Church Street Choral Academy offers free after-school program
It’s voice training, music theory, and piano lessons for children, but the Church Street Choral Academy at Christ Church Episcopal is so much more.
The after-school program is offered at no cost to area students and aims to attract a diverse mix of children who may not have access to extracurricular arts activities, says Executive Director and Choirmaster Donald Duncan.
“We want to encourage excellence in the whole child—not just musically, but academically and interpersonally so they can be good citizens and good neighbors and have a broader view of the world in general, to learn from others who are different,” he says.
Launched in 2023, the program is based on Anglican cathedral music, he says, adding the church is affiliated with England’s Royal School of Church Music.
“I think it’s a real opportunity for us to connect with the community through music,” says Susan Clark, a member of the Academy board and the church’s adult choir, “and to show people this kind of sacred music . . . is still relevant today.”
The children learn to read music, sing in an ensemble, and take a piano lesson. There are also outings to the symphony and the opera, and they learn serious music from composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, John Stainer, and Hubert Parry.
“It’s challenging,” Duncan says, “and it encourages students to work hard and to accomplish more together than they might accomplish individually.”
The academy had ten children its first year and 21 this year, with hopes of adding another ten next year.
“It’s so exciting to be a part of this,” Clark says. “And it’s thrilling to hear how good they sound.”
- The Church Street Choir Academy is open to children of all faiths and backgrounds in the Upstate from third through sixth grades.
- They meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 4–6:30p.m., including snacks and time for homework.
- They participate in one performance a month with the adult choir.
- To learn more, go to choralacademy.org.
