With the Boston City Singers, Every Child is a Musician

Boston City Singers, which has a division in JP, works with 350 young members ages 4-18.

According to its mission statement, Boston City Singers aims “to provide the highest level of musical training and wide–ranging performance opportunities to young people, to inspire personal development, celebrate diversity and foster goodwill within our city.”

In carrying out its mission BCS provides music education and vocal instruction. It also commissions, performs and publishes new compositions.

Directed by Jane Money, Boston City Singers was founded in 1995 as the Dorchester division of Youth pro Musica, and in 2003 became an independent organization.

The group's Concert Chorus often tours for 1-3 weeks in the summer, and has performed throughout the U.S., Australia, New Zealand. This summer it will travel to South Africa.

Patch interviewed Katherine Athanasiou, Director, Boston City Singers of Jamaica Plain:

Please tell us a little about Boston City Singers history.

Boston City Singers, was founded in 1995 to provide outstanding a music and youth development opportunities to low income underserved inner-city youth in the communities in which they live. Ninety percent of the 350-plus members, aged 4 - 18 are from the neighborhoods of Boston including Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, and 80 percent-plus require financial assistance to participate. Boston City Singers now has several neighborhood training chorus divisions in Dorchester, Hyde Park, and JP, with a further expansion planned to Mattapan this spring. There are two city-wide Concert Choruses for singers aged 11–18, based in Dorchester.

Why is JP a good home for Boston City Singers?

BCS is a homegrown, very organic organizaton. We started in 1995 with 20 kids at the Codman Square library in Dorchester and that program has grown into a vast organization. The JP division of BCS started out in much the same way. 19 young singers gathered at the on a chilly, rainy Saturday in March of 2005 — and began to learn how to create beautiful music together. Our program has steadily grown and now includes over 60 children in three age-based divisions. The JP division of BCS is committed to the Kodály philosophy of music education. Zoltan Kodály believed that music should be available to, and accessible to everyone — and that music can raise the overall education level of a society. JP is a community that is committed to inclusion, diversity and becoming better human beings. The chorus not only allows children to develop musical skills and create beautiful music, it serves as a venue for children and families to meet one another. Many friendships have developed over the years  making our community even stronger. JP and BCS are a perfect match!

What are your connections with the JP community?

Tom Morris, a JP resident founded the JP division. The program is strongly located at First Parish in Jamaica Plain, where the director of M=music, Ellen McGuire, also serves as Boston City Singers chorus manager. Many JP residents make their way to rehearsals on Saturday mornings. While children sing, parents shop or join each other for coffee on Centre Street.

Do you collaborate in programs with other JP organizations?

Yes, we have worked with , singing in benefit events, and visited many schools in JP to promote our programs. We provide two free concerts for the community each year. Singers have performed in productions.

What do you consider is the best thing you have done for JP?

Provide an extremely high quality choral music education for the children of JP. Secondly, we foster a life-long love of singing and music and lastly, we open doors for kids that would not be available if we didn't exist.

What are your plans for JP-based activities for spring and summer?

We will continue regular rehearsals through the spring for children ages 4–14, ending with a community concert in May. New singers are always welcome! We take a break from rehearsals in JP over the summer, but many “graduates” of the JP programs will be taking part in Boston City Singers city-wide Concert Chorus’ three-week summer tour to Cape Town, South Africa!

We look forward to hosting the Australian Girls Choir in September.

How do parents participate in your programs?

JP parents are critical to the success of our programs – they recruit new singers, fundraise to make sure that everyone can participate, regardless of financial circumstances, chaperone, host, take photographs … the list is long!

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BCS auditions boys and girls grades K-12 by appointment. Singers are placed in the appropriate program based on their skills, maturity and readiness. E-mail Artistic Director Jane Money for more information, or call her at 617-825-0674.

BCS Jamaica Plain training choruses meet at First Church Unitarian on Saturdays:

9 – 9:45 a.m.: Kodály Class (ages 4-7)

9 - 10:15 a.m.: Intermediate Chorus (Grades 2-5)

10:15 - 11:45 a.m.: Advanced Chorus (Grades 5-8)

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