Abstract:
In the past 50 years, American children’s choruses have flourished. Some were guided by four of the most influential conductors and leaders of the children’s choir movement—Jean Ashworth Bartle, Helen Kemp, Henry Leck and Doreen Rao. Some choirs have also integrated Kodály pedagogy into teaching young singers more than the songs for specific programs. In the past several years, some ensembles have adapted El Sistema from its original structure focused on instrumental ensemble music to include children’s choirs. The intent of this document is to review and synthesize the best practices of current American children’s choruses in order to provide directors ways to reach more children, regardless of socio-economic status. This research has three parts. First: using the framework of El Sistema, Venezuela’s free nationwide classical music education program begun in 1975 by José Antonio Abreu (died 2018), calls for using challenging repertoire and frequent rehearsals in neighborhoods where children live and at no cost to their families, evolving to have older students mentor younger ones to teach music and musicianship in an ensemble setting. Second: utilizing a teaching philosophy named after 20th-century Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, choirs connect with children by singing music they already know, exploring the folk music of their ancestry and geographic location, thus giving them the tools and interest to try more challenging music in different styles and languages. Third: maintain the artistic and vocal training ideals held by Bartle, Kemp (died 2015), Leck, and Rao. Their work intersects as they espouse using breath and posture to create beautiful singing tone in children that is unforced, that cares for a child’s voice and growth, and challenges children to musical artistry at the same levels expected from professionally trained musicians. Melding the best practices for a children’s choir experience provides countless young singers cross-cultural and historic immersion; more, it teaches them that their voice matters, whether through professional artistry or engaged citizenship.
