Richard Sjoerdsma

In January 2021, Journal of Singing Editor-in-Chief Richard Sjoerdsma announced he would be relinquishing his post after the 2022-2023 publication cycle concludes. Sjoerdsma will have served in the position for an impressive 22 years at the end of his tenure, which translates to overseeing more than 100 issues, more than 300 feature articles, more than 1,500 regularly recurring columns, and millions of words. A search for his successor is in progress.

While change is always bittersweet, everyone at the National Association of Teachers of Singing is pleased to have an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of Sjoerdsma’s time leading the journal. Here’s to one more victory lap!

Read on as Sjoerdsma answers to some of our top questions and shares his hopes for the days ahead.

How has the Journal of Singing changed over the years during your tenure?

One of the most significant changes is that the periodical has morphed from essentially a magazine into a highly respected scholarly journal. When I began my editorship, the title was, in fact, Journal of Singing, but the very cover belied that claim. The magazine contents were listed on the cover, and its appearance resembled that of the Reader’s Digest. Sometimes printing errors appeared on the cover itself, which was not exactly positive advertising. In one issue, in fact, I found three different spellings of “Winterreise”! As a result, I felt that the journal was not taken as seriously as I wished it to be.

At the beginning of my tenure, the journal was published by Singular-Thomson Publishing Group, and a whole panel of people was involved in its production, including several in-house editors/managers and a variety of outside readers, none of whom were familiar with the idiosyncratic discipline of writing about the singing voice. As a result of using several readers, the periodical was shipped all over the country, and at considerable expense. Already during my first year, Singular opted to drop us from among their publications, and we had to scramble to find an alternative. It was serendipitous that I found my way to Modern Litho in Jefferson City, Missouri, whom we engaged as our printing company. Modern Litho, in turn, introduced me to Laura Carter, who continues today as our very talented graphics artist. NATS itself became the publisher. It’s a much tighter arrangement, and has saved considerable expense. But the proverbial buck stops at my desk; I’m responsible for virtually everything, except for advertising and page layout.

A year or two into our relationship, Laura and I redesigned the entire publication. I restructured the editorial staff, deleting some columns, renaming some, introducing others, and adding several associate editor positions. From among a number of designs that Laura gathered, we opted for the clean look we still have today, and Laura modernized the fonts and page design, resulting in the current sophisticated and professional appearance. That new look, incidentally, eliminates the wasted “white space” that was all too prevalent before. That, however, necessitates my finding appropriate filler, generally poetry that relates thematically to content or season of publication, a challenge that I have found to be much fun. I would be interested to learn how readers react to the filler material.

Additionally, the quality of writing has dramatically improved over the years. Peer review, conducted by a highly qualified and committed editorial board, has elevated acceptance standards and instituted a more rigorous review. As a result, the Journal of Singing has increased its impact on the academic community as a premiere publication among voice practitioners.

Along with that, the journal has considerably expanded in content and size. We now publish 13 — soon to be 14 — discrete columns, three review columns, and frequent special offerings, such as “NATS Visits AATS,” guest editorials, and similar material.

Finally, in the last year or so, we’ve initiated a move to increase our technological facility in terms of submission, processing, and publication of materials. We have developed a relationship with Clarivate ScholarOne to facilitate the submission process; we have acquired membership in Crossref to update citation practices through DOI assignments; and we are now associated with Project MUSE for digital dissemination of the journal. All of the above established the Journal of Singing firmly in the 21st century, bringing it in line with other scholarly periodicals.

Which issue was your very first as editor-in-chief, and how’d you feel when your first issue was complete?

My name was identified as editor on the masthead page of the Jan/Feb 2001 issue, but I was responsible for no part of it. I proofed final copy for the following Mar/Apr issue, but, again, had no part in its content. The first issue for which I was fully responsible was Journal of Singing 57, no. 5 (May/June 2001). I experienced a certain elation seeing my first issue in print, and, admittedly, even more with the next issue (JOS 58, no. 1 [Sep/Oct 2001]), which began my first full publication cycle. By the time I step aside in 2023, I will have overseen 112 issues — and written the same number of “Editor’s Commentary” columns!

When you think back over all of the columns and issues you have produced, is there a particular article, column or issue that sticks out as most memorable?

This question is a little difficult to answer, because I take great pride in each issue, each of which is a labor of love, and each carries its own particular birth pangs. Two issues, however, stand out in high profile for me, both of which were “firsts” for the periodical, and both of which, if I may say, resulted from an extraordinary amount of work. One is the Festschrift for Richard Miller in commemoration of his 80th birthday (JOS 63, no. 3 [Jan/Feb 2007]); the other is the 75th Anniversary of NATS issue (JOS 76, no. 1 [Sep/Oct 2019]). Both are unique in form and content.

In general, reader response to journal content has been sparse over the years, and that has been a mild disappointment. I had hoped, for example, that “Letters to the Editor” would become a forum for reader communication and dialogue, but that has not happened . . . at least, to the extent that I had hoped.

Where do you find inspiration for your editor columns?

It’s interesting to note that I hadn’t really expected to write a continuing column. In my first issue, I wrote a brief essay introducing readers to myself and outlining my vision for the journal, and at that time I opined that I might write a column now and then, if I had something to say. Now and then turned into from then to now! Of course, I take up the pen each time with much trepidation, knowing that something is expected and feeling that I have to deliver, and have at times I’ve labored over what to say. Once we got on board with devoting each Mar/Apr issue to the World Voice Day theme for that year, the content for the corresponding “Editor’s Commentary” was predetermined. Other than that, I try to follow the dictum of writing what I know (which is limiting!) and what I feel passionate about. Five more to go!

From start to finish, how long does it take to complete one issue of Journal of Singing on average? Which part is most time-consuming or tedious? Is there any part of the production process that you now consider “easier” or perhaps “more enjoyable” after much experience?

The short answer: 4 months. That answer is complicated by the fact that feature articles often endure a timeframe of up to 2 years from submission through peer review to publication. Plus, it’s no exaggeration to say that I think about the journal all the time. But to return to my short answer: Following a given contributors’ deadline, I have one month to amass and edit a manuscript to submit by my own deadline. Laura then incorporates my edits and puts the manuscript in page layout. Next, I receive two sets of proofs, the second including advertising, before the issue goes to Modern Litho for typesetting. After that, I receive the bluelines, my final look at the issue before printing and mailing.

I would think that the most time-consuming aspect is the editing itself. During a NATS CHAT early in my editorship, I was asked whether during editing I concentrated more on “the what” or “the how.” I do both, actually, although it may require several readings. Still, I’m surprised — and disappointed in myself! — that I still find occasional errors I find after multiple readings. Editing doesn’t become any easier, although it may be quicker, because one becomes more facile at noting anomalies in punctuation, for example, but also in usage.

You’ve had the privilege to work with many people over the years on JOS. Anything you’d like to say to them?

Where do I begin? I have spent long years in academia, and have worked with many accomplished, dedicated professionals, but only within NATS have I encountered such a panoply of passionately devoted professionals and uniformly expert voice practitioners. This is true from the NATS office to my journal contributors, editorial staff, and graphics artist/production manager. I could wax rhapsodic at considerable length, and still not be able adequately to express my admiration, gratitude, and love for these people. These are not only colleagues, but also personal friends who have encouraged and supported me over the years. They will never fully know to what extent they have impacted my life, and to them I can only say, “THANK YOU”!

What do you hope your legacy will be? What do you foresee for the future of JOS?

I hope my legacy would be that, with the invaluable help of many others, I was able to bring the Journal of Singing to a new level of sophistication and relevance. I hope, too, that the journal reflects my personality, passion, philosophy, and an honest editorial policy and practice.

My successor undoubtedly will be more digitally literate than I, and I expect that our current technological initiatives will strengthen and widen the journal’s impact. I continue to hope, however, that the journal will not become completely an online publication. I remain convinced that as a scholarly publication, it has significant shelf life for individuals and the academic community.

Do you have plans for what you will be doing with your time that you previously devoted to the journal?

When I left active teaching in 2007, I was already into my 6th year as editor-in-chief, and the word “retired” certainly was not an apt descriptor for my life. Then, as I shifted focus more exclusively on the journal, the job expanded to fit the time allotted to it. I anticipate an eerie feeling next year when I don’t have something substantial to take its place. I plan to remain active in NATS in whatever capacity the association can use me. I would hope that a new journal editor would consult with me on occasion, and perhaps even ask me to write a line or two. I will continue to conduct my church choir, to lead a book study group at my church, and I have a stack of books to read and reread that probably will occupy more time than is left to me.

You’ll always be dear to NATS! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

It has been a monumental privilege to serve NATS and the Journal of Singing, and I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to make a difference. Whether or not I have is for others to determine.

Thank you for your time! We’re grateful for all that you’ve done and continue to do for the Journal of Singing and NATS.

Join us over the course of the 2022-2023 publication cycle as NATS continues to celebrate Richard Sjoedsma. Have you been impacted positively by the journal or Sjoerdsma’s tenure? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us line at info@nats.org.