Boston Children's Chorus, Inc.

Although music is the core of BCC programs, we also explore developmental goals with the singers. Through music education and performing, BCC singers learn important lessons of hard work, discipline, leadership, teamwork, poise, presentation, and communication. These traits focus on three pillars that all BCC singers learn as they grow through involvement our community and the world around them – respect, responsibility, and a love of learning.

BCC serves nearly 500 youth, ages 7-18, from over 110 zipcodes around the greater Boston area. 40% of our singers live in the City of Boston. Families come to BCC from as north as New Hampshire and as far west as Holden, MA. BCC ensures that there is a group for every young person with a desire to sing, regardless of their prior musical experience. 4 out of 5 singers receive financial aid. No one is excluded from participation for financial reasons.

Middle and high school singers tour domestically or internationally annually, with opportunities to learn about foreign cultures, their histories, and form friendships across national and global boundaries. Rather than a series of superficial ""cultural encounters,"" BCC tours put people of vastly different backgrounds together in active, inquisitive interactions that broaden perspectives and challenge pre-conceptions. Tours have made a significant impact on how BCC kids understand the world, and have helped prepare them to be better global citizens.

Visiting composers build a relationship with the Boston Children’s Chorus and the Boston area community in presenting new compositions and workshops that help in developing an appreciation for music and growing the choral cannon. Past visiting composers include:

William (Bill) C. Banfield, professor of Africana Studies/ Music and Society, director of Africana Studies programs, Berklee College of Music, commissioned a piece for our 3rd Annual Professional Development Day Concert showcasing songs and stories from around the world. “This is my story. This is my song.” These words, made familiar to many through an 1873 hymn, state it simply: singing is a powerful channel for storytelling, as music and text unite in portraying images and emotions.

Daniel Roumain and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, 2013. The Boston Children's Chorus (BCC) has co-commissioned a piece by Daniel Roumain in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Roumain worked with librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph and choreographer Amy Seiwert to create this new work for children's chorus and dance.

Stephen Feigenbaum, Composer. The Boston Children’s Chorus has enjoyed a long relationship with Stephen. He’s composed and arranged many works for our choirs.

The launch of Opus Nuovo signals BCC's commitment to a diverse and inclusive approach to choral programming that is truly representative of our community. Over the next three years, BCC singers will collaborate with world-class artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds to compose and publish ten new works. In the 2020-2021 season, we will work with Sydney Guillaume, Layth Sidiq, and Jazzmeia Horn to produce the first three works of Opus Nuovo. Lower choir singers will collaborate with composer Omar Shahryar in a student-led songwriting project.

Singing has never been more vital than it is now. As schools and communities plan for virtual and physically distant operations this fall, Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) is proud to share a free, two-month online choral program, filled with innovative and inclusive lessons. BCC’s online choral program will be geared to singers in grades 3-5. Lessons will include engaging warms ups, stimulating aural training, and thematically focused repertoire rehearsal. In addition to energizing vocal instruction, singers will participate in reflection and discourse that affirms their personal identities as well as those of their peers. Repertoire will be selected in line with our season theme, Waves of Change, described below. The program will culminate in the production of a virtual choir project, celebrating singers’ individual and collective vocal growth.

Program Schedule
BCC’s in-school choral program will feature a seven-sessions, once a week, during the school day (8:00 am – 3:00 pm). BCC staff will work with partnering schools to solidify a recurring meeting schedule that works best for your school community. The seventh session will include a community watch party for the virtual choir project. Each session will run from 30-45 minutes and singers will be given homework materials to sharpen their skills.

Key Content and Outcomes
BCC’s in-school choral program will end with key outcomes for singers and the school community:

Virtual Choir Projects: singers will individually record themselves and BCC staff will compile each solo performance to a virtual choir video recording, hosted on BCC’s Youtube channel.
Journal Entries: Singers will engage in activities that affirm identity and belonging, and will be invited to keep journal entries, detailing their reflections.
Aural Training and Audio Resources: Singers will engage in weekly aural training and sight-reading activities. They will have resources to practice their skills outside of the session.
Long-term Performance Opportunity: Partnering school choirs will be invited to join BCC’s finale concert in May 2021, contingent on COVID-19.