The IVC choirs are devoted to the study of music, vocal techniques and ensemble skills. Students are exposed to a variety of music literature including music of different styles and genres, historical periods, languages, religions and cultures. Emphasis is also placed on music reading proficiency and music theory. Students have opportunities to learn the skills needed to successfully work together with others; building relationships in a team, learning respect for others and for themselves. Students explore ways to express feelings positively and creatively. Our choir program challenges high level, abstract thinking; fosters life skills and a joy for learning. It requires students to develop an understanding and knowledge of many musical concepts and then inspires the direct application of this knowledge through the aesthetic experience of singing. Performances are the culmination of our classroom rehearsal experiences.
The goals of the IVC choral ensembles, through rehearsal and performance, are to:
achieve a high degree of learning and performance excellence
develop a love, understanding and appreciation of diverse music and cultural heritages
learn the skills and concepts necessary to successfully work together to make music and participate positively in a musical ensemble
The Benefits of Music Education for our Children
Singing provides an emotional release for children. It develops their sense of security and provides a way to express feelings that they might not be able to verbalize. When children sing spontaneously and invent their own songs, it inspires imagination. And because it involves active music making, it counters the influence of our consumer-oriented culture.
The development of communication and language is at the heart of children’s’ learning. Singing encourages communication, and increases vocabulary. Songs have very clear articulation and develop awareness of rhyme and meter. Singing also provides children a way to explore their vocal range, and to find a natural, expressive speaking voice.
When children sing songs by ear, they are building musical memory. Later, as children learn to read and write music, singing helps to develop the musical ear. Through singing, children learn to hear the pitch before singing it and understand its relation to those around it—a more musical (and challenging) process than learning fingerings for different notes, and a skill that is necessary for instrumentalists as well as singers.
Singing in choirs is one of the best ways for children to develop as musicians. Choirs help to shape children’s aesthetic sensitivity. Through singing in parts, children learn to be independent musicians while learning to respond to others musically. They take pride in their accomplishment together—and form lasting relationships with other children.
Songs, like stories, have been passed down through generations and in all cultures. Because they embody the beliefs and musical values of a culture, songs provide one of the best means for children to understand and appreciate different cultures and eras. When songs are in a foreign language, children gain language skills and an interest in other languages and cultures.
“If we ourselves sing often, this provides a deep experience of happiness in music....we learn to know the pulsation, rhythm and shape of melody. The enjoyment given encourages the study of instruments and the listening to other pieces of music as well.” Zoltán Kodály