How to Improve Sight-Reading Skills
How to improve sight-reading skills An Introduction to Sight-Reading What exactly is sight-reading? Sight-reading is the ability to look at a sheet music chart and sing it for the first
The Houston Tidelanders Chorus is proud to announce that Ben May, Musical Director, has earned his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Choral Conducting from the prestigious Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. The degree was conferred on Friday December 17, 2021.
Dr. May has directed the Tidelanders since August 2018, and consistently brings great knowledge, preparation, enthusiasm, professionalism and friendship to the Tidelanders Director position. “Since I ‘discovered’ barbershop harmony in high school, I have loved the sound, the teamwork, and most importantly, the camaraderie that is present in tight-knit barbershop ensembles. I lead the Tidelanders, musically, because I hope to perpetuate that tradition of brotherhood and unity; I want to help lead this chorus because I believe that choral music can and should bring our city, our nation, and our world closer together,” said Dr. Ben May.
In recognition of Ben’s achievement, and of his leadership and contributions to the Tidelanders, the Houston Tidelanders chorus issued a proclamation declaring Friday December 17th, 2021, as “Dr. Ben May Day”.
Dr. May is currently an Assistant Director and Professor of Choral Activities at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas where he directs the Brazosport College Choirs. Dr. May holds Musical degrees from Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) and Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN). Dr. May is a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity.
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) is a “terminal degree”, similar to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and is the culmination of years of specialized musical study. Dr. May’s dissertation was titled “Going Up to God by Musical Process: A Structural Analysis of David Lang’s the little match girl passion (2007)”. Composer David Lang describes the piece as follows: “My piece is called ‘the little match girl passion’ and it sets Hans Christian Andersen’s story ‘The Little Match Girl’ in the format of Bach’s ‘Saint Matthew Passion,’ interspersing Andersen’s narrative with my versions of the crowd and character responses from Bach’s Passion”. Dr. May’s academic advisor was Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, Madison Endowed Professor of Music. He worked closely with Dr. Jeb Mueller and Dr. Rob Smith during his studies.
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Houston audiences will benefit from Dr. May’s Doctorl of Musical Arts (DMA) research and study in the areas of music theory and conducting. As Dr. Ben May, he will continue his role as educator and help enrich the sound of the Houston Tidelanders and Brazosport College Choirs musical performances. He will continue to be a valued leader, educator, and Musical Director in the Houston area.
The Houston Tidelanders Chorus performs in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area throughout the calendar year. Our organization has performed at charity benefits including Fort Bend Family Promise, Fort Bend ISD Men’s Fest, and the annual Heroes at Home Golf event benefiting the Green Beret Foundation. The Houston Tidelanders offers Singing Valentines, Good Times Shows, and Christmas performances annually.
The Houston Tidelanders have won the Southwestern District of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s competition 17 times and placed in the top 10 in International competition 9 times.
Learn about The Basics of Music Theory Explained, Relative Pitch, or Tuning Concepts. Read the Press Release on Yahoo! News.
How to improve sight-reading skills An Introduction to Sight-Reading What exactly is sight-reading? Sight-reading is the ability to look at a sheet music chart and sing it for the first
Generally in most years, the SWD sponsors an annual Chorus and Quartet competition. The exception is the pandemic year we experienced due to Covid-19. There was no competition during the pandemic. The BHS recent resumed chorus competitions in 2022.
The Tidelanders excitedly sponsored our first singing competition. We promoted the contest to over 200 high schools in Harris and Fort Bend counties in Texas. We announced two winners (Men’s and Women’s) mid-April. We are looking forward to planning a bigger contest next year.
The Houston Tidelanders Chorus is pleased that we were able to perform for Clear Lake audiences once again! We’ve been performing in the Clear Lake area for about 25 years and it’s one of favorite shows.
“Smile” continues to be considered timeless. Meaning the message always seems to be relevant. As long as it continues to be popular, artists will continue to cover and interpret it’s meaning in order to continue to have it resonate with audiences. Modern artists like Michael Jackson have arranged and performed it.