Scholarship Sketches – Spring 2026

Rand Matheson – My time at the MN ACDA Summer Dialogue was invaluable. As a first year teacher, I gained and experimented with skills that are already proving to be effective in the classroom. The Student Conductor Workshop was a great way to hone in my craft as a conductor and learn from the very best in our area. I am very grateful for Gateway Travel and the FMC Endowment Committee for sponsoring my experience and the opportunity to learn in a setting unlike any other. This fall I will be teaching choir at Thunder Ridge High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and I am eager to experiment with all that I learned. Thank you!

Thank you very much to the team at Gateway Travel and the FMC Endowment Committee for sponsoring me to attend the 2025 ACDA Summer Dialogue! As a student conductor, I was able to meet a multitude of talented and skilled individuals who shared their ideas, creativity, and kindness with me through the medium of music to strengthen my conducting and build long-lasting connections. Quite simply, working with Dr. Jo Ann Miller and Dr. Stephen Kingsbury was truly a phenomenal experience. I was supported and bolstered up in my abilities as I begin my journey as a music educator. 

Thank you! –John Lahlum, MSUM

“In my short time at the ACDA conducting workshop, I was amazed by the kindness of the clinicians, conductors, and fellow student conductors I met during my time in Moorhead. While extenuating circumstances prevented me from attending the conference in full, the sessions I was able to participate in were valuable, especially in regards to building classroom community and strategically using the music fund for a choir. I was also thankful for the opportunity to conduct several conductors from across the state of Minnesota- it was exhilarating! I am incredibly thankful for the connections I made and the lessons learned! Thank you to everyone involved (Gateway Tours, ACDA, etc.) for allowing me and other college students to partake in such a valuable learning opportunity!”

Sincerely,

Marie-Florence Johnson