About the Author
Choir Reader was created out of real classroom experience, with a desire to teach sight-reading in a way that is clear, effective, and practical for choir directors and students.
Joel Bremner
Joel Bremner was raised in Ashland, VA. He began formal piano instruction at age 7 and studied piano with Dr. Paul Hanson of the University of Richmond and organ with Dr. Ardyth Lohuis of Virginia Commonwealth University.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Bridgewater College, where he studied organ under Dr. John Barr and Dr. Larry Taylor, as well as choral conducting and voice under Dr. Jesse Hopkins. While there, he directed the Handbell Choir at Bridgewater College and served as Assistant Director of Music at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren.
Bremner received a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from The University of Mississippi, where he studied conducting under Dr. Donald Trott and voice under Dr. Bradley Robinson. He directed the University of Mississippi Women’s Ensemble and served as accompanist to the Ole Miss Women’s Glee.
He was director of the Choral Music Program at James River High School from 2008–2016 and has served as director of the Choral Music Program at Lord Botetourt High School since 2008. He serves on the District VI Committee for the Virginia Choral Directors Association and has served as an adjudicator for district festival events in both performance and sight-reading.
Author’s Note
Teaching sight-reading is sometimes a struggle in choir programs. Quite often students don’t enjoy it, sometimes it feels burdensome and drags down morale, and many times students aren’t being challenged at their own ability levels. Directors also feel pressure from impending deadlines and concerts and find it hard to make room for intentional music literacy study.
I originally designed this curriculum for my students in my classrooms, and my excitement about the effectiveness of these materials spilled over into conversations with friends and colleagues at district and state meetings.
Their response was overwhelmingly positive and communicated that what I had created could serve many other choir classrooms well. It was through that encouragement that I decided to put forth the extra effort to write a teacher’s manual and bring all of the elements of this curriculum together in a format that could be distributed and used in numerous choir classrooms needing an effective way to teach and learn sight-reading.
I trust that you will find these materials to be as transforming in your choirs as they have been in mine.
Many Blessings!