Allied Organizations

Ohio Choral Directors Association Updates

Dara Gillis, President

Dara Gillis, President of the Ohio Choral Directors Association

Greetings, Ohio! My name is Dara Gillis, and I am the proud President of the Ohio Choral Directors Association. I feel honored that this is my second opportunity to serve in this capacity. I first served as President of OCDA from 2013-2015. I look back on that experience fondly and I am excited for this new chapter to begin.

As we embark on another academic year, I feel compelled to speak frankly about the state of choral music in 2025. The field of education and especially arts education is facing a very rough road ahead. It is a road filled with potholes, pitfalls, and strife. Cuts to funding, restrictions on our ability to discuss critical social issues which impact so many of our singers, immigration regulations which put many of our musicians in danger, and the list goes on. At times, these issues feel overwhelming and our ability to combat them feels ineffective at best and futile at worst. “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln…”

We have a phrase in our house: “Put your head down and go.” My husband first said this to me a few years ago when I was facing a particularly challenging time in my public-school position. I will be honest; his words were not met with a positive response. I was struggling and I was expecting a “You can do this, honey,” or “You’ve got this, babe.” Instead, he said, “Put your head down and go.” Not exactly the warm fuzzy I was looking for. But it worked, and for the purposes of this article, I would like to add to that phrase: “Put your head down and go with us.”

I first became a member of ACDA/OCDA in the summer of 2002. That year, I attended my first OCDA Summer Conference at Otterbein University. The headlining clinician was Dr. André Thomas of Florida State University. The experience was a personal and professional game-changer. Dr. Thomas was motivating, inspiring, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable in every way. More importantly, I met people that summer that remain dear friends today. Not colleagues, friends. I do not believe I have missed a summer conference since and my ties to ACDA have only deepened.

When facing times of adversity, it is natural for us to feel isolated and alone. As choral educators, we feel particularly alone because there is often only one of us in our building or facility. If you teach algebra or English, there are likely others in your department teaching the same class. While there are sometimes other music teachers in your building, it is rare that there is another choral music teacher. Thus, we feel we are on an island all by ourselves. And this, friends, is where OCDA can be your lifeline!

What can OCDA offer you? Here is a brief list:

Professional development for:

- New Teachers - Seasoned Teachers - Church Musicians - Community Musicians - University teachers - High School Teachers - Middle School Teachers - Elementary School Teachers

Mentorship Programs
Repertoire Resources
DEI Resources
Job postings and opportunities
Honor Choir opportunities for students
Support, camaraderie and kinship!

While no one organization can ease the uncertainty that many of us feel at this time, surrounding ourselves with others who share in that uncertainty can be a salve for our fears and anxieties. If you are not already, I urge you to become a part of OCDA. If you are a member, I encourage you to take advantage of all this organization has to offer. We are here to support, uplift, embolden, and inspire. Please visit ohiocda.org to see what we can do for you!

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