By Gale Hemmann
A second-grader develops a lifelong love of music. Two students form a lasting friendship. A mother notes that her daughter has been showing increased self-confidence. These are just some of the ways participating in the Olympia Youth Chorus (OYC), Olympia’s first-rate musical choir for youth, impacts the lives of its members and helps them grow.
The Olympia Youth Chorus, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing music education for youth and training young singers, is about a lot more than just music. Sure, the staff and singers are extremely serious about music. The impressive OYC staff is comprised of seasoned professionals with years of experience working in education and teaching music to youth. Many have membership in professional choral and educational organizations. Each song the choir sings is carefully selected for its ability to help young singers grow and develop their vocal skills at each age level. The youth practice weekly and perform regularly from September through May.
But while the evidence of their hard work is visible when you hear them sing (for example, this stunning rendition of the Léo Delibes classic “Dome Epais”), being a member of the Olympia Youth Chorus is a well-rounded experience. In addition to singing together, the group also hosts social events for the youth, and presents travel opportunities (the chorus has performed at youth music festivals and events across Washington State and in Hawaii, New York City, and Europe). The youth learn about being part of a group working toward a common goal, developing stage presence, performance etiquette and much more.
Research shows that offering arts education for youth has many positive outcomes. It can help students learn new academic concepts more quickly, teach teamwork and communication skills, help students conquer fear, and teach students to develop their inner resources, in addition to many other benefits. Students who participate in arts education also are less likely to engage in drugs or other risky behaviors, and more likely to have positive social and academic outcomes.
I spoke with Cindy Dinsmore, Olympia Youth Chorus Artistic Director and Director of the Cantabile Choir (an advanced choir for young women ages fourteen to eighteen), which she has directed since the group’s beginning. An Olympia native, Dinsmore is also a Choral Music Director for the Olympia School District. She is one of the founders of OYC, along with local voice coach Denise Daverso.
In 1994, Denise Daverso asked Dinsmore to be the director of a new choir for Olympia-area youth. They put out “feelers” in the community, and started with a group of 15 kids, many of whom Dinsmore knew through her career in education. Dinsmore and Daverso ultimately decided to make OYC a full “training choir,” and to open it up to a broader range of ages, five through eighteen. They achieved nonprofit status in 1998, formed a Board of Directors, and “we just took off,” Dinsmore says.
Now in their nineteenth season, OYC has five choirs, four choral directors, and currently about 130 youth singers. They perform both classical and contemporary songs. Dinsmore shared that special music is being commissioned for the OYC’s twentieth anniversary performance in 2015.
When asked what she enjoys most about working with the Olympia Youth Chorus, Dinsmore says she enjoys the chance to work with the kids and watch them grow musically and as people.
She noted that it is neat to see students from different schools forming friendships and to see how supportive the students are of each other. Alumni often remain friends, and Coro Voce Choir Director Nadine Bozeman is an OYC alumna. Clearly, experiences such as participating in the Olympia Youth Chorus are not just fun but a deeply formative experience.
I also spoke with Dan Colgan, Director of the new Forza Choir. Forza, now in its second year, is intended for young men with changed voices in middle and high school. Colgan notes that he is enthusiastic about leading the group, and that he is “very impressed” with the level of skill and dedication the young men have shown. The group has already grown, and they are still seeking new members. “We are doing four-part harmonies, and singing some challenging songs well,” says Colgan. Colgan notes that one terrific aspect of Forza is that it is a very supportive environment, and that the young men in the group help make singing “cool.”
Dinsmore enthusiastically shares that Colgan has been a “terrific addition” to the Olympia Youth Chorus staff, and that his work with the Forza Choir has been “phenomenal.” It is wonderful that the Forza choir creates a positive creative outlet specifically for young men (the Dolce, Bel Canto and Coro Voce Choirs also include boys and young men with unchanged voices).
Interested in having your child get involved with the Olympia Youth Chorus? If you have school-age youth who love to sing and want to learn more about music, consider attending one of the auditions held throughout the year (auditions are held one-on-one with a choir director and the child/parent).
If you enjoy live music and want to support OYC, you can attend one of their upcoming performances (for a full list of upcoming performance and tour dates, visit their website). You can also “like” their page on Facebook and hear them on YouTube.
Groups like the Olympia Youth Chorus forever change lives. From the skills learned to the memories created to the horizons opened, one can see why author and music educator Carolyn Phillips says “an arts education exposes children to the incomparable.”
