GALA Choruses presented a new series of online workshops and conversations designed for chorus leaders. These webinars were held in lieu of an in-person Symposium, in accordance with our plans to alternate live and online symposia in order to provide opportunities for all GALA member choruses to participate. Online sessions began October 2022 and will ran through May 2023.
There was programming for every chorus leadership role, sessions related to Festival 2024 planning, and relevant topics such as Copyright and Licensing, Dealing with Mental Health Issues within a chorus, and The Aging Voice.
All sessions from the 2022–23 Online Leadership Symposium were recorded. They can be purchased by contacting Robin Godfrey at executivedirector@galachoruses.org.
Sessions
FEARLESS FUNDRAISING
Everything your organization needs to know to be fearless at fundraising! The session will cover different types of fundraising, the board’s responsibilities, and the three stages of fundraising: cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. We will discuss assessing your Chorus’ fundraising culture and how to create a unique case for support. Content will also include an overview of the Development Committee and its purpose of leading board participation in raising money for the organization. The Beginner session will focus on Choruses with all/mostly volunteer support structures, Intermediate will include the Executive and Artistic Directors’ fundraising responsibilities, and the Advanced session will include techniques for annual fund and major gift campaigns.
CHORUS FIREWORKS: AD’S, LET’S BE HONEST
Facilitators: Jane Ramseyer Miller & Kathleen Hansen, with assistance from psychologist Scott Ramsey
GALA conductors are reporting high levels of burnout and fatigue in addition to dealing with unique emotional angst within our choruses. Join us to share experiences and advice for staying healthy in this barely post-COVID world. Fill out a brief survey by Sept 28 to help us prepare resources.
AGING VOICES
Using singing subjects, Dr. Hill will demonstrate typical age-related problems faced by singers and propose therapies for remediation and rehabilitation of vocal function. Designed for the aging avocational singer, he will deal with six specific vocal challenges faced by aging voices namely, onset of phonation, vocal power, intonation, vibrato, breath support and vowel production. In addressing these challenges, he proposes several suggestions including semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, core building, vocal routine, and general diet and hydration.
Dr. Stan Hill is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and was on the voice faculty of California State University, Fullerton for four years. He is published in the 1986 edition of the NATS Journal. As a Choral Artistic Director, he brings a unique perspective on vocal pedagogy to his chorus rehearsals and assists singers with vocal problems.
COPYRIGHT& LICENSING SCORES
Learn the basics or refresh your knowledge of copyright issues as they apply to GALA member choruses!
We will cover what types of licenses you need to arrange, perform, stream, and or record as well as the best way to get those licenses.
Kathleen Hansen currently serves as the Artistic 411 Advisor for GALA Choruses. She is the Artistic Director of the San Diego Women’s Chorus, Master Director of the San Diego Chorus of SAI, and serves as International Faculty for Sweet Adelines, Intl. As an active clinician, presenter, and vocal coach, Kathleen is passionate about creating an environment of belonging while helping singers to discover their unique voice.
BOARD ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Take a deep dive into the nonprofit board of directors ten core responsibilities in governing the organization, including: setting organizational direction, providing oversight, and ensuring necessary resources. Content for this session will also include an overview of individual board member responsibilities such as participating in fundraising, working on a committee, and serving as a Chorus ambassador to the community. The Intermediate session is geared towards organizations with an Executive Director and will differentiate between independent ED/board responsibilities, as well as how the two must work in collective partnership with one another.
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION PLANNING
Leadership transitions are occurring at a record pace during this unprecedented time. Whether it is the executive or artistic director departing, changes in Chorus leadership can either be scary and lead to uncertainty or provide an opportunity to recommit to the mission and celebrate a new course for the organization. In this webinar, we will explore how to prepare for the succession, the steps to search and select qualified candidates, then how to provide effective support for new leadership as they begin their tenure. Participants will leave the session with a template Briefing Book for transferring knowledge and institutional memory to a new leader.
NEW HARMONY WORKBOOK II
Presenters: Sam Bullington, Jane Ramseyer Miller, Michael Kreuzer
Join members of the New Harmony Task Force for an introduction to chorus tools and conversations exploring Intergenerational Relationships, Digital Accessibility, Conversations on Faith & Religion, Mental Health & Neurodiversity, and American Exceptionalism. The workshop includes an overview of the new tools in Workbook II and a more in depth conversation on intergenerational dynamics. We’ll also explore way for individuals within choruses to expand these conversations with your full chorus and leadership team.
THE BOARD BUILDING CYCLE
Why do board members volunteer their time, treasure, and talent? Board membership is a significant commitment on the part of busy individuals, so what motivates people to join boards? In this webinar, we will review the nine steps of building a nonprofit board from identifying and recruiting candidates, to recruiting and orienting them to your Chorus…and much more! Content will also include the personal characteristics needed in individual board members and an exercise to generate board-building ideas to strengthen your Chorus! The Intermediate session will explore the role of a Governance Committee in board recruitment and orientation, as well as opportunities for active member participation through interactive meetings.
BUILDING A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
Creating a plan to outline how your Chorus intends to utilize financial and human resources is a smart nonprofit business practice. This session will give participants the tools necessary to build a strategic framework for the near future (12-18 months) of the organization. This session is ideal for newer Choruses or those smaller organizations who perhaps cannot afford to invest in a formal strategic planning process, but still need clarity of purpose to apply for contributed funding or to direct available resources in alignment with mission and strategic priorities.
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
At the heart of the performing arts is an opportunity to have interaction and deep connection with one another around a shared cultural experience. Utilizing current research from the sector’s leading arts analytics sources, we will explore current ticket sales and audience data and how this is relevant to building audiences for your Chorus’ 2022-23 concerts. These sessions will also include effective practices for building arts audiences such as advertising, subscriptions, ticket pricing strategies.