March 2011

Registration Open for 7th World Choir Games

INTERKULTUR, the International Organizing Committee of the World Choir Games, has announced that the registration documents for the 7th World Choir Games in Cincinnati are now available to all amateur choirs, worldwide. For the first time in the history of the World Choir Games, the competition will be held in a U.S. city (July 4 – 14, 2012).

The World Choir Games is the largest international choral competition in the world, taking place every two years. The event is expected to attract 400 choirs from 70 countries. The registration documents offer an overview of the competition, qualifications for participation, and the method of adjudication. Participants have ranged in age from 6 to 96. There are multiple opportunities for participation, including International Friendship concerts and non-competitive evaluations for choirs that prefer not to compete, but would like to participate. The Champions Competition and the Open Competition are two separate and distinct competitions, each with its own awards system.

The Champions Competition is for choirs that meet qualification standards that can be found in the “Competition Information.” The Open Competition is for any choir regardless of artistic achievement wishing to participate, pending approval from INTERKULTUR.

In 2012, there will be 23 musical categories: Children’s Choirs, Young Children’s Choirs, Youth Choirs of Equal Voices, Mixed Youth Choirs, Male Choirs, Male Chamber Choirs, Young Male Choirs, Mixed Boys Choirs, Female Choirs, Female Chamber Choirs, Mixed Choirs, Mixed Chamber Choirs, Musica Sacra, Music of Religions, Contemporary Music, Popular Choral Music, Folklore, Scenic Folklore (with choreography), Show Choirs, Jazz, Gospel, Spiritual and Barbershop.

INTERKULTUR has ties to 120,000 choirs made up of 4.8 million choral singers around the world. In more than 20 years since INTERKULTUR was established, more than 5,500 choirs and some 250,000 singers from 100 nations have taken part in the World Choir Games and INTERKULTUR’s regional choir competitions. The World Choir Games are dedicated to the Olympic ideal that participation is the highest honor. Previous World Choir Games have taken place in Austria, China, Germany and the Republic of Korea.

Learn more at the new 2012 Games website, www.2012worldchoirgames.com.

Disney’s “Ear for the Arts” Badge

Disney Performing Arts is now celebrating and commemorating students that take part in the program with the new Ears for the Arts badge of honor.

Participants in Disney Performing Arts programs, which include performance opportunities, workshops, festivals and competitions for everything from marching bands to jazz ensembles, dance to choral, theatre and everything in between, will now receive an exclusive Ears for the Arts pin and become a part of an elite group of students. The pin is intended to commemorate the confidence, character and camaraderie required for an ensemble to be able to come together and perform in front of an international Disney audience.

Learn more at www.disneyyouth.com.

Hal Leonard debuts App for “Double Dream Hands”

Hal Leonard has announced that a Double Dream Hands iPhone app is now for sale in the iTunes App Store. Jointly created with Charlottesville, Virginia-based mobile web developer WillowTree Apps, the application lets users paste their faces bobble-head style on John Jacobson’s body as he performs the famous dance routine viewed by millions on YouTube and beloved around the world. They can then upload their video to Facebook and YouTube, save it to their iPhone library, or email it to friends.

The Double Dream Hands pop culture phenomenon started in December, giving Hal Leonard an unexpected present. A choreography video from the company’s Music Express magazine site featuring renowned educator, clinician and composer John Jacobson went viral on YouTube. Now a bona fide worldwide Internet sensation, “Double Dream Hands” has more than 2.3 million hits to date, and has spawned dozens of entertaining mash-ups and response clips bringing total hits to over 3 million.

Best Buy gives $1.24mm for Music Ed

Best Buy Co. Inc. and its children’s foundation have announced a $1.24 million donation to the Grammy Foundation to support music education in high schools.

Paula Prahl, one of Best Buy’s vice presidents, issued a statement saying, “Music is a foundational piece of Best Buy’s DNA and our commitment to the music industry extends well beyond the products we sell in our store. We salute all of the great work the Grammy Foundation is doing to advance the music industry, especially giving young people access to music education.”

Nashville Schools “Keep the Music Playing”

Metro Nashville Public Schools have received almost $5 million in funding for music programs from the Nashville-based Country Music Association since 2006, and this week students put on a show to celebrate the impact that this funding has had.

Hosted by country music star Luke Bryan, hundreds of Metro Nashville Public School students shared the stage of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center this past Tuesday in a motivation concert demonstrating that music continues to thrive in Nashville schools, despite tough economic times.

Learn more about this collaboration at www.cmaawards.com.

Hal Leonard immediately set up www.DoubleDreamHandsDance.com to accommodate fans from around the globe, selling the sheet music and audio tracks to the song, and even Jacobson’s signature yellow Music Express polo shirt. A link to the new app which sells for 99. is also available from that site.

March is ‘Music in our Schools Month’

March marks the annual celebration of music in our nation’s schools. MENC, the National Association for Music Education, which is a more than 100-year old sponsoring organization, has announced “Music Lasts a Lifetime” as the theme for Music In our Schools Month (MIOSM) 2011.

Says MENC, “Music programs nationwide are in danger. State and local legislators are attempting to make up for funding shortfalls in this difficult economy by cutting education budgets, and music programs are often the first to be considered. Advocacy takes place on many fronts, and advocates for music education need to learn to speak to different audiences, each of whom has a key contribution to make. Now’s the time to get involved and do your part to ensure that America’s students have access to a comprehensive, sequential music education taught by exemplary music educators!” Learn more by visiting www.menc.org.