The Boys Choir
The
2001-02 Tour
The Concerts
The Performers
Discography
Commissioned Works
Special Performances
Sponsor The
Boys Choir
Book the Boys Choir
The Girls Choir
The
2001-02 Tour
The Performers
Sponsor The Girls Choir
Book the Girls Choir
The Choir Academy
The Core
Program
Artistic Standards
Student Achievement
Special Programs
Student Services
Outreach and Replication
Write to
Us:
Choir Academy of Harlem
2005 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10035-1298
Or
Call: 212-289-1815
Job
Opportunities
Alumni
Association
Music and More
The BCH Shop
Celebrate Community
The Harlem Strategic
Cultural Collaborative
Inside Harlem, U.S.A. |
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| The
Replication Program Cities
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Commerce
Louisville Milwaukee
Washington D.C. |
| Introduction: |
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The Boys Choir of Harlem
has enjoyed great success during year three of its project to replicate its program in 8 American cities. Six of those sites have
been chosen, and a choir has started rehearsing at each of them
Based in part on the strength shown
in the launch of our replication effort, the National Endowment for
the Arts has selected The Boys Choir of Harlem's National
Replication Project as one of its Leadership Projects for the
Millennium.
This program year has fulfilled all
expectations. We continue to see the success of our strategies both
in working with African-American boys and in selecting replication
sites. The characteristics of successful boys and successful family
involvement remain as we have identified them.
It is up to us to provide for our
children's growth in ways that affirm our health as a people;
otherwise we will struggle in vain to compensate for the poisoning
of our youth. |
The
Louisville Boys Choir; Louisville, Kentucky
Joined the BCH Project 1996-97 |
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The Louisville Boys Choir
existed before the beginning of this project, but its founders
wanted guidance in enriching it to the BCH level. This year's work
with Louisville has been artistic as well as technical; Dr. Turnbull
has worked directly with their conductor, Daniel Bluitt, introducing
more challenging repertoire and adding choreography to their
presentation. These changes will build the choir's audience while
building the capabilities of its members.
Reviewing the reactions of the boys
to the changes in rehearsal, Mr. Bluitt began thinking about a
counseling unit similar to ours. We have helped him think about the
role of such a unit in his choir and in the community among families
and schools; qualifications for potential staffers; and about likely
funding sources.
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The
Youth Leadership Academy; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Joined the BCH Project 1995-96 |
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One of the first
organizations to be chosen as a replication site, and they have made
the greatest progress of the sites chosen to date. Youth Leadership
Academy was begun in 1987 as an after-school project. Executive
Director, Ron Giles, and his staff are now providing Saturday school
and after-school programming (Reading/English), science and
technology, leadership drill, a summer program and career and life
skills training to 350 boys in grades 3-12 daily.
YLA saw this project as an
opportunity to add a formal performing arts component to YLA
curriculum, in accordance with their belief that "participation
in the performing arts significantly adds to the overall development
of students." From October 1996 through May 1997, Mr. Horace
Turnbull advised Mr. Giles in assembling a Choir Advisory Board,
drafting the job description for the Choir director and searching
for candidates for that position. In the interim, with guidance from
Boys Choir of Harlem Conductor, Dr. Turnbull, and the assistance of
students at the Wisconsin Conservatory, the YLA began a Boys Choir
with 35 members rehearsing weekly.
In June 1997 YLA sponsored two Boys
Choir of Harlem performances in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theatre. One
was a benefit for the YLA Boys Choir, the second was a community
outreach performance for potential members and supporters of the LA
Boys Choir. YLA Boys Choir members sat in on the BCH rehearsal and
performed briefly before the first BCH concert. Members of the Boys
Choir of Harlem also ate meals with members of the YLA Boys Choir.
This was deliberately programmed to give the YLA members the
opportunity to meet and observe their role models in the BCH, and
for the BCH members to exercise the responsibilities and rewards of
leadership.
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Keep
Hope Alive Unit; Commerce, Texas
Joined the BCH Project 1995-96 |
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This project is currently
operating as an after-school mentoring program for boys in grades
2-6. Project Director, Anthony J. Harris, Ed. D., founded the program
in 1992 to meet the needs of Commerce's young black men for
high-functioning, accessible role models, and has included arts
activities programming from its inception. This year, Dr. Harris and
Project Manager, Ricardo Finley, have worked with Horace Turnbull,
Executive Vice President of The Boys Choir of Harlem, Inc. to plan
the implementation of their boys choir. In the past 12 months we
have formed a local advisory committee to help shape the choir
program, worked with that committee to draft the job description of
the Choir director, identified some potential sources of ongoing
funding, and solicited long-term funding commitments. A small choir
of 20 boys has begun rehearsing under the leadership of a volunteer.
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The
DC Boys Choir; Washington D.C.
Joined the BCH Project 1996-97 |
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With our assistance, the
directory of the DC Boys Choir has provided the Superintendent of
the DC Public Schools with curriculum materials proposing the
establishment of a boys choir program in an existing elementary
school. We have suggested approaches for follow-up, and are awaiting
the results.
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