In choral music and singing, the repertoire chosen for the year is the textbook, and it impacts every aspect of teaching and student learning. During Arts Academy sessions in 2020, repertoire was explored: including how to find it, how to use it, and new ways of thinking about it. For these sessions, participants will explore the ways in which obligations for finding quality repertoire have expanded, and how to meet those new expectations. There will also be discussion about the ways that choral performances are evolving into conceptual events, including ideas for multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary connections. The group will also explore (and commiserate about) where a multi-year pandemic has left music education, and discuss the path forward.
Mark Rohwer is the director of choral activities at Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas. He holds degrees in music education from Northwestern University, the Eastman School of Music, and The Ohio State University. Under Rohwer’s direction, Flower Mound High School choirs have received consistent and numerous awards at concert and sight-reading contests in Texas. They have also received outstanding performance and best-in-class awards at festivals throughout the country. Choirs from Flower Mound High School have performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference and the American Choral Directors Association Southwestern Divisional and National conventions. Rohwer is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association and currently serves as president of Region Two. He is also a member of the Texas Choral Directors Association and was the high school division vice president from 2011 to 2013. Additionally, he has served as a guest lecturer for part of the summer master’s degree program at the University of North Texas.