Coming Full Circle: Meet Jeffrey Francom, ISU’s New Choral Director

Jeffrey Francom, DMA, the new Director of Choral Activities at Idaho State, is excited to come back to his family roots.

After many years in Logan, Argentina, Florida, and New York—and after traveling around the globe to provide life-changing experiences for his students—Jeff shares what he’s excited to bring to the community as he returns full circle to the region.

Francom began his musical career as an undergraduate in piano performance at Utah State University (USU). While there, he fell in love with choral music as he worked with the Cache Children’s Choir and Northern Utah Choral Society. He then went on a two-year church mission to South America, where he witnessed the poverty that is prevalent in so many parts of Argentina. He didn’t see many pianos, and few could afford music lessons, but they all loved to sing. Surrounded by new cultural traditions, and encouraged by children singing folk songs in the streets, he realized that vocal music is an artform anyone can pursue, regardless of life’s circumstances. 

“I fell in love with the people of Argentina,” he says. “They changed my life, and I chose to pursue choral music because I know it can inspire us physically, emotionally, and spiritually; it unifies communities, builds character, is accessible to everyone; and I truly hoped that I would return one day to make music again with my friends in Argentina.”

Francom returned to USU with a renewed focus on vocal music, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance, a minor in Spanish, and a teaching certificate. Afterward, he received an assistantship to teach in Florida, where he earned a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Florida. After teaching high school in Jacksonville, he continued his education at Stony Brook University, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting in 2009. Francom then taught on Long Island and in Potsdam, NY, where he pursued a Master of Education in educational leadership at Saint Lawrence University. For the past 15 years, he has taught at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY.

Francom reflects that his educational and career journey has brought him and his family full circle from Logan to the East Coast, and now back to the region where his ancestors settled. 

“For 25 years, my wife, Kelly, has been talking about how much she loved living in Idaho when she attended Rick’s College,” Francom says. “She was over the moon about moving back to the area. We love Pocatello, and we’re so excited to be here.”

The Francom family

 

Francom’s vision for the choral program at ISU is to involve more people in singing, making it a fun and inclusive activity for everyone. He welcomes all students and community members, even those with little or no singing experience. 

“I wish everyone would sing,” Francom says. “Singing is fun! In October, we’re bringing gospel music specialist Dr. Raymond Wise to campus. In Florida, kids would stay after school for hours to sing gospel. They loved it. It was part of their language, their culture, their religion. There is much we can learn from gospel singing.”

Chair of the Department of Music at ISU, Dr. Shandra Helman, believes that Francom is the perfect person for this role. “He will be able to immediately connect with our students and the community,” she says. “The more singing we enjoy in our area, the better for everyone!”

Francom also wants to explore unique musical cultures and traditions of Idaho. “Singing has been a part of our culture for generations, but for many, its significance has been lost, forgotten, or replaced by other cultural interests.”

One of Francom’s passions is shape-note singing, a musical tradition rooted in nineteenth-century social singing. This unique system of Western musical notation employs distinct shapes for note heads, each representing a specific scale degree and solfege syllable. Itinerant music teachers would travel throughout New England and the South, teaching communities to sing from tune books like The Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony. According to Francom, this musical tradition, familiar to early pioneer settlers, is no longer practiced in Idaho.

Francom says, “There are similarities between gospel and shape-note singing. Both genres reinforce the idea that everyone has a place in the choir. Untrained voices are sometimes the best voices when it comes to making a loud and joyful noise!” 

He acknowledges his love and appreciation for traditional choral composers, while also stressing the importance of incorporating music that resonates with younger singers. Francom wants to recruit as many as possible to perform with the university choirs and with Pocatello’s Camerata Singers.

Many choral students at ISU are music education majors. Francom hopes to prepare them to teach others by introducing them to a new and diverse repertoire, fostering important teaching dispositions, and helping them develop a love and appreciation for all types of people. 

“We need to learn from each other’s experiences and challenges,” he says. “Music that is culturally diverse can improve our quality of life. My international students have much to say about their cultural values and traditions. Sometimes we have a difficult time identifying, appreciating, or even continuing cultural values that were passed on to us, but it’s also okay to adopt new traditions.” 

Pedagogically, Francom appreciates the teachings of American philosopher Nel Noddings, who argued that caring is at the heart of morality, that relationships are fundamental to being human, and that our identity is shaped by the connections we have with others.

“We need to model the type of people we want our students to be,” Francom says. “We want them to be caring individuals inside and outside of the home. Through music, I try to inspire students to be better people, to live better lives.”

Recognizing that music can improve other aspects of human life, such as increasing productivity, improving mood and stress, and more, Francom hopes that more people will take advantage of opportunities to sing in choirs. This semester, he’s seeking greater involvement from the community as he invites those with a cultural connection to gospel music. “If you sing or appreciate gospel music, don’t miss out on this opportunity to work with Dr. Wise,” he says. “All are welcome!”

One barrier to involvement can be auditions, which tend to scare some people away. The Camerata Singers is open to everyone in Pocatello. It is a non-auditioned choir where participants will also learn the fundamentals of choral singing. They rehearse at ISU’s Fine Arts Building on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

“I want people to know that this is a friendly and accepting place to sing for the first time,” he says. 

This year, Francom says he’s looking forward to getting to know the Pocatello community and culture as he also shares what he’s learned from living on the East Coast. “There are pockets of choral music around the U.S. Choirs in New York aren’t always familiar with music that’s being performed in Florida. I look forward to sharing music that I’ve gathered from around the world.” 

Francom likes to commission new works and hopes to do so at ISU. He also plans to collaborate with PBS as he works with students to develop teaching and learning resources for public schools. He has been reaching out to public school teachers in the area to volunteer his support and services.

Travel has had a profound impact on Francom's students, and he has led them on global journeys to Europe, South America, and elsewhere. In 2017 and 2022, his choirs spent a semester learning Joby Talbot's “Path of Miracles” before embarking on the Camino de Santiago, a renowned pilgrimage. For over a month, they walked from France to the coast of Spain, singing in many churches along the way.

Francom has led students on global journeys to Europe, South America, and elsewhere

 

“We loved our fellow pilgrims,” he says. “They would follow us from church to church, recording our performances and sharing them on social media. Many of my singers were kids who had struggled academically, socially, or in other ways. This experience, and the music, helped give them a greater purpose in life. It changed us all.”

In another example of coming full-circle, Francom was able to live his dream of returning to the country that had inspired his professional journey. Last year, he and his family spent six months in Argentina where he was able to renew friendships and make music with people he knew 25 years ago.

“It was my dream to return to Argentina,” he says. “I lived in the same area I had lived before; conducted community, school, and church choirs; adjudicated an international choral festival; and took folk music classes at the local university. The people of Argentina reminded me to slow down, to enjoy life, and to focus on the things that really matter. They inspired me to make this move to Pocatello.”

For more information about the choirs, or to support the choral program at ISU, please reach out to the Department of Music at music@isu.edu, (208) 282-3636; or contact Jeffrey Francom directly at jfrancom@isu.edu.

You don’t need to be a major or even a minor to participate in a show, performance ensemble, or course of interest. Department of Music ensembles at ISU are open to anyone who wants to join.