Contributors: Corey Everly • Jacob Ezzo • John Frederick Hudson • Jonathan Palmer Lakeland • Thomas LaVoy • Ryan Manni • Marilyn Shenenberger

"Everyone reading this volume should know that not a day passes in my rehearsals that Edwin Gordon does not loom large in my rehearsal space. Everything about the way I teach—and hopefully the way my students learn (even dating back to my Lewisburg High School days)—has to do with what I learned from Dr. Gordon and Music Learning Theory… I believe there is simply nothing as pedagogically powerful as Music Learning Theory if one is truly interested in building musicianship for life. Because of my work with Edwin Gordon, I also believe that choirs will sing as they are able to audiate. This application using the life work of my teacher and mentor is long overdue."

— James Jordan, from the Foreword
 

For the first time, Jason Vodicka and James Jordan have assembled a vast and practical application of the Music Learning Theory of Edwin Gordon for the choral rehearsal.  Using Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque, the authors guide teacher/conductors through a re-imagined rehearsal process with important supporting pedagogies that help teachers reach new levels of musicianship with ensembles at all levels. Along with seven contributors, this volume contains rich suggestions for infusing Music Learning Theory into an exciting and newly imagined rehearsal process. Specifics of the Guide include:

• Brief overviews of the important aspects of Music Learning Theory
• Teaching audiation throughout ALL aspects of the choral rehearsal
• Re-structuring the choral rehearsal to emphasize harmonic teaching and learning
• Structuring warm-ups to build vocal technique using principles of Group Vocal Technique
• (as developed by Frauke Haasemann, Sabine Horstmann, and James Jordan)
• Using chant to reinforce music skill and pattern training
• Using accompanists to support audiation
• Detailed chapter on how an accompanist supports rather than interferes with audiation
• Teaching using Critical Pedagogy to create a student-centered learning experience
• Teaching Dr. Gordon’s latest concept of Space Audiation
• Using embodied movement and Laban movement within the choral rehearsal
• Teaching heightened ensemble listening skills
 

Conductor and music educator Jason Vodicka, a graduate of Westminster Choir College and The University of Georgia, is Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at Susquehanna University and Music Director of the Harrisburg Choral Society. Dr. Vodicka brings to this collaboration a wealth of practical experience from ten years of public school teaching and his working knowledge of Critical Pedagogy. He has been a member of the Westminster Choir College Summer Session Faculty for the last ten years.

GRAMMY®-nominated conductor James Jordan, Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, a Ph.D. student and friend of Edwin Gordon, has passionately used Music Learning Theory for the past 35 years in teaching his ensembles at Westminster Choir College, the Westminster Schola Cantorum and the internationally recognized Westminster Williamson Voices.