Barbara Sletto Barbara is the director of the Drake Chorale at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Under her direction, the choir has performed for a variety of Fine Arts Events in the Greater Des Moines area. Barbara has implemented an Annual Women’s Choral Festival for the Chorale giving the singers opportunities to work with guest conductors and women across the state of Iowa.

Barbara is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Heartland Youth Choir, a civic organization that serves over 150 Central Iowa singers. Prior to her work with the Heartland Youth Choir, Barbara was the Artistic Director of the Iowa Youth Chorus, the Des Moines Children’s Choruses, the Anderson Area Children’s Choir of Anderson, Indiana, and the Lakes Treble Choir of Minnesota. Under her direction, choirs have performed for National Kodaly and Orff Conferences, regional Music Educators National Conferences, and American Choral Director’s Association conferences in Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

As a specialist in treble voices, Barbara frequently serves as a guest conductor for high school and elementary festival choirs and honor choirs. She has guest conducted for numerous All-State choirs throughout the United States as well as various summer choir camps including; the International Music Camp, the Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, the Indiana Choral Director’s Summer Music Institute, the Virginia Kodaly Summer Music Camp, the Drake School of Music Summer Camp, the Heartland Choral Camp, and the International Music Institute.

Barbara completed her Masters of Arts in Music Education with a Kodaly emphasis from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also trained in Orff and Dalcroze methodology. She is a frequent clinician for music educators throughout the United States and has taught Kodaly certification course at both Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Barbara has fulfilled twelve commissioned works for treble choirs including commissions for Iowa and Indiana All-State choirs. Her compositions are published with Plymouth Music Company, Colla Voce Publishing, and Alliance Publishing Company. Barbara has served on the Board of Directors for numerous music organizations including: the National Organization of American Kodaly Educators, the Midwest Kodaly Music Educators of America, the Indiana Choral Directors Association, the Indiana Music Educators Association, and the Iowa Choral Director’s Association.