WHEN Weekly meetings are Tuesdays, 5:50-7:30, starting 1st Tuesday in September, and 3rd Tuesday in January for all singers, K-12th grades, divided into two groups: elementary and middle/high
WHERE 2709 Monument Avenue (Richmond’s First Baptist Church).
COSTS Semester costs $290/Semester for 1 Singer (family discounts & needs-based tuition relief available). Enroll and pay here.
COMMITMENT In addition to weekly meetings, singers are asked to practice weekly 30 min for elementary ages, 45 min for mid/high ages, using our audio lessons.
–weekly Tuesday meetings with the best voice instruction, social bonding, feedback, and accountability
–screen-free audio lessons for home practice assignments, in small chunks of time, designed for each age group.
–high quality concerts and recording projects which we oversee in detail (so parents don’t have to!)
Our focus includes:
–high quality music experiences and skill building taught by youth voice experts
-building relationships with our singers, understanding how important community always is, and
-increasing our leadership diversity and diversity of musical role models of our organization. This 5 year goal continues with vigor.
Who can join City Singers? Any kid who loves to sing will find a strong musical home with City Singers. We believe in the nurturing power of music, and so we invite singers ages 5-18 years to be a part of CSYC. We are proud of our education philosophy and practices which foster every level of musicality, and as the youngest are welcomed, our more experienced singers in middle and high school are energetically challenged to develop their skill. Singers are placed in their ensemble(s) based upon age/grade: Elementary Choir (K-5th), Progressing Choir (5th-8th), and Upper Choir (6th-12th).
How do we know if our singer is ready for CSYC? First, enroll in our FREE, short-commitment CSYC Caroling Choir to sample what it’s like to be in City Singers!
Our rehearsals are active and fun, but also require attention, following directions, and teamwork. Young singers who are able to follow instructions easily and regulate actions in a group setting are ready for CSYC. It is helpful for our youngest singers to have beginning reading skills, but not a requirement. (We’ve had many not-yet-readers participate successfully.) Contact us to arrange a time to observe rehearsal.
What is the cost of City Singers? Tuition for one semester is $290 and for a full season (two semesters) is $410. Uniform costs ($50 – $70) are separate. Tuition covers approximately one third the cost of running the choir and the rest of the CSYC budget is provided by charitable donations, both monetary and in-kind, from community members, faith communities, and businesses. Financial aid is available to those who qualify and installment payments are available as well. Sibling Discounts and Family Tuition Rates are available to families with multiple singers. Please see www.citysingerschoir.org/join
When and where do you meet?
We meet at 2709 Monument Avenue (Richmond’s First Baptist Church) on Tuesdays from September through May, 5:50-7:30pm (Elementary Choir is released at 7:15).
What are the expectations and commitments of participating in City Singers Youth Choirs?
Weekly at-home practice: <30 min for elementary ages, <45 min for mid/high ages.
1.5 hours of choir meeting time on Tuesdays, Sept-May
Performances are announced at the start of every semester session, generally 2-3 events per semester. Of these, the major concerts are on the first Saturday of December and second Saturday of May.
How do singers learn their music?
We teach every note of our music during rehearsals.
Singers learn how to read notes on a page, follow a score, and sing by rote.
Singers are provided screen-free home practice recordings for independent learning.
We teach singers to explore the full palette of their voices–head voice, chest voice, belting– in ways which are developmentally appropriate.
We teach holistic music literacy, using eyes, ears, and bodies: singers learn to sight-sing notes on a page using solfege syllables and coordinating hand signs, improvise melodies and harmonies by ear, clap and move to the beat, then on to more advanced body percussion and movement.
In short, City Singers teaches a holistically designed musicianship with a high priority on teaching skills to last a lifetime.
In addition to musical skills, we teach artistry, community, collaboration, and outreach; the core values of singing include reaching out to others, connecting and communicating, and becoming an others-minded person who is strong enough to admit mistakes and humble enough to correct them.
Is City Singers a church choir? Is City Singers an “inner-city” choir? No. We are a community choir, and all are welcome! If you know a kid who loves to sing, we’d love to help.
Do singers audition for City Singers?
No! Singers of all experience levels are welcome.
Why choir instead of private lessons? This is not an “either-or” situation: for high schoolers preparing to major in voice, private lessons are necessary. However, for most singers, especially those younger than 8th grade, a group setting in a quality choir provides voice education for sustainable voice training.
Eek! My kid loves to sing, but can’t carry a tune in a bucket! Sign them up for City Singers! Singing is a learned skill, and CSYC is expert at teaching that skill!
We analyze each individual singer in Voice Placements regularly to assist them in developing their full range throughout the vocal change and to individually monitor for healthy voice production (all kids experience vocal change during pre-adolecence through mid-twenties and beyond) and to empower each singer with knowledge about their own vocal development.
What is the most advanced choir? CSYC is grouped by age, not ability, and singers learn from each other quickly, giving more advanced singers many leadership opportunities. Upper Choir is for middle and high schoolers, and is usually evenly distributed across the grades. Elementary Choir is for elementary ages and is similarly distributed. From those two groups, we often form a High School Choir and a Progressing Choir (4th-8th grades) to explore the full range of singers’ musical abilities. For singers who desire extra performance opportunities, we provide opportunities for solos and small group singing.
What kinds of music do the CSYC choirs sing? CSYC sings music created for youth voices from around the world and across the ages.
Artistic staff choose music of historical, cultural, or literary significance which meet requirements of the highest caliber: 1) inspire a sense of wonder, 2) be developmentally appropriate to our singers, 3) be of historical, literary, or cultural significance, 4) demonstrate the diversity of the world, 5) possess historical integrity and cultural authenticity.
The music chosen for our singers will stay with them for the rest of their lives, through aging and even memory loss. We take this responsibility very seriously and strive to give our singers a musical feast to last a lifetime.
Mimicry versus Artistry We strive to provide music which permits our singers to be free to experience artistry and not be constrained by mimicking a well-known version of a song or artist.
Honor vs. Appropriation When studying music of minority, oppressed, or colonized cultures, great care is taken to go beyond the common historical narrative to unearth the truth of the music’s origins. We consult music and culture experts from within the culture we wish to study, and defer to their guidance on the appropriateness of the material for our performance. Our goal is always to honor the music and the people who first created it.
Do you have performance uniforms? Yes! We have two uniforms: the polo uniform and the tshirt uniform. Polos & tshirts are ordered through the choir, and assistance is available to those who require it. View our Uniform Guidelines.
Do City Singers travel internationally? We have standing invitations to perform internationally, although haven’t yet done so. If families request this, we have a variety of opportunities we can choose from.
What is the time commitment for my child in CSYC? Weekly rehearsals meet on Tuesdays from Sept-May for about 1.5 hours. We strongly recommend that singers do not engage in any other evening activities on Tuesdays. Additional weekly home practice sessions will total 30 minutes for elementary singers, and 45 minutes for middle/high singers.
Required performance events are published over the summer, and required dates are never added to this calendar. When we are able to get back to the group-rehearsal model, we average around 8 performance events per school year (3-4 per semester); of these, two are ‘major’ concerts and the rest are community events. Elementary Choir has slightly fewer performances. We do ask that enrolled singers commit to attend all required performances; bringing music into our community is essential to our mission!
One of the most cited qualities that parents love about City Singers Youth Choirs is that we do not monopolize all our choir families’ time—we want choral music to be accessible to the busy, modern student. For our advanced singers heading to college music programs, the danger of vocal overuse is very real, and City Singers purposefully leaves room for the demands of private voice training.
FAQ
Performing Choirs at-a-glance:
Who can join City Singers?
Any kid who loves to sing will find a strong musical home with City Singers. We believe in the nurturing power of music, and so we invite singers ages 5-18 years to be a part of CSYC. We are proud of our education philosophy and practices which foster every level of musicality, and as the youngest are welcomed, our more experienced singers in middle and high school are energetically challenged to develop their skill. Singers are placed in their ensemble(s) based upon age/grade: Elementary Choir (K-5th), Progressing Choir (5th-8th), and Upper Choir (6th-12th).
How do we know if our singer is ready for CSYC?
First, enroll in our FREE, short-commitment CSYC Caroling Choir to sample what it’s like to be in City Singers!
Our rehearsals are active and fun, but also require attention, following directions, and teamwork. Young singers who are able to follow instructions easily and regulate actions in a group setting are ready for CSYC. It is helpful for our youngest singers to have beginning reading skills, but not a requirement. (We’ve had many not-yet-readers participate successfully.) Contact us to arrange a time to observe rehearsal.
What is the cost of City Singers?
Tuition for one semester is $290 and for a full season (two semesters) is $410. Uniform costs ($50 – $70) are separate. Tuition covers approximately one third the cost of running the choir and the rest of the CSYC budget is provided by charitable donations, both monetary and in-kind, from community members, faith communities, and businesses. Financial aid is available to those who qualify and installment payments are available as well. Sibling Discounts and Family Tuition Rates are available to families with multiple singers. Please see www.citysingerschoir.org/join
When and where do you meet?
We meet at 2709 Monument Avenue (Richmond’s First Baptist Church) on Tuesdays from September through May, 5:50-7:30pm (Elementary Choir is released at 7:15).
What are the expectations and commitments of participating in City Singers Youth Choirs?
How do singers learn their music?
What does City Singers teach?
Is City Singers a church choir? Is City Singers an “inner-city” choir?
No. We are a community choir, and all are welcome! If you know a kid who loves to sing, we’d love to help.
Do singers audition for City Singers?
No! Singers of all experience levels are welcome.
Why choir instead of private lessons?
This is not an “either-or” situation: for high schoolers preparing to major in voice, private lessons are necessary. However, for most singers, especially those younger than 8th grade, a group setting in a quality choir provides voice education for sustainable voice training.
Eek! My kid loves to sing, but can’t carry a tune in a bucket! Sign them up for City Singers! Singing is a learned skill, and CSYC is expert at teaching that skill!
We analyze each individual singer in Voice Placements regularly to assist them in developing their full range throughout the vocal change and to individually monitor for healthy voice production (all kids experience vocal change during pre-adolecence through mid-twenties and beyond) and to empower each singer with knowledge about their own vocal development.
What is the most advanced choir? CSYC is grouped by age, not ability, and singers learn from each other quickly, giving more advanced singers many leadership opportunities. Upper Choir is for middle and high schoolers, and is usually evenly distributed across the grades. Elementary Choir is for elementary ages and is similarly distributed. From those two groups, we often form a High School Choir and a Progressing Choir (4th-8th grades) to explore the full range of singers’ musical abilities. For singers who desire extra performance opportunities, we provide opportunities for solos and small group singing.
What kinds of music do the CSYC choirs sing? CSYC sings music created for youth voices from around the world and across the ages.
Artistic staff choose music of historical, cultural, or literary significance which meet requirements of the highest caliber: 1) inspire a sense of wonder, 2) be developmentally appropriate to our singers, 3) be of historical, literary, or cultural significance, 4) demonstrate the diversity of the world, 5) possess historical integrity and cultural authenticity.
The music chosen for our singers will stay with them for the rest of their lives, through aging and even memory loss. We take this responsibility very seriously and strive to give our singers a musical feast to last a lifetime.
Mimicry versus Artistry We strive to provide music which permits our singers to be free to experience artistry and not be constrained by mimicking a well-known version of a song or artist.
Honor vs. Appropriation When studying music of minority, oppressed, or colonized cultures, great care is taken to go beyond the common historical narrative to unearth the truth of the music’s origins. We consult music and culture experts from within the culture we wish to study, and defer to their guidance on the appropriateness of the material for our performance. Our goal is always to honor the music and the people who first created it.
Do you have performance uniforms? Yes! We have two uniforms: the polo uniform and the tshirt uniform. Polos & tshirts are ordered through the choir, and assistance is available to those who require it. View our Uniform Guidelines.
Do City Singers travel internationally?
We have standing invitations to perform internationally, although haven’t yet done so. If families request this, we have a variety of opportunities we can choose from.
What is the time commitment for my child in CSYC?
Weekly rehearsals meet on Tuesdays from Sept-May for about 1.5 hours. We strongly recommend that singers do not engage in any other evening activities on Tuesdays. Additional weekly home practice sessions will total 30 minutes for elementary singers, and 45 minutes for middle/high singers.
Required performance events are published over the summer, and required dates are never added to this calendar. When we are able to get back to the group-rehearsal model, we average around 8 performance events per school year (3-4 per semester); of these, two are ‘major’ concerts and the rest are community events. Elementary Choir has slightly fewer performances. We do ask that enrolled singers commit to attend all required performances; bringing music into our community is essential to our mission!
One of the most cited qualities that parents love about City Singers Youth Choirs is that we do not monopolize all our choir families’ time—we want choral music to be accessible to the busy, modern student. For our advanced singers heading to college music programs, the danger of vocal overuse is very real, and City Singers purposefully leaves room for the demands of private voice training.