Children’s choir in midst of growth spurt
An idea that started with eight young singers in the fall of 2006 has now blossomed into a success story for local musical youth.
The Sleepy Creek Children’s Choir now has 40 members divided into three separate age-grouped choirs, and is in its eighth performance season, with a spring concert planned for May 16.
Members hale from Morgan County, Hancock and even Pennsylvania.
The growth spurt of this community-based musical group has been a delight to its director, Denise Cline, and assistant director Margi Griffiths.
Both have rich musical backgrounds, though technical skills aren’t nearly enough to meet the challenge of their volunteer work with kids ranging in age from five to 18, and ranging in experience from novice to accomplished amateur.
Coaxing beautiful, or even coordinated sounds out of the mouths of children and teens requires something special — a combination of high expectations and frequent encouragement. Lucky for the children, both Cline and Griffiths have that something special.
Cline came to Morgan County in 2005 with her husband after retiring from a career in music education in Baltimore County.
She joined the local Community Choir for fun, then found herself volunteering to be in charge of the fledgling children’s choir.
“It’s not that I was looking for things to do,” she said. But her desire to nurture young people’s musical interest got the better of her.
“Music has been my life,” Cline said.
Margi Griffiths also found herself going from a singer’s role in the Community Choir to volunteering for a leadership role in the children’s group. Griffiths has three children with musical interests, and has directed children’s theatre activities for the Morgan Arts Council.
“I love singing. I’ve done it my whole life,” she said.
“Singing brings us together as a community, as people. It’s one of the best ways for us to communicate,” said Griffiths.
Both women said working with Morgan County’s young singers is a joy, because of the obvious pleasure the children get from their choir experience.
“Children should have an open door to this opportunity, regardless of their ability,” said Cline.
Children don’t have to audition for the Sleepy Creek Children’s Choir, and are grouped by age into one of three sections.
The primary group covers singers from five to eight years old. Intermediate choir members are nine to 12 years old. Older choir members sing with the Youth Chorale.
The entire children’s choir operates under the umbrella of The Community Choir, Inc. — a non-profit that also sponsors the Living Springs Chorale, an adult community choir.
A variety of music
While most people associate choirs with churches, these groups are not officially tied to any church, and singers tackle both sacred and secular music.
During a recent rehearsal of the Youth Chorale, a dozen local teens were preparing in earnest for their upcoming spring concert, which will include the 1980’s pop tune “Africa” by the group Toto.
The song hasn’t been scored for chorale performance, so choir member Walker Williams, 17, is transcribing the recording for his group.
Williams, who is in two choirs and a chamber ensemble, is serious about music. He’s not alone in that quality. All of his fellow Youth Chorale members play at least one musical instrument.
Jacob Montague, 15, has been singing in choirs since fifth grade. He sings in three chorale groups.
“I need my choir fix,” he said.
Aidan McDaniel, 13, said he really likes singing, though it’s not always easy to be in a choir.
“It’s hard collaborating with other people so your voices match,” he said.
Dia Griffiths, 18, was one of the Community Choir’s earliest members who asked for a youth choir. She and sister Rhiannon Griffiths, 14, both agreed that blending their voices with other people was one of the toughest parts of being in a choir.
“It can be hard singing your own part when someone sitting next to you is singing something totally different,” Dia Griffiths said.
Performing in front of the wider community isn’t such a big deal for these older singers, though members of the primary choir often have some stage fright, said Margi Griffiths.
“I just try to visualize it as if we’re just practicing,” said McDaniel.
“It’s not like anyone’s going to whip us if we sing a wrong note,” said Lily Wolford, 14.
Director Denise Cline echoed that same sentiment.
“Yes, we’re here to learn music, but if it’s not fun, then why are we doing this?” she said.
“When you sing, you truly give a piece of your soul to the world,” Cline said.
Midwinter Tea
The Community Choir, Inc. is holding its first-ever fundraising event — a Midwinter Musical Tea — on Sunday, March 7 at Foxcroft in Hancock. Md.
Tickets are not available at the door, but can be purchased at The Community Garden Market or by mail. For more information about the event, contact Beth Raps at 304-258-2533.
Information about joining the choirs is available at The Community Choir’s website.
