Thursday, March 24, 2011

Fun Opportunities for Boy Singers

By: Kobi Russell, Central Intermediate
This is Kobi's 5th year singing with BCC. He is 11 years old. 

I recently had the chance to experience two great opportunities for boy singers. A BCC Staff Member invited me to the Young Men’s Choral Festival at Boston Latin School, and I decided to go. I did not sing in it, I was part of the audience. I went with my family. It wasn’t just the BCC YME (Young Men’s Ensemble), but other boy and men choirs as well. It was very cool to see and hear so many males in song at once, which is rare! The music went from silly and quirky, to Gospel, to sea shanties! It was very enjoyable! I could imagine myself doing that concert when I was older! 

Kobi demonstrates his changing voice for Fernando Malvar-Ruiz and other music educators in attendance at BCC's Professional Development weekend

The boys at BCC also had another great opportunity recently. They were able to arrange for Fernando Malvar-Ruiz to visit and give lectures to other music teachers as part of a Professional Development weekend this month. He gave a lecture on the boy’s changing voice, and I was invited to be on a panel of boys who demonstrated their voices for the teachers who were there. It was remarkable to see how high the boys could sing, and then how low. I am 11, so I am at the stage where it’s tricky to sing very high, but I can still do it. One thing that Fernando said that I liked was this: “In America, we call it the Changing Voice, in Europe, they call it the Breaking Voice, but the way to think about it is the Evolving Voice.” I really like that because it doesn’t make boys feel like singing is over for them, but that they are just evolving. I had a good time at both young men’s events!

If you have a boy who likes to sing, BCC is the place for them! Get Vocal. Join Us.

In fact, BCC is holding auditions soon! Click here for more information.

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