 Linda Vanderpool, has served as Director of Vocal Music at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa since 2002. Valley is one of Iowa’s largest secondary institutions and provides a challenging and rigorous curriculum for its students. A versatile conductor, Linda has lead the school’s premiere ensembles including the A Cappella Choir, Select Treble Clef Choir, Valley Singers, Vocal Point and the Vocalese Jazz Choirs. These auditioned groups are comprised of students from the sophomore through senior grade levels. Under her leadership, these ensembles have earned numerous awards and honors, including performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho in Moscow, as well as performances at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris during the spring of 2009. The traditional choral and jazz ensembles under her direction have consistently earned Outstanding ratings at both state and national levels.
Linda holds the Master of Music Education degree with Choral Emphasis from Drake University, and the Bachelor of Music Education degree Cum Laude from Simpson College where she was a Voice Major and Piano Minor. Active in professional music organizations, she has served the Iowa Choral Directors Association (ICDA), and the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). Linda has also been an adjudicator for the Iowa High School Music Association. Her expertise in vocal jazz is in demand at both secondary and collegiate levels, and she mentors area professionals in the development of high caliber vocal jazz choral curricula.
In 1998, Linda was named Chairperson for the Iowa All State Jazz Choir and continued to chair that event until 2001. She was appointed to the ICDA Executive Board in 1999 as Repertoire and Standards Chair for Jazz Choirs, and served on the Board as Chair of the 2003 ICDA Summer Convention. She currently serves on the Board of the Iowa Jazz Choir Championships, a showcase designed to provide increased opportunities for broad student participation in this art form. Linda has also been listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers for 2000, 2005 and 2007.
During the summers of 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001, she was the Festival Director for AmericaFest International Singing Festival for Men and Boys, overseeing the logistics for hundreds of young singers from around the world in concert venues throughout the United States.
 Catherine Wilson, hails from Hastings, Nebraska where she was an elementary music specialist, organist, and choir director. She was nominated for 2009 Hastings Public Schools Teacher of the Year, and was a Nebraska Elementary Principal’s Award of Excellence recipient. She has written and published music and curriculum through MENC and Rowman & Littlefield, and she is a national presenter for music educator’s groups specializing in music and movement. Her adult choirs have toured in Rome and in Austria as well as the United States. Catherine holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Louisville in Kentucky. She will complete a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in August of 2009. In her spare time Catherine enjoys distance running, writing, and composing. She loves dark chocolate and Starbucks!
The
Valley High School Vocal Music department offers a wide range of experiences
for students interested in vocal music. Curricular ensembles include
Concert Choir, Select Treble Clef Choir, A Cappella Choir and Valley
Singers. Each ensemble presents three to four concerts a year. The
choirs also attend state and regional festivals and contests. Students
are also given the opportunity to audition for Choralation
and Ignition show choirs and Vocalese and Vocal Point jazz choirs.
The Valley Voices Booster Organization exists to support the Vocal
Music Department through fundraising and service opportunities.
Parents of students enrolled in vocal music ensembles are encouraged
to actively participate by attending monthly meetings.
2009-2010 Vocal Music Guidebook
2009-2010 Calendar
Valley
Vocal Music Website
|
