Students of color experience school differently. These experiences can also transfer to the choir room and even prove to be more challenging because it can be masked or overlooked. This presentation will help explore some real-life issues identified by choral students of color and how conductors can help make their choral classrooms a place of universal belonging.

Friday, January 22, 2021 | 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Registration Required - No Cost
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Dr. Kellori Dower is the Dean of Fine and Performing Arts at Santa Ana College. She was the director of two award-winning high school choral music programs prior to serving as Director of Choral Activities at the collegiate level. Past appointments have also included High School Principal, Assistant Principal, and District Arts Administrator positions.

She was the 2016 recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator Award for the California Music Educators Association Southeastern section. Artistically, she has written several published choral works including performances of her work with the San Diego Symphony. Her most recent choral publication, Spiritual Songs, was published by Hal Leonard in the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Series. Her choral ensembles have performed in some of the most distinguished venues in the country, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, and New York's Lincoln Center.

Dr. Dower is an active choral adjudicator and clinician who has conducted All-State and regional High School Honor ensembles across the United States. She is a National board member and presenter for the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) and is a member of the California Arts Council grant review committee. Her work and research regarding culture and music lead to the creation of collegiate courses in Rap and Hip Hop, Gospel Music, and African-American folk compositions.

She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a former mellophone player and drummer in the Marching Storm Band at Prairie View A & M University.