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The Whitehorse Community Children’s Choir is a non-auditioned choir for students in grade 2-6 from around the Whitehorse area and surrounding communities. This choir will become the resident children’s choir of the Heart of Riverdale Community Center and rehearses on its facilities on Saturdays from 1PM to 3PM. The choir seeks to provide children opportunities to explore choral singing as an art form and as means for artistic and self-expression. The choir also provides life enhancing experiences and skills such as collaboration, co-operation, leadership and personality development. Choirs membership may be capped between 40-50 children and/or may be sub-divided into beginner and advanced groups.
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Children will be taught the art of choral singing, read notes at sight (sight-singing) utilizing folk songs from around the world, proper breathing, vocal production and performing on stage for a variety of audiences. Movements and choreography may be employed as appropriate.
The choir’s main repertoire will integrate music from an array of genres and cultures—especially Yukon’s folk songs arranged and/or adapted into choral setting. Central to its focus would be learning Yukon’s First Nations traditional folk songs, incorporating movements as much as possible and learning about music-cultural traditions of this Northern community. |
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The Whitehorse Community Children’s Choir believes that all children deserve full access to
high quality choral singing and value artistic expression. In so doing, these are the core areas
that the choir envisions to develop:
high quality choral singing and value artistic expression. In so doing, these are the core areas
that the choir envisions to develop:
- Development of musical and artistic skills Children will develop musical skills and knowledge, develop good singing habits, proper vocal techniques, understand musical terms, learn to read notes at sight (sight-singing) and respond to music creatively:
- Development of Personal Formation and GrowthChildren will develop positive social skills, learn how to interact with other people in a positive and meaningful manner, and use their talents in ways that serve and honour their community:
- Development of Cultural Identity Children will advance and promote Yukon’s unique cultural identity by integrating Yukon’s First Nations traditional folk songs in its repertoire - as well as promote Canadian choral music and other vocal music genre from cultural traditions around the world:
WHY CHORAL SINGING?
Chorus America did an extensive study and found out how singing in a choir impacts children
and their families:
and their families:
- Choral singing continues to be the most popular form of participation in the performing arts.
- Adults who sing in choruses are remarkably good citizens.
- Children who sing in choruses have academic success and valuable life skills.
- The decline in choral singing opportunities for children and youth is a key area for concern.
See Chorus America's study:
Chorus America’s New Chorus Impact Study Reveals the Lifelong Benefits of Choral Singing |
CHOIR PEDAGOGY
The pedagogy to be employed by The Whitehorse Community Children’s Choir is the Kodaly Method, which was developed by Zoltan Kodaly in his native country, Hungary during the mid- 20th century. Mr. Edwin Edpalina, the choir director is a Kodaly practitioner, having attended a post-graduate training in Hungary being a recipient of a scholarship by the International Kodaly Society in the 90’s.
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