nual mass spring concert. This season closer will include multi-cultural and vocal workshops, combined rehearsals, and culminate in a final performance featuring guest artists and a commissioned work. DCC children singing on stage at Orchestra Hall along with CYE instrumentalists performing orchestral/choral works promises to be a joyful new harmo- ny for metro Detroit.


Of course, our partner song is not without its challenges. Transportation and communication continue to be our big- gest day-to-day challenges, both affecting opportunities for children to participate in DCC’s plentiful programs. These issues can also affect recruitment and regular attendance, with resulting learning challenges. Imagine planning for a mass rehearsal but not knowing if an entire school’s choir will actually arrive as planned!


City transportation is not


always reliable and routes may not always service neighbor- hood choir locations. Limited Internet accessibility, nonexis- tent phone or texting resources, coupled with other external demands can hamper communication with parents or admin- istrators. As an accommodation, remediation and spiraling within a rehearsal is always necessary. In addition we pro- actively create multiple communications to reach partnering adults.


Perhaps the greatest challenge arises from the nature of DCC’s relationship with the public and charter school sys- tems within Detroit. As a self-governing organization DCC works with the schools to provide children in Detroit with opportunities for choral singing above and beyond what is already offered as part of each school’s music program. Un- fortunately, the reality is that many schools have eliminated music programs in order to compensate for increasingly larger and more numerous budget cuts. While the intent of DCC is to supplement music instruction by providing addi- tional programs, in many instances the DCC choirs represent the only source of music instruction students receive.


This dilemma is philosophical and political. It reflects a growing concern over the status of music education within the public school system. Community organizations seek- ing to provide musical opportunities traditionally under the purview of public schools may find themselves in a difficult position. Yet ultimately we all want what is best for our chil- dren. We might consider reframing this dilemma by con- sidering the nature of partner songs. A partner song requires two independent melodies to be sung strongly for optimum harmony. Challenges to either part can at times produce an imbalance of voices. However, partner songs can still be beautiful as one voice fades into diminuendo for a few mea- sures because the song continues, supported by the stronger melody for that musical moment. Initially, the melody lines of other voices joining in may be faint, but with time and intentional collaboration they gain power, as they become


41


DCC Partners In addition to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, other funding and collaborative partner songs have been widespread for DCC: Ford Motor Company Fund, Kresge Foundation, National En- dowment for the Arts, Culture Source, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, the Music Learning Alliance, Woodward Consulting, Michigan State University Community Music School, Wayne State University, Sphinx, College for Creative Studies, Heritage Works, Inside Out, Pewabic Pottery, Our Children Count, Cov- enant Community Care, The Village Foundation, Junior League of Detroit, Lee and Maxine Peck Foundation, Faith Covenant Church, Messiah Church, Hope Community Church, Taber- nacle Missionary Baptist Church, Central United Methodist Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Latino Mission Society, UNI Detroit, Latino Family Services, YouthVille, Samaritan Center, Vista Maria, Compás, Matrix Human Services, Detroit Metropolitan Youth Ensembles, Street Poets Society, Singers of United Lands, Many Voices, One Song, Firehouse Detroit Project, Living Arts, Community Chorus of Detroit, Mosaic Youth Theatre, Mosaic Singers, United Voices of Detroit Youth Ensemble, DSA’s “Vision,” Winans Academy and Duke El- lington Choirs, Cass Tech’s “V-Jets”, Dearborn Elementary and Middle School Honor Choirs, Men of Grace, composers Rollo Dilworth, Jim Papoulis, Jill Jack, Darren Herring, and Kris Johnson and a host of caring volunteers and individual donors.


Lauri Hogle completed her undergraduate degree in music therapy and music teacher certification at the University of Evansville (IN) and Georgia State University. For over two de- cades, she has worked as a church musician, directing choirs of all ages, directing children’s ministry, and serving as organist/ pianist. She is also the former organist for the National Chris- tian Choir, based in Washington, D.C. She has served as direc- tor of choruses at both high school and middle school levels in various states.


She currently teaches middle school general


music at The Grosse Pointe Academy and maintains a private studio in addition to serving as Artistic Director of the Detroit Children’s Choir.


Children’s Choir, please visit www.detroitchildrenschoir.org For more information about the Detroit


part of a fully orchestrated ensemble.


The DCC’s wish is for our partner song to contribute to the renewal of beauty and hope for Detroit. True partners hold each other up during challenging times. We believe that the distinctive harmonies arising from the work of DCC and its partners will help break down walls and eliminate obstacles while inspiring by example the value of teamwork and col- laboration. Our mission is fulfilled when increased social understanding and unity are birthed through each vowel matched with another’s, each consonant cut off in precision with the team’s, each eye on a director, each breath taken in unity (but silently!) and each positive and uplifting text taken to heart. This is perhaps the greatest lesson of all in the partner song that is the Detroit Children’s Choir.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46