The Children's Choir

American Choral Directors Association Southern Division Convention Civic Center • Savannah, Georgia March 13, 1992 Program *A, ■% « ^^^^tt V| * * •-. - „. ■•"■■■x' >;t r:4&SkSfir::,* ■ •?■>, w*MmPL- », i '*5'*-'-. ■iSS* 4*' " , V'< V 4"'-' \^ v ^v: %$.'?&' I; ^.! Wir eilen mit schwachen doch emsigen Schritten Johann Sebastian Bach (Cantata No. 78: Jesu der meine Seele) We hasten with eager, yet faltering footsteps, O Jesus, O Master, for help unto Thee. Thou faithfully seekest the ill and the erring. Ah, hear us, we pray. Our voices exalt Thee, for succor we pray Thee. ~Now grant us Thy gracious and merciful favorl Pie Jesu (Requiem) Gabriel Faure Blessed Jesu, Lord, grant them rest. Grant them everlasting rest. Gloria Tibi (Mass) Leonard Bernstein Glory to you, Glory! Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you, we bless you. Wendy Kerney, percussion Cape Breton Lullaby Kenneth Leslie, arr. Stuart Calvert My Heart's Friend (Song of the Lights, Set II) Imant Raminsh The Path to the Moon Eric Thiman Niska Banja (Serbian Gypsy Dance) arr. Nick Page Let's go to the Baths of Nis where we will kiss, kiss, kiss. Sharla Mitchell and Ken Clifton, piano The Stetson University Children's Choir, a program of Stetson's Community School of Music, was organized in 1985 under the direction of its present conductor, Ann Roberts Small. The auditioned treble chorus is comprised of young people ages 8-16, from DeLand and nearby towns. The purposes of the Stetson University Children's Choir are to: • provide children, regardless of race, creed or national origin, in the communities surrounding Stetson University with a superior choral experience through the performance of high quality literature; • develop musical sensitivity, musical thinking, and vocal-choral skill in the context of choral performance; • enhance the cultural environment of the community around Stetson University; and • demonstrate the philosophy and practice of music education at Stetson University. Musical Learning Depending upon age and experience, the children in the Choir program are divided into two ensembles: the Training Choir of young inexperienced singers and the Advanced Choir for students who have gone through the training program. Musical concepts, vocal technique, principles of diction, and scorereading are emphasized in the rehearsal periods of both choirs. In the Training Choir, children are carefully monitored by student and adult choral assistants during the initial processes of learning to read music. Novice singers in Advanced Choir are guided through more complex scorereading skills and part singing through an apprentice system that pairs them with more experienced singers. Many of the choristers study piano or other instruments independently. Approximately six to ten college students regularly assist the choristers in rehearsal as part of the field experience requirement in music education. University piano students receive accompanying credit for their work with the Children's Choir. The present pianist, Ken Clifton, has been an accompanist in the Children's Choir program for three years. Performances During the history of the organization, the Choir has performed for meetings of the American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Florida Music Educators Association. They have sung at Ridgecrest and Montreat Conference Centers in North Carolina. Each year the Choir performs two concerts on the Stetson campus in addition to various performances in the state. The Stetson University Children's Choir was the featured chorus for Music Educators National Conference's "World's Largest Concert" aired nationally over PBS in March of 1991. Their 1992 appearances include the "World's Largest Concert" and the national convention of Music Educators National Conference in New Orleans.