About ACDA
What is ACDA?
Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is a nonprofit professional organization whose central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching. In addition, ACDA strives to elevate choral music’s position in American society through arts advocacy. The ACDA provides many high-quality publications, conventions, festivals, clinics, workshops, and the opportunity to network within the choral community. The national headquarters office is located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Who is a Member of ACDA?
Members of ACDA consist of choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private institutions and in their place of worship. The ensembles they conduct perform all types of choral music and they include elementary through senior high school, college/university, community, professional, worship, and show choirs.
How is ACDA Organized?
ACDA is divided into seven geographic divisions as well as fifty state chapters, each with its own board of directors, conventions, newsletters, festivals, clinics, and workshops. Whether at the state, division or national level, the association is structured so that its members can easily involve themselves in the organization’s activities and will have access to a network of choral directors at each level. The leadership of the Association, elected and appointed, is drawn from within the ranks of the members and come from every state.
Conferences
ACDA offers conferences at the state, division, and national levels. Through concert performances by accomplished choirs, educational clinics by leading experts, and exhibits by music industry representatives, members participate in a diverse and practical forum in which to develop their skills and professional knowledge and to network with other choral directors and members of the Association.
Publications
The official publication of the American Choral Directors Association is the Choral Journal. This national publication, issued monthly, contains articles and columns of a scholarly and practical nature including reviews of newly released CD recordings, books, and printed music. Other publications include the seven division newsletters, state chapter newsletters, monographs, and the composer series. Many newsletter and publications are available online.
Committees
ACDA has numerous committees engaged in advancing the choral profession in its many facets. The committees work to establish high performance standards, recommend quality choral literature, encourage research in choral studies, and advocate the importance of choral music in American society.
How does membership benefit you?
The ACDA offers many opportunities for its members to grow professionally and to make a direct impact on choral music in the United States. Members are given the opportunity to continue their choral music education, attend live performances by accomplished choirs, encounter new and innovative choral music along side the standard literature, and to connect with choral music colleagues. Being a member of ACDA can help you become a better choral conductor, teacher, and performer. There are professional development and networking opportunities at all levels of ACDA.
Types of ACDA Membership
Active – Active membership is for anyone that is active teaching, directing, or performing choral music. Associate – Associate membership is for administrators and other non-directors.
Student – Student membership is for any student registered in a high school, college, or university and is actively pursuing a degree in choral music, music education, or related area of study.
Retired – Retired membership is for those choral directors that have retired from an active career of teaching, directing, or performing choral music, but wishes to remain a vital part of the choral community.
Institutional – Institutional membership is designed for an educational or other similar type of institution that wishes to become a member of ACDA. The Institutional membership comes with a subscription to the Choral Journal and allows for two paying attendees at ACDA conventions. Institutional membership is ideal for school music departments, church music programs, music booster clubs, or other such organization as well as performing groups. Please note: Institutional membership is not designed for those ACDA members whose school or church pays for a single director’s active membership. These members should remain as Active members.
Industry – Industry membership is designed for music-related businesses that wish to become a member of ACDA.
Paid Life or Paying Life – Paid Life or Paying Life membership is for active choral directors that wish to make a lifetime commitment to ACDA and a significant contribution to the life and work of the Association. New Life memberships are payable in yearly installments of $200 or more. A Paying Life membership becomes a Paid Life membership upon completion of $2,000 total payments.
Additional Information Membership in ACDA is for the twelve-month period beginning in the month the membership application is processed.
Renewal notices are sent by mail beginning two months before membership expires. We encourage members to renew membership before it expires to ensure membership remains current.
How do I join?
Choral directors, institutions, and music-related businesses join ACDA by completing a membership application and submitting it with the current membership dues to the ACDA National Office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
As a member of ACDA, each choral director also becomes a member of the state chapter in the state in which they live. They automatically become a member of the corresponding regional division (grouping of several states) of ACDA. ACDA membership is not three separate memberships, but one membership in the three distinct levels of the Association.
Please Note: Some states require additional membership dues above the ACDA membership fee. Reach the page on the ACDA website with the membership form HERE.
ACDA accepts membership applications by mail and fax.