What We're Up To: Reflecting on MLK

By: Olivia Duvall, Concert Choir
Olivia has been in BCC for two years. She is 12 years old.

The year before I joined BCC, I went to the MLK concert to see what BCC was like. I was engaged the entire time, which is pretty impressive considering I was only 8 or 9 years old. Each year since that I have been engaged for the duration of the concert! This year was no exception, but in quite a different way because I got to perform!


During down time and meals, I had a great time with my friends, and participating in the concert was very fun, too. My favorite piece was definitely "Horizons." Watching PC and YME sing it was simply magical, and being able to perform alongside them was an honor. Though there was a lot of time where we were not singing, we still had to be professional the entire time, which was hard. But all of our hard work paid off in the end, and we produced an amazing concert once again! I am honored to be part of an organization that can create such magical times such as the MLK concert.

By: Madeline Mechem, Concert Choir
Maddie has been in BCC for 5 years. She is 16 years old.

The weekend leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of the busiest for the Boston Children’s Chorus. This year, which was the 9th concert at Jordan Hall, was the first in which my choir, Concert Choir, was performing onstage. Last year was the first MLK concert we performed in, though we only played minor parts in the aisles.

Concert Choir’s MLK weekend starts the Friday before, at Temple Israel in Boston. Every year, Temple Israel has a special Shabbat service in honor of Dr. King, and CC has performed there for several years. Our set lists always include a piece in Hebrew and any songs from our repertoire that seem relevant. This year, we sang Let the Heavens Be Glad (alongside the Temple Israel Choir), Climbin’ Up The Mountain Children and Stand Together. With the congregation, we sang Havah Nashira and, in a blast from last year, Oseh Shalom, which brought back memories for those who were in last year’s CC. The Temple Israel MLK Shabbat is always really fun, because it is really centered on music. At one point in the service, members of the synagogue will pass out instruments to the audience, which includes Concert Choir, and everyone who has an instrument will bang on it or shake it in tempo with the music that is playing. Also, everyone at Temple Israel is so nice, and they must like us, since they keep inviting us back every year.


Two days later, Concert Choir, along with Premier Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble, came to Jordan Hall. We arrived around 12 pm, so that we could attend a class held by American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle who was this year’s celebrity guest. Ms. Doolittle is an amazing person and a great singer. She told us her story, how she became interested in music, how she wound up on American Idol. Then, she took about half an hour, probably more, and listened to representatives from each of the three choirs sing, after which, she would give them tips on how they could take that song from ‘awesome’ to ‘extraordinary.’ CC only had one representative, which was Madison King-Gianno (Maddi). She sang Someone Like You by Adele, and did a great job. Other performers were Alana (PC) and Marlon Matthews (YME)and Khamari Barnes (YME). There were about twenty or so people who went up on that stage, and all of them did spectacularly.

After the class, we all went into rehearsal. After warm-ups, CC stayed in the rehearsal area with our conductor, Mrs. Adams, until it was time to go into the hall. For those who haven’t been there, Jordan hall is a huge space, with gilded décor, a huge stage, and a gigantic balcony. CC’s rehearsal was pretty short, since we only had four songs to sing. The opening song, which we were onstage for, was the National Anthem as arranged (re-written) by Anthony Trecek-King (conductor of PC/YME and Artistic Director of BCC). Then we went offstage, and half of us, including myself, went up to the balcony, while the rest stayed on the ground floor. From these positions, we went into the hall and added sound effects to an a capella piece called Horizons. In this piece, we were humming and singing at certain parts, trying to add an eerie effect to the piece. After Horizons, those of us in the balcony went downstairs and waited by the doors for the next song, which came five or six songs later. This song, I’ll Fly Away, was performed in a sort of bluegrass-country style, and CC’s job was to come in through the doors on the last chorus, smiling and dancing and singing, trying to get the audience involved.


For the last song we rehearsed, we came in singing the last chorus, trying to get the audience engaged. The song, I Go To The Rock, done a sort of blues-jazz-soft rock style, was sung alongside Melinda Doolittle, who opened the song with Rock of Ages. This song was actually sung twice during the concert, once in the middle without us, and once as a reprise where we actually did come in.


MLK day finally came, and everyone in Jordan hall was running around, looking busy. There were two mostly full houses to seat, three choirs to feed, 150 people to coordinate, and someone (me) left their uniform at home. Once everything got settled, and everyone was in place, the show began. There were two concerts, and both went about the same way. Concert Choir opened, and the National Anthem sounded really cool the way it was arranged in a three part harmony. It also sounded better than it had in rehearsal, when it was almost perfect. Horizons was mysteriously pretty, with great harmonies, and the “mists” of Concert Choir did their job nicely. The other two pieces were fun, and they sounded great. Ms. Doolittle was engaging as a host and amazing as a performer. PC and YME sounded fantastic, and no one smashed the door into my face while I was listening through the cracks next to the hinges. All in all, it was just another great MLK concert, one that I hope CC can repeat next year.

What We're Up To: Paying Tribute the Best Way We Can

Editor's Note: Today we are sharing two blog posts about our singers' experience at the Massachusetts Remembers 9-11 Commemoration. BCC was a featured performer at the event. More information can be found on our website.

By Isabel Koyama, Premier Choir
Isabel has been in BCC for 9 years. She is sixteen years old.

Sunday was the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and appropriately, BCC was there as a musical voice of Boston to bring hope to a confused yet reflective city. It was a hot day, and we wore our black uniforms, which didn't make the heat any easier. But just as we did in Jordan three years ago, we tolerated the heat like true professionals! Although we were shaded by the arched Hatch Shell, I sat near the end of my row, right where the sun decided to shine only on my seat. But even through the baking penetration of the sun, I could not have been more glad to sit through the event from the stage. From my seat I watched the Pops play patriotic songs, and Deval Patrick offer reflection. I watched people of all different religions unite in one prayer. I watched a black female vocalist sing from her soul. I heard the family members of victims tell inspiring stories of how they have overcome the unconscionable death of their loved ones ten years ago.

BCC singers perform with the Boston Pops Brass Ensemble at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade

In preparing for our first concert, we practiced songs such as "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and "This is my Song." My first impression of these songs bordered on disgust -- they were so predictably corny. Everything about them was sappy and cliche. But after hearing the speakers I looked at the lyrics to "This is my Song" with a new outlook:

"My country's skies are bluer than the ocean
And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine"

I considered these words as I sang them, how they can bring hope to victims' families in a time when they are brought back to hopelessness; how much it must mean to them that I am singing this song. I thought about the beautiful idea of equity behind this verse - We spend so much time trying to protect what is labeled ours, but in actuality we all live under the same sky. Anyone should be able to look up and see a beautiful, refreshing blue sky above them. Yet war and violence can, metaphorically and literally, turn a blue sky gray.

As I pondered these lyrics I began to sing not for myself, but for them. And by "them" I mean the victims, the victims' families, or any person in the world who is victimized. I felt myself beginning to tear up from the lyrics that I had scoffed at the day before.

In my 9 years of participating in BCC, I have heard our mission statement hundreds of times. It is important to me to interpret it and try to make meaning from it. On Sunday, I felt that our mission, for me, was accomplished. It was accomplished by using music to bring hope to the city of Boston when it needed it most. Through song we exemplified compassion, understanding, unity, and humility; and even if this message of understanding was only internalized by one audience member it was still worth it. BCC was a shoulder for Bostonians to lean on; and if that isn't social change, I don't know what is.


By Allana Matthews, Premier Choir
Allana has been in BCC for nine years. She is seventeen years old.

On Sunday, we had the wonderful opportunity to sing with the Boston Pops for the ten-year anniversary of the tragic event that shook our nation on September 11, 2001. Premier Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble lifted their voices in song, singing patriotic songs as well as songs of hope. Although 9-11 is not a happy day, our music sang to the souls of the fallen, and spoke hope and encouragement for the future to their families.

To be part of such an amazing event was very rewarding. It was an opportunity to reflect on the mission of the Boston Children’s Chorus - we harness the power of music as a catalyst for social change, and that is exactly what we did on the stage at the Esplanade. Ten years ago, there was a terrorist attack against our nation that screamed hate. It was in this time that our nation joined together to promote peace, and spread a beacon of courage, hope and strength for the future. It didn’t matter what the race, the religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background or economic status- we ALL needed one another in that sad time.

On that stage, that is what we stood for. Singing for peace and love, and using music to spread the message of a world without hate.

“Imagine all the people, living life in peace” – John Lennon

What We're Up To: TOUR!!!

This is the last blog post you will read before our Premier Choir and Young Men's Ensemble singers take over the blog entirely for about two weeks with their pictures, news and musings from tour. Tonight, 59 singers and 12 adults will board a British Airways flight to the United Kingdom for BCC's 4^th international cultural exchange tour. The itinerary is available on our website. We hope you will support our community by following along on the journey! There are 3 ways you can do that: 

1. Read our blog (you're one step ahead - keep it up!). A different singer will post to the blog each day! They will be excited to share their photos and thoughts on their day, and how it relates to their experience at BCC as a whole. We encourage you to comment on their postings - it's the best way of communicating with them while they are away. 
2. Follow us on Twitter.  For all you tweeps, our handle is @BCChorus. Please use the hashtag #BCCtour for your tweets! If you're not on Twitter yet, it might be a good time to get "attwicted!"
3. Find us on Facebook. We hope you will visit our page before the end of the tour on July 8th. During the tour, we are trying to raise the equivalent of one student's scholarship for the trip. You can find information about that Fundraising Project on our page, on the Support BCC tab. If a financial contribution is not possible at this time, we hope you will Join Our Cause, and share the information with your network of Facebook friends.

Thank you for the rich and vibrant community you've helped us to create here at BCC. We look forward to growing our reputation around the world with your support!

What We're Up To: The David Howse Edition

If there is one thing that you should know about David Howse, it’s that he doesn’t like to dwell on the accolades he receives. Instead, he looks for the next opportunity to raise the profile of BCC through public recognition. While the staff appreciates his humility, we are proud of his leadership success and would like to share two examples in this post!

First, David was interviewed on Magic 106.7 this past weekend for their show Boston Life. The host of the show read David’s recent Boston Globe article and was inspired to talk to him further. He spoke about the history of the chorus, his involvement in it, and our upcoming tour to the UK, among other things. You can hear the full interview here, on our website.

Second, David has been handpicked to be part of National Arts Strategies’ Chief Executive Program. This two-year initiative will bring together 100 global cultural leaders to address key issues of competition, investment and relevance.

Russell Willis Taylor, the CEO of National Arts Strategies, said the following about the program, “Our cultural institutions are at a crossroads, in which their relevance and even the role of the arts in civil society are being questioned. The Chief Executive Program will create a leadership community to reframe issues and develop new opportunities for individual institutions and create meaningful models for the field at large; and helping a set of outstanding individuals re-imagine what cultural institutions will be and how they can contribute to civil society.”

Clearly, David is honored to have a stake in shaping the conversation about arts and culture in our society. Also, as a very young and still relatively small organization, BCC stands to gain a lot from the exposure that this opportunity will provide. We look forward to sharing more about this program when it begins in the fall.

David’s reputation as a community builder and a progressive thinker is quickly cementing his future as a key leader in the cultural sector. We are so gratified to have him as our Executive Director!

We encourage you to Get Vocal! Support BCC’s efforts, or congratulate David by commenting below! If you are reading this post on our website, please visit bostonchildrenschorus.blogspot.com to make a comment.

What We're Up To: Building a Mentorship Program

One of the things that we see an opportunity to improve at BCC is the mentoring aspect of our youth development program. We hope that our readers know that we do A LOT more than sing here at BCC – if you need a reminder of what our mission is exactly, check it out on our website.

Edward Clapp

Over the summer, we are going to be working with Harvard Doctoral candidate Edward Clapp to launch an Omni-Directional Mentorship program (more on what that means later). It will be active starting at the beginning of next season. Over the past few months, Clapp has held one-on-one conversations with singers, parents, staff, and board members about how we relate to one another at BCC and how we can improve our interactions. He presented his initial findings this week in a discussion-oriented session at BCC Central, open to the same broad range of people.

He pointed out that when we typically think about mentorship, we imagine a top-down relationship (i.e. from a more experienced person to a less-experienced person). Omni-directional membership is different because it considers other directions, like bottom-up and lateral (i.e. peer) relationships. An organization that effectively uses omni-directional membership creates a web of learning, where “all leaders are learners, and all learners are leaders.”

Clapp presents his thoughts on the
points of "resonance"
and "dissonance" at BCC

In developing this program with BCC, Clapp is using a very appropriate metaphor – the voice! He asked attendees to think about how they “hear voice” and “have voice” within the organization, as well as the areas in which the very broad BCC community has “resonance” (i.e. agreement) and “dissonance” (i.e. disagreement). The greater the resonance within the organization, the more likely we are to have “harmony,” which Clapp defined as a powerful expression of the mission, vision, and/or purpose of the organization.

Singers, parents, staff
and board offered ideas.

The group in attendance talked about a lot of ways that we could foster relationships within and across stakeholder groups. Singers expressed a strong interest in getting to know the board, newer parents wanted an opportunity to interact with older parents, parents were interested in experiencing what singers are learning in rehearsal.

However the program takes shape this fall, all of us can count on being asked to be involved, including our audience, funders, and alumni! Clapp is intent on enhancing our community through knowledge sharing and “curiosity about the other.” We hope you’ll come along with us on this journey, because our community has something to learn from your voice!

Why not start Getting Vocal now? Leave a comment about your role in BCC’s community, the ways you would like to see it grow or change, and your suggestions about how we should get there! If you are reading this post on our website, please visit the blog at bostonchildrenschorus.blogspot.com to make your comment. Thanks!

What We're Up To: Season Finale Concert

By: Maddie Mechem, Concert Choir

Maddie has been in BCC for 4 years. She is 15 years old.

   On May 22nd, BCC performed its last concert of the season. This is the concert where everyone shows off what they learned during the year, and says goodbye to the departing seniors, which is like saying goodbye to family. In Concert Choir, we had to say goodbye to Vanessa Zamy, who will attend Stanford, and Amanda Yee, who is going to UMASS Lowell.

Members of CU

   There is always a lot to do before the final concert, since we have to look and sound our best. In years past, we have based the concert on a theme, like musicals (2008-09) or movies (2009-10), but this year, we had no theme, just a lot of great music.

   Concert Choir and Choral Union started off the concert with The Storm is Passing Over, a gospel piece that was really fun to sing despite the difficulties of clapping and singing at the same time. CU then performed Windy Nights and Ojos Azules, the latter of which was extremely pretty, and done a capella.

 We followed up with We Will, Rise Up My Love (which is a text from the Song of Solomon, and was also done a capella), and This is the Day, in which Olayeni and Oladunni Oladipo did a fantastic solo. After this, CC went up to the balcony to watch the rest of the show.

Training choirs with Ms. I

    The Training Choirs followed us. They sang Siyahamba, O Desayo, and Ching a Ring Chaw (and Great Gittin’ Up Mornin’), and they did a great job on all three. Then came the Intermediate Choirs, who sang Ma Navu (Hebrew text), How Can I Keep From Singing? (American folk hymn), and Everlasting Melody, all of which were performed very well, especially Ma Navu, which was intense, but pretty at the same time.
 
    After Everlasting Melody, all the choirs sang together for A Place In This World, a very pretty piece written by BCC’s Composer-in-Residence, Bill Banfield. I love this song, because it has a really sweet message, that “everyone has a place in the world.”

Ella plays cuatro during
La Paloma

After this piece, YME took the stage for Despertar (“to wake up”), a fantastic song about someone who sees the sun rise, and is amazed by everything around him. Then PC came on and performed La Paloma (“the dove”), which is a pretty and attention-grabbing piece, with Ella Williams on the cuatro, which looks like a ukulele, but sounds more like a guitar. Both pieces had originally been performed at the April 9th concert with Maria Guinand. After La Paloma, PC and YME sang Alleluia, which was another pretty song, and Mr. T-K acknowledged the graduating seniors and their families. PC began to sing If I had a Dream, which was performed at the MLK concert with Kyle and Christopher Massey. They sang it for about 30 seconds, then stopped to laughter and applause, and everyone was smiling. PC and YME then sang another piece from the April 9th concert, Salseo, which seems like a fun piece to sing, and sounds great.

    As the finale, CC, who had been waiting patiently for about half an hour, came up on stage. PC and YME were behind us on the risers, and everyone else was in front of us. CC was going to be the call for Sahayta, a multi-lingual call-and-response song, which we had been performing for around two months. For this concert we had several people, me included, who volunteered to go up to a microphone, and give the definition of one of the words from the song. The words varied in difficulty from “Peace and Joy” (spoken by Nancy Chomitz) to “!Uba !Uoba” (Alexander Lee-Papastavros). The reason this last word was the most difficult is because the “!” is a tongue click. My word was “Shalom,” meaning “peace.” This song contained words in Swahili (washirika), Amharic (ngoyila), Arabic (salaam, selam), Filipino (bayanihan, aawitankita, halo halo), Damara (!uba!uoba), Hebrew (shalom), English (peace and joy), Hindi (ektaa), Sanskrit (sahayta), and Spanish (unidad), as well as a two-part clapping pattern. This piece was fun to do, and we must have carried it off pretty well, since we got a standing ovation for it.

Final Song of the Season!

This was a great concert, and although I wish it was not the last, it was fun to have been a part of it!

What We're Up To: A Lesson Learned

By Maddie Mechem, Concert Choir
Maddie has been in BCC for 4 years. She is 15 years old.

Concert Choir recently had a performance as part of an annual fundraiser for the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, which took place at Boston College High School. This concert’s set-up was not the same as we are used to, which meant we learned some great lessons about performing in different environments.

The first difference was that we sang in one long row on a balcony, as opposed to our usual three short rows. This meant that we couldn’t hear all the other parts directly, and had to really listen in order to make sure our pitches were correct in relation to the other sections. It was challenging, but I think we did it! Another difference was that, because we were the musical entertainment at a social gathering, we did not have the full attention of the audience while we were singing. These differences took most of us slightly off-guard, and we had to adjust how we performed to this specific situation, something that all good performers must learn to do.

We ended up doing really well, even on The Storm Is Passing Over, which we had only really gotten the hang of the day before in rehearsal. Several people from DBEDC told us that we were great, and that everyone appreciated us coming to sing, which was an extremely nice thing to say. Other than positive comments from DBEDC, we can take away some valuable information, which we can put to use in future performances. The main thing to take away from this is that the space we perform in might not be what we are used to, but we just have to make the best of it, and be confident that we can!

What We’re Up To: Building a Community of Boston Music Educators

Last year, BCC was awarded a grant by EdVestors, an organization that drives change in urban schools through strategic private investment. The grant was part of the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Arts Expansion Fund, a three-year $2.5 million effort whose mission is to empower BPS schools to embrace and expand arts instruction in schools.

Each month, five BPS music teachers met with BCC’s Artistic Director Anthony Trecek-King and Assistant Artistic Director Michele Adams to discuss a wide range of topics related to their work. The final meeting was held recently at BCC Central, where each teacher presented a project they’d been working on throughout their time in the Study Group. Project topics included curriculum development, integration of solfege for young singers, and the effect of music training on language fluency. 

The teachers were (from left to right in the photo): Kelly DiGrazia - Orchard Gardens, Sharon Hamel - F. D. Roosevelt, Sonya White Hope - Winthrop Elementary, PK Egersheim - Condon Elementary, Tamiko Everson - Murphy Elementary. Cleo Knight-Wilkins, BPS Senior Program Director for the Arts, was also in attendance for the final presentation.

While tempting to call the presentations a capstone, the teachers had many other important experiences together this year. Artistic Director Anthony Trecek-King remarked that, “From the first session, it was obvious to Michelle and I that this group needed this time to build community together, and we adjusted accordingly.”

The outcome was clear: these educators had developed a profound connection to one another, based on a rare opportunity to intensively discuss their work with peers. Lest we assume that music teachers have lots of opportunity to connect, in the teacher’s lounge or in their classrooms, the Study Group highlighted the following:

• Nearly all schools have a single music teacher, and many are not even dedicated to a single school
• Many teach during nearly every period, with few “inactive” minutes during the school day
• Many do not have their own classrooms

In light of these facts, it’s easy to understand why this Study Group relished their discussions as they did. BCC considers it part of its mission to build community in this way, and hopes to expand this initiative next year and for years to come.

What We're Up To: Getting National Recognition!

We are proud to share some joyful and exciting news with you – just last week, BCC received a national award from Chorus America, and has been selected as a Finalist for the nation’s highest award for out-of-school youth arts and humanities programs!

First, BCC has won the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America! The award is presented annually, but youth choruses are only eligible every three years. The winner demonstrates artistic excellence, a strong organizational structure, and a commitment to outreach, education, and/or culturally diverse activities. We are so honored! Founder Hubie Jones will accept the award in San Francisco in a few weeks – pictures to come!

And if that wasn’t enough, we also got word that we were selected as a Finalist for a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities! This selection recognizes BCC as one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country! We are one of 50 finalists nationally, and will know in June whether or not we are one of 15 winners. Here is a link to a YouTube video about the award.

A shout-out for both awards is due to the whole BCC community and staff, but especially to Jan Woiler Meuse, Foundation Relations and Marketing Manager, who does all the writing that shows the judges just how great we really are! Reach out and thank her, or leave a comment here!

What We're Up To: Concert Choir Tour to Worcester and Shrewsbury

By: Maddie Mechem, Concert Choir

Maddie has been in BCC for 4 years. She is 15 years old.

The first weekend of April, Concert Choir went on a three-concert excursion to Worchester and Shrewsbury, just about two hours outside Boston. Our first performance was with the Worcester Children’s Chorus and the Young People’s Chorus. These choirs are really good, and were really similar to BCC, especially in the professional, engaging way they performed. It looked like they were having fun but taking it seriously, and that is what we try to do.

Concert Choir Performs at Wesley United Methodist Church

Our first concert was in the Wesley United Methodist Church, at a benefit concert for CASA. CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) is an organization that provides abused or neglected children with volunteers who support them through the legal and social services systems. As part of participating in this concert, we were asked to donate books to CASA, which we did. The money raised from the concert was given to CASA, to help them continue their efforts to help children. All three of the choirs performed several songs by themselves, and all three came together to perform Sahayta (“helpfulness” in Sanskrit), which uses words from about 14 languages to express peace, and We Will, which carries a message of hope. These two were the finale pieces, and after these, we went to meet up with our home-stay families.

A home-stay involves two or more singers being put together in someone’s house to spend the night, with the idea being that they learn more about other people in the choir and in the communities we visit. For this home-stay, I was paired up with three other girls - Laura, Ify, and Madison, and we stayed with the LaBelle family. We all enjoyed talking to their daughter, Blair, and they were extremely nice to us.

After spending the night with our home-stays, we regrouped at First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, for a concert with their Youth Singers, during Sunday morning services. We sang four hymns, as well as Al Shlosha, a Hebrew text; This Is The Day, which is a gospel piece; and a chorale from Bach’s Cantata 1.

Concert Choir singers prepare for Sunday morning service
at First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury

Spencer with a spear at Higgins Armory Museum

After the service, we made the most of our free time before our concert later in the day, and went to the Higgins Armory Museum. This museum has pieces of armor from around the world, and from across the centuries, as well. Most of the choir went to an arms and armor demonstration, where volunteers could hold pieces of chain mail and weaponry. One Concert Choir member, Isaac, got to hold a piece of chain mail in his hand while the guide ran a hand-and-a-half sword over it (Isaac was totally fine, as the chain mail protected his hand). Another singer, Spencer, got to hold a spear, which was at least three feet taller than he is.

Author, Maddie Mechem, at the Armory Museum

After about two hours of touring the museum, we left for our final concert of the tour, also at First Congregational. We performed by ourselves, and sang most of the songs we’d been rehearsing over the past few weeks, including Oseh Shalom, Sahayta, This Is The Day, and Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round. We also performed Pata Pa’ca, a song from Venezuela which was meant for a college level choir. The audience seemed impressed by that fact, and the fact that we did really well on it. After this last concert, we said goodbye to those who were leaving with their families, and packed up for the trip back to Boston. I think that, all in all, the tour let everyone in the choir come together and meet people they didn’t know all that well, and it is definitely an experience worth repeating.

My Spring Break - Recruiting for BCC

By: Marlon Matthews, Young Men's Ensemble 
Marlon has been in BCC for 8 years. He is 15 years old. 
         
Over the week of March break that my sister Allana and I share, we decided to volunteer at BCC Central. We had done this before and were both prepared for simple days of filing, computer work, shredding, or sorting music literature, but Mr. Victoria had more exciting plans for us. On the Friday of our volunteer week, Allana, Mr. Victoria, and I went to the Josiah Quincy School for a recruiting session with elementary level students. The school building is literally across the overpass from BCC, which makes these kids great candidates for BCC because they don’t need transportation!

            The day started off with Allana and I singing 30 seconds of “Lean On Me” into the intercom for morning announcements. This went surprisingly well considering it was 8:30 in the morning and neither of us had warmed up. The real recruiting started at the lunch periods. I can’t remember which grades we met first because they were all so small, a lot smaller than I remember ever being!

            Allana is friendly, but she is more of a commander than a field agent, so she stayed at the recruiting desk with Mr. Victoria while I went out to individuals and told them about what it is like to be in BCC. I wasn’t too worried about recruiting the girls for two reasons. The first, most of them claimed to be the next American Idol, and the second, none of them traveled alone: if one was interested in the table, seven would show up. My main focus was the boys and letting them know that choir is fun and not just for the girls. Among the younger boys, a common response I got was “I like music, but I don’t like to sing,” “I don’t/can’t sing” or “Can I have another free pencil?” I quickly countered that the best part about music is singing, that choir teaches you how to sing, and no, only one free pencil per person. In the end, I was able to convince a significant number of young boys to take audition forms home to their parents so they could at least give it a try before they say they don’t like it. I noticed that the older boys were more stubborn about not participating in choir. Most of them were more into “guy stuff” even if they didn’t play a sport; they thought choirs were for the girls. I was still successful in getting most of the older boys to take audition forms, but some only came to me for a free BCC pencil.

Marlon and Allana recruiting for BCC at Josiah Quincy School in Boston

            As our day came to its end, something dawned on me: “This is what needs to happen on a regular basis.”  BCC needs to go out and recruit for young kids that will stay in choir longer than high school students, who sometimes join Young Men’s Ensemble without participating in training choirs first.  When that happens, they only have a maximum of four years in the choir. I am a freshman now and I have been in BCC since it was dreamt up by Mr. Jones. I have been here for eight years, and my days are numbered. I won’t always be a student at BCC - none of us will. My point is that the choristers (not just the staff) need to seek out the “generation” coming up behind us. We all can admit to the fact that it is easier to trust someone that has experienced whatever it is they are selling. We can also admit to the fact that someone our age is easier to relate to than someone notably older or younger. On that Friday a week ago, I was able to help keep the cycle of BCC going because I could relate to the boys I was reaching out to and I could tell them of my own experiences. I recommend that everyone with more than two years under their belts at BCC should spend a day recruiting during a school break.

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

Making Music with Magda

By: Maddie Mechem, Concert Choir

In the last two weeks before winter break, we had the privilege of working with Magda Albarracín, a choir director from Venezuela. She was teaching us two songs, Pata Pa’ca, and Acto del Árbol from Opereta Ecología. Both songs are in Spanish and have a percussion line with a complicated series of claps, snaps, and stomps. It was hard to figure out, but extremely fun. Unfortunately, Magda had to go back to Venezuela. But however short it may have been, that was definitely an experience to remember, and Pata Pa’ca should be extremely fun to perform.

Here is a video of Concert Choir working with Magda - please leave a comment to let us know what you think! We hope you'll come see the final product at our performance on April 9th at Old South Church, featuring another Venezuelan, Conductor-In-Residence Maria Guinand! For detailed information on this concert, please visit our website: http://bostonchildrenschorus.org/feature/maria_guinand