Saskatoon Children's Choir Handout

Saskatoon Children’s Choir

History/Vision

The Saskatoon Children’s Choir was founded twenty years ago in 1996 and it is an all-female choir. Their vision is “to nurture [their] singers’ appreciation for fine music, and encourage them to approach their studies with intelligence, creativity, and musicianship.” They want their students to appreciate Canadian music, as well as music from other parts of the world. They strive to “communicate a message of promise in a world where children suffer from war, poverty, and conflict.” Finally, they want to show that no matter how young you are, you can be an advocate for peace and equality (Saskatoon Children’s Choir 2014).

Choirs

The Saskatoon Children’s Choir Organization consists of three choirs.

      1.   The youngest choir is called the Preparatory Choir from the ages of 7-9.

      2.   The second choir is the Apprentice Choir and the age range is from 8-13.

      3.   The third choir is the Concert Choir and the children’s age’s range from 12-17. This is the group that tours the most often and they are the choir that is most often found in recordings. The majority of repertoire that they sing focuses on “drawing attention to issues of global concern” (Saskatoon Children’s Choir 2014).

Personnel

There are many people that make this organization a possibility. Currently, Phoebe Voigts is the choirs’ Artistic Director. Voigts is “the founding Artistic Director of the Saskatoon Children’s Choir” (Saskatoon Children’s Choir 2014). The choir also consists of a General Manager, Administrative Manager, Executive Director, Music Librarian, Webmaster, two Accompanists, a choir seamstress and many more.

Recommendations

The Saskatoon Children’s Choir website is a user friendly website with a very easy layout. The top of the web page displays multiple categories, such as: About, Events, Support Us, Recordings, and Join Us.

      1.   The ‘Events’ category displays 39 posters used in previous concerts. On one poster I noticed that the admission to their concert was free, but you could offer a donation at the door. I think this is a great idea!

      2.   The ‘Support Us’ category is one of the most interesting categories to me. Their support page displays a ‘Levels of Giving’ chart. You can give anywhere from $1-$2000+. Each donation fits into a ‘Levels of Giving’ classification. If you give up to $49, you are considered a “friend,” whereas if you give $2000+, you are in the “Choristers’ Circle.” If you give $25+, your name will be listed on the website for a year, and your name will be listed in two concert programs. I think this is a great way to get people to donate money, your name is listed on the website, and you become a part of the choir, through the level of giving.

      3.   The ‘Join Us’ category is another great aspect of their website. They use words such as “friendly and positive.” These are words parents and children like to hear. The page is very welcoming and I think it will definitely make children want to sing with this choir.

Repertoire Recommendations

      1.   When I am Silent – is a composition by Joan Varner. This composition was written in memory of the young girls who died in the concentration camps, in Auchwitz, Poland. This piece is great to teach from a pedagogical standpoint. It contains history and very moving lyrics. Some of the lyrics read: "Who will sing my song when I am silent? Who will count the colors of the dawn?" The range in the piece is wide, but the choir does an excellent job of staying in tune. Rhythmically this composition could be a little challenging and it contains some triplets, but this choir does not have any difficulty with that. The melody is repetitive, but the choir does a great job of keeping the attention of the listeners. I chose this piece because of the choir’s intonation, rhythmic accuracy, and style.

      2.   Flying Colours – was written by Canadian Composer, Stephen Hatfield. Flying Colours was released in 2008. It is a DVD that is 20 minutes in length. It is about a suspicion/conflict between four tribes, each tribe is represented by a different colour. In the DVD, tensions rise between the four tribes and there is war. This was very interesting to watch, very dramatic and the choir sings it with such conviction and energy. The piece "is in "Amadeus language" - nonsense syllables out of which each tribe constructs its own speech;” you might think this would make it a little more of a challenge to prepare with your choir, but this choir seems to get through the performance with ease. A lot of the piece is a cappella, with percussion (staffs, cowbell, etc.) and some piano. I chose this piece to demonstrate the choir’s close attention to diction and energetic style.

3.   Gamelan – is by Canadian Composer R. Murray Schafer. This piece was composed with the Gamelan in mind. The Gamelan is a percussive instrument of Bali, and it uses an "unusual pentatonic scale." The song is sung using "dong, deng, dung, dang, and ding" as the lyrics. The Saskatoon Children’s Choir does a great job of using diction and dynamics in this piece. This composition is unlike anything I have ever heard and it is very different from your traditional choir music. Gamelan is very fascinating and would be great to try with a school choir. The range is sometimes on the lower end for most female voices, but not for long periods of time. I chose this piece because of the choir’s clear diction and range of dynamics.

      4.   Children Go Where I Send Thee – is a traditional/spiritual African American song arranged by Caldwell and Ivory. It was one of my favorite pieces sung by this choir. There is a short-featured solo and the range may be challenging for some choirs, but this choir does an awesome job without their voices sounding strained or tense. It is written for SSA/female voices and it features some call-and-response. There are some percussive clapping sections. It may be technically challenging, but the lyrics are repetitive and should be easy to remember. This choir kept the piece interesting through their use of dynamics. This piece is very enjoyable and it would be a great short and upbeat piece for a concert. I chose this piece to show the choir’s great range. The energy they displayed through the phrases and their quick tempo makes the piece enjoyable.

      5.   Pentatonic Alleluia – was composed by Ross Whitney. Amelia Pask accompanies the performance by the Saskatoon Children’s Choir on Violin. This piece is beautiful and it uses some beautiful voice effects, but it is challenging. It is written for SA and features a female soloist. The sole word used is Alleluia and it is a cappella. The Saskatoon Children’s Choir really blends well and has a great sense of intonation in this piece. I can envision that some choir members may become memorized with the overlapping of parts and echoing in a large hall, but it is clear that this choir did a lot of practice beforehand. I chose this piece because it is very different from the other recordings in my presentation. It showcases that the choir can not only sing upbeat, but that they can sing lyric compositions, and blend together beautifully.

"Saskatoon Children's Choir." Saskatoon Children’s Choir. N.p., 2014. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.