This clinic guides choral educators toward confidently programming repertoire that reflects their students, music that already lives in their students' lives, their homes, and their communities. Using Hoi Am Que Nha, a choral work commissioned by La Quinta High School and funded by the CCDA Choral Equity Scholarship, clinician Julianne Nguyen and LQHS choral director Darlene Machacon (asynchronous contributor) present a replicable three-layer framework Evaluate, Teach, Connect. The framework is grounded in real data, student feedback, and outcomes in connection to the community. While rooted in Vietnamese choral music, this framework is designed for any director working with any tradition — whether that's Latinx, African, South Asian, Indigenous, or any community represented in your ensemble. Educators will leave with an evaluation checklist and a curriculum template applicable to any repertoire that reflects their students. This session intentionally moves beyond words such as ‘culturally inclusive’ to demonstrate something simpler and more universal: programming repertoire rooted in students' lives is not a diversity tool. It’s just good teaching, and it belongs in every choir classroom.
Target Audience
Choir Classroom Teachers of All Levels
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Julianne Nguyen
Julianne Nguyen is a composer, music educator, and vocalist based in the greater Sacramento Area. Her work highlights Vietnamese cultural heritage through choral music, including Về nghe mẹ ru and Vùng đất hứa (The Promised Land). She was also commissioned by La Quinta High School through the California Choral Directors Association Choral Equity Grant partnership. Julianne holds a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Sonoma State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Education at San José State University while teaching elementary general music and choir in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District.