As we begin our 18th year of giving voice to the innate creativity of Boston’s children, we look forward with great anticipation to our new partnerships, and the expansion of our residencies to impact 200 elementary and middle school students in the classroom, and nearly 1200 through performances. This year, for the first time, sixth graders at the Hurley School in Boston’s South End will set to music texts written as part of the Max Warburg Foundation’s Courage Curriculum, while fourth graders at the Mather School in Dorchester will write songs based on subjects from their core curriculum. Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester and Mendell Elementary School in Roxbury will again be partners, and we look forward to hearing their original creations as well. May 2012 will see our young composers at all four schools offering the “world premiers” of their newly written cantatas, after which each student will receive a bound copy of his or her cantata and CD of the performance.

Irrespective of location or grade level, the mission of Classroom Cantatas holds fast. We aim to help students find their voices – both literally and figuratively. In engaging students in both the singing and the composition process, we endeavor to share the joy and transforming power that we ourselves find in music, while facilitating students’ awakening to their own expressive potential. Over the several months of our residencies, we are privileged to see students growing confident in their singing as a group, and growing confident that they have unique ideas to share as individuals. Though words and music are the end result, no words or music can fully express the joy of witnessing a student find his voice or find her song along the way.

I invite you to browse our website for ways to become involved, and to find details about new and upcoming educational opportunities this season. Please contact me to join in the conversation!

Best,
Joshua Taylor, Education Coordinator