Frank K. DeWald

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Frank K. DeWald is an American composer.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Michigan State University. He has taught vocal music in the Okemos, Michigan public schools since 1973. From 1974 to 1986 he also directed the Okemos Community Church Chancel Choir. Other choirs he has directed include the Greater Lansing Opera Company Chorus, the MSU Youth Music Choir and Summer Chorale, and four Michigan School Vocal Music Association Honors Choirs (in 1987, 1993, 1997 and 2004). He has taught middle school vocal music methods and materials at Michigan State University and in July 2000 he was composer-in-residence for the Summer Arts Institute in Ann Arbor. He has acted as a clinician and adjudicator throughout Michigan.

In 1994 he conducted the Louisiana Music Educators All-State Choir, and in 1995 directed the Montana AA Choral Festival in Helena. He has published numerous articles on film music, some of which were cited in American Film as "worthy of inclusion in any anthology on the topic."^{[citation needed]} He is also a contributor to The Listener's Companion: A Comparative Guide to Classical Recordings (Miller Freeman, Inc., Fall 2002) and his written liner notes for Naxos Records, the world's best-selling classical label, as well as both choral and CD reviews for The Choral Journal, published by the American Choral Directors Association.

He has composed numerous choral works for church and school (some of which are published by Boosey & Hawkes and Walton Music), incidental music for plays and six full-length children's musicals. The MSVMA Junior High SA Honors Choir, under the direction of colleague Debra Borton, will premiere his latest piece, "The Music Makers," at the State Music Education Conference in January, 2007. In 1995 Mr. DeWald was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. Mr. DeWald is known throughout the state and indeed national choral community for his elite choral group, the Someko Singers.