Cross Choral Training®
Vocal Pedagogy Workshop
“The Cross-Choral Training® workshop supported my teaching goals by offering structured strategies to integrate singing, movement, and creative expression into the classroom.” - Past Cross-Choral Training® Workshop Participant
March 14, 2026
1:00pm-5:00pm
179 Pacific St, Brooklyn NY
Fee: $125 (Students: $25)
Ready to take your choral teaching to the next level?
Join the Cross-Choral Training® learning community for an all new one-day workshop on functional voice training in group settings. Whether you’re a seasoned conductor or a teaching artist just starting out, this course offers actionable pedagogic tools to elevate your teaching and help your students realize their full vocal potential!
Renowned conductor and educator Dianne Berkun Menaker presents her proven techniques in lecture, interactive discussions, and demonstrations with the young singers of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus!
Questions? Email us at media@brooklynyouthchorus.org. This workshop is presented alongside a new C-CT Digital Course, produced in collaboration with SCENE, the arts incubator founded by Anthony Roth Costanzo.
“Cross-Choral Training® provided me with a strong foundation to further understand my students' voices and how to train holistically for singing better.” - Past Cross-Choral Training® Workshop Participant
In this one-day workshop, renowned conductor and educator, Dianne Berkun Menaker presents her proven techniques in lectures, interactive discussions and demonstrations with the young singers of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Participants will learn the Cross-Choral Training approach to:
Applied Vocal Function in the areas of:
Breath Management
Laryngeal Registration
Vowel Sound Resonance
Developing Vocal Exercises
Varying Vocal Adjustments Across Musical Styles
Appropriate for all choral conductors and music educators with a special focus on young treble-voices.
Transform your choral sound from the inside out!
Hailed by The New York Times as “a remarkable choral director,” Dianne Berkun Menaker has created Cross-Choral Training® a proven program of vocal and musicianship pedagogy, to help singers develop healthy, reliable and flexible vocal technique working in group settings. This approach has led the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus to be the chorus of choice for top orchestras and recording artists worldwide–from Beyonce & Elton John to The New York Philharmonic & John Adams.
Applicable for elementary, high school, and community choruses, beginners to advanced, Cross-Choral Training® is built on two foundational pillars - Vocal Training: Functional voice pedagogy for healthy, authentic singing across a range of musical styles and Musicianship: Music literacy and sight-singing approaches based on experiential and sequential learning
Testimonials
Here’s what past Cross-Choral Training participants have said…
“The Cross-Choral Training program gave me a larger toolbox to explain vocal anatomy terms, giving students more opportunities to build fundamental skills in singing as it pertains to registration and vocal function.”
“It surpasses every music workshop I have ever attended.”
“I very much enjoyed the workshop and was immediately able to incorporate your ideas during my chorus rehearsals. I’m already hearing and seeing a difference in my students. “
“It is by far the most practical and applicable workshop I have taken in many years.”
“I came away with both big over-arching ideas as well as concrete techniques I can try on myself and my students.”
“I would recommend this workshop in a heartbeat! This workshop is taught by professionals with a passion for music and children, who teach it in a relaxed, welcoming and extremely informational and practical format.”