Ep. 19 - From the Ground Up: Building Choral Excellence at a New Institution - Aubrey Dunham

"Quality breeds quantity. If we establish really high expectations, people will be attracted to that, and they're going to want to be a part of it. I just led with some sort of blind enthusiasm that you can only have as a new teacher. I just wanted to go for it."Aubrey Dunham just completed her first year as choir director at South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. At South, she directs 6 curricular ensembles and serves as the vocal music director for South’s musical productions. Previous to her time at South, Aubrey served as choral director and Instructional Coach for Fine Arts at Riverside Brookfield High School in Riverside, Illinois, for five years and choral director at Plainfield East High School in Plainfield, Illinois, for eight years. Her choirs from Riverside Brookfield and Plainfield East performed at Illinois Music Education Conferences and Illinois ACDA conferences. Aubrey previously served as the Senior High School Repertoire and Resources Chair and the Treble Choirs Repertoire and Resource Chair for the Illinois ACDA Chapter. In November 2019, Aubrey was the guest conductor for the ILMEA District 2 Junior High Treble Ensemble at Augustana College. Aubrey completed her Masters Degree in Music Education from Vandercook College of Music and holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Western Illinois University. She lives and breathes the choral arts but loves to get out and enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest.To get in touch with Aubrey, you can find her choral program on Facebook or Instagram (@southsalemchoir).Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels