SING OUT!
Singing City Education Programs
Singing City’s Education Programs give children the opportunity to discover
their creative genius as singers, composers and performers.
An Overview
Singing City’s education programs include Singing City in the Schools (SCIS) - choral singing and composition for third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders enrolled in schools that, due to lack of funding, have no formal music education programs, SC Children’s Choir - a performance based program of young singers and the Prize for Young Composers, a national competition for high school and college age students in choral composition. There are four facets to the program: singing, composing, “sharing”, and performance.
Singing City in the Schools (SCIS)
Students in participating schools meet once a week with the SCIS Workshop Director who leads a session of singing. Over the course of the program the SCIS Resident Composer meets with all the children in small groups and/or individually several times to collaborate with them in composing an original song set to original text. The culmination of the SCIS program is a “Sharing.” Parents of the singers and younger students in the school are invited to “share” in the children’s musical journey. The children demonstrate their newly found singing voices, sing songs they’ve learned, listen to professional singers sing some of the songs they’ve composed, and sing one or two of the original compositions themselves.
Children’s Choir (SCCC)
The SCCC is a performance-based ensemble. Students rehearse once a week during the school day and two Saturdays a month outside of school. It is open to children in grades 3-7. The children study and perform a variety of music from simple unison folk songs to contemporary musical literature. The music chosen is commonly from many religious and secular traditions and performed in many settings. Concepts about music (melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, dynamics, form, style and performance practice) and musical skills (singing, theory, sight reading, etc.) are taught throughout the rehearsals through singing, listening and analysis. Singing skill and musical understanding are essential components of the creative process and a fundamental resource basic to music education. The culmination for the Children’s Choir are performances, either at the school or in a public venue, such as festivals, concerts, and other arts or civic events, some in conjunction with Singing City’s adult choir.
Prize for Young Composers
The Singing City Prize for Young Composers is a national choral music competition for talented young musicians between the ages of 15 and 30. The overall goal is to maximize the involvement of students in the creative process and to be a valuable music education resource for the entire community. This competition may be the impetus and encouragement that a young composer would need to continue on his or her creative journey. The Singing City community of singers and
listeners is also enriched by a yearly infusion of fresh, diverse choral music. Cash prizes are awarded for a winner and a runner up in each age group. The First Prize compositions are performed by Singing City Choir at a concert event where the young composers are honored and presented with cash awards.
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