Albert Lea High School’s vocal music director has been elected the state choral vice president for the Minnesota Music Educators Association.

As part of her two-year term, Diane Heaney will run the All-State Choir camp for two years. The camp will be at Concordia College in Moorhead this summer. Next year, it will be at a different location.

“It’s a good organization,” she said.

As the vice president, she serves on the state board, which means she will be involved in policy decisions. She’ll attend quarterly meetings as well as the big conference held in February of each year, where the All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra all perform.

In addition, she’s helping to set up a site for All-State auditions in Albert Lea, which will be on March 11 from noon to 9 p.m.

Heaney is in her 16th year as the high school vocal music director for Albert Lea Public Schools. She has a bachelor of music education degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and a master of music education degree from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She taught seventh- through 12th-grade vocal music in Montevideo; Hull, Iowa; and Menomonie, Wis.

In Albert Lea, she serves as department chair and directs the freshman Tiger Choir, junior high show choir, women’s varsity choir, concert choir, chorale, caroliers, “CAT”aclysmic show choir, the annual musical and gives private voice lessons. Choirs under her direction have appeared at the Luther College Dorian Choral Festival, Minnesota State University-Mankato Festival and the Minnesota Music Educators Conference. She was named District 241 Teacher of the Year in 2007 and was a semi-finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2008.

Heaney sings as a soloist and in a professional choir, Nova Cantabile, during the Christmas season. She has had roles in the Albert Lea Community Theatre productions of “Swing,” “Smokey Joe’s Café” and “My Way.” She is also active as a church organist, vocal adjudicator and choral clinician.

Heaney has also served as the alto section coach for Minnesota All-State Choirs. She is a member of the Minnesota Quality Teaching Network in the Arts and has done standards and assessment workshops for large ensemble music classes.

Heaney and her husband, Clyde Buendorf, have two children, Claire and Jack. They live near Kiester.