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Register by October 17 to Secure Your Spot!
| Registration Type | Member Price |
|---|---|
| Early Bird Registration (Sept. 11-Oct.3) | $750 |
| General Registration (Oct. 4-Oct.17) | $850 |
There is no question that music education is vital for students of all backgrounds and ages. Music education has a positive impact on students’ grades, creativity, and ability to learn. But, there can be many barriers that prevent quality music education from being delivered.
Barriers like geographical location, a lack of teaching practices that recognize neurodiversity, socio-economic inequities, and the absence of a culturally affirming curriculum can limit engagement. Schools do what they can to provide quality music education, but with limited funding, they sometimes fall short of what the individual student needs to stay engaged and connected to music and their peers. How do we help bridge these gaps?
Phoenix Children’s Chorus, San Diego Children’s Choir, Border CrosSing, and Augusta Heritage Center are some of the organizations stepping up to fill these gaps. As recipients of Chorus America’s Music Education Partnership Grants, these programs are finding creative ways to overcome barriers and bring meaningful music education to their communities. Here’s a look at how they’re making a difference.
Phoenix Children’s Chorus
In Phoenix, Arizona the Phoenix Children’s Chorus is a leader in music education, providing instruction on music literacy and choral performance. The program consists of more than 300 chorus members in multiple ensembles and is committed to making quality music education accessible to all who want it.
Tutti, their adaptive chorus, is newly created to embrace and welcome singers of all abilities, music experience, physical capabilities, and cognitive functions. This ensemble offers a more personalized approach, creating an accessible learning environment and a supportive community where all singers, with a love of singing, can thrive. They do this through rote singing, accessible musical techniques, sign singing with American Sign Language (ASL), using picture exchange communication systems (PECS), and incorporating a mentorship program with students from other PCC programs. Tutti recognizes that children with disabilities bring unique cultures and experiences to the table. By meeting these students where they are, the program creates meaningful learning and performance opportunities and ensures that every voice can participate.
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San Diego Children’s Choir
The San Diego Children’s Choir aims to provide music education and unique performance opportunities to children that aid in their individual development while also nurturing their artistic skills. They focus on creative rehearsal techniques that engage the singers in healthy vocal production and leadership skills. Students learn diverse repertoire that allow them to go deeper into cultural context and histories of each song. Some of what they learn includes, “Sarasponda” from the Netherlands, “Caballito Blanco” from Mexico, and “Funga Alafia” from West Africa.
Their partnership with Title I elementary schools allows them to reach over 800 Universal Transitional Kindergarten through 3rd-grade students who identify as BIPOC. These students, who might not otherwise have access to music instruction, now benefit from in-class, sequential choral music education for up to 30 weeks each academic year. By bringing music directly to the classroom, the San Diego Children’s Chorus ensures that every child has the chance to be introduced to music making.
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Border CrosSing
Border CrosSing is a choral music nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota whose mission of integration is focused on connecting communities through song. ¡Dale!, their Education Outreach Program brings the transformative power of music directly to middle and high school students through Latinx choral music workshops and performances. Students learn repertoire from different cultures, language, and dialects, with a special emphasis on Latin-American Traditions. The students even get to learn some music that is part of the Border CrosSing sheet music series. ¡Dale! eliminates the barriers of transportation and cost by bringing professional musicians and workshops directly into schools. Students not only get to learn from professional artists but also perform for their communities.
Border CrosSing recognizes that making music education truly accessible means meeting students where they are. Their approach is tailored to each school and community, starting with a simple question: “What do you need from us?” By adapting to the unique needs of every student and school, they can be sure that their support is meaningful and effective.
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Augusta Heritage Center
Located in Elkins, West Virginia, Augusta Heritage Center, is dedicated to providing quality folk arts education to underserved communities in Randolph County. All public elementary schools in the county are Title 1 schools which, combined with the area's isolated geography and small population, results in fewer cultural and music education opportunities for the community.
The Augusta Heritage Center’s World Music Singing Course brings cultural learning directly to the students of Randolph County in the form of a series of interactive singing assemblies in the public schools. To create meaningful connections, Augusta Heritage Center carefully selects artists who they feel reflect the students' experiences and identities as well as opening windows to the wider world. The assemblies foster both cross-cultural understanding and a deeper appreciation of local West Virginian culture. Some of the artists the students will be learning from this semester are Ginny Hawker, a singer of traditional West Virginian singing styles; Eimear Arkins, an Irish traditional singer and fiddle player, and Moira Smiley an American singer with experience in American, Irish, and Balkan vocal styles. By seeing themselves in these musicians, students form an immediate connection, leading to greater engagement. Many continue singing the songs they learn in the program, even years later.
