insight into the work being done across our state and how you can be part of it.

✅ Registration is now open! https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-ja/

Join Michael Culloton at Summer Dialogue for his session "Music Literacy in the Choral Classroom", a practical and thought-provoking session exploring why musical literacy should be a central goal for our students, effective approaches to teaching literacy, and the challenges that often keep us from prioritizing it in rehearsal.

Whether you teach elementary, middle school, high school, or beyond, this session will offer meaningful ideas you can bring directly into your classroom and ensemble work.

✅ Registration is now open!

Learn more and register at: https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-ja/

🎶 Looking for meaningful ways to incorporate Minnesota American Indian history and culture into your secondary music classroom? Don’t miss this important “Back to Basics: Nuts and Bolts” session at the 2026 Summer Dialogue!

Join Michael Buck for Guidelines & Resources to Explore the Contributions of MN American Indians in the Secondary Music Ensembles, a practical and resource-rich session designed to support music educators in curriculum development and culturally responsive teaching.

This License Renewal Session addresses the Minnesota American Indian History and Culture re-licensure requirement while exploring the cultural heritage and musical contributions of Minnesota American Indians—past and present. Participants will:

🎵 Explore music-related resources and repertoire connections
📚 Learn strategies for lesson and curriculum development
🎼 Utilize the MN Academic Standards for Arts Education, with emphasis on the “Connect 10” anchor standard
🔗 Receive an extensive bibliography and resource list, including materials from the Perpich Center Library

Whether you’re looking for classroom-ready ideas, deeper understanding, or practical tools for meeting licensure requirements, this session offers valuable guidance for every secondary music educator.

Registration for Summer Dialogue 2026 is now open! 🎉 https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing Summer Dialogue 2026 sponsors! 🎶☀️

We are so grateful for the support of:
✨ The Bemidji Choir
✨ Sunshine Travel

Registration for Summer Dialogue is open! Register today: https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/

Summer Dialogue 2026 : Session Spotlight ⭐

Looking to bring new energy and purpose to your rehearsals? Join Colleen Chester for Rehearsal Revolution: Intentional Strategies for Engaging and Energizing Your Ensemble — a practical session packed with creative ideas to keep every musician actively involved and inspired.

Explore strategies for:
🎶 Purposeful, engaging warm-ups
🎶 Creative rehearsal sequencing
🎶 Collaborative problem-solving in real time
🎶 Using pop music to build music literacy
🎶 Making the final minutes of rehearsal meaningful and fun

Whether you’re hoping to re-energize your ensemble, refine your rehearsal pacing, or walk away with immediately usable tools, this session will help you make every rehearsal moment count!

Registration for Summer Dialogue is open now! https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/

🎶 Scholarship Opportunities for Summer Dialogue 2026! 🎶

Thanks to the generosity of the F. Melius Christiansen (FMC) Endowment Fund Committee, scholarships are available for emerging conductors and first-time attendees to Summer Dialogue 2026.

✨ Available Scholarships:

🎓 Full Scholarship
Includes registration + 3 nights of campus lodging
(Value: $471)
Eligible for:
• 1st or 2nd year Minnesota choral directors
• Recent college/university graduates

🎵 Partial Scholarship
Includes registration fee
(Value: $290)
Eligible for:
• Minnesota choral directors attending Summer Dialogue for the first time — regardless of years of experience

📅 Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
🔗 Apply Here: https://acda-mn.com/sd-scholarships/

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and grow alongside Minnesota’s choral community this summer!

What does it mean to create real dialogue in today’s choral spaces? 🎶

Join Bryan Fisher at Summer Dialogue 2026 for Real Dialogue! As our communities and classrooms continue to evolve, this session invites choral leaders into meaningful reflection, honest conversation, and shared optimism about the role music can play in building connection and belonging.

Through open discussion and supportive collaboration, participants will explore how the rehearsal room can become a space for understanding, encouragement, and community.

✨ Registration is now open! Learn more and register at: https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/

Join us at Summer Dialogue 2026 for Back to Basics: Nuts & Bolts 🎶

Join Dr. Dwight Jilek in exploring conducting and rehearsal techniques to fully engage and inspire you and your singers to bring the music to life! Participants will conduct, rehearse, and sing in an ensemble, exploring the following:
- Basic core principles of how gesture affects sound
- Learning quick adaptations in gesture to enable free and confident singing in multiple styles
- Experiencing rehearsal techniques that engage you and the singers completely (physically and emotionally) in the learning and performing process
- Accessing the “why” in what we do, and using it to feed our musical inspiration and be fully present at the podium

Space for this session is limited, so register today! https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/