Youth Choir director speaks out

Youth Choir Director Louise Fauteux had this to say to the Policy Board yesterday:

It isn’t just about “music!” Offering an educational program to children and then taking it away when it has been successful is undermining the sense of security and trust that children feel in this church.

Reasons not to cut our current successful choirs for children:

-- Choirs need years to develop and perform successfully. There’s no such thing as a temporary removal of choir : it would be akin to taking a large eraser and erasing years of hard work, dedication, recruitment, and the development of many practical skills for children. That hard work is not done just by the choir director, but by children, parents, volunteers, religious educators, and staff.

--Choirs meet the need of talented children who can’t afford to join summer programs, take private lessons, or do festivals. Kids find a safe place to feel accepted in choir. For Some kids who have a special relationship with music, the choir experience resonates with them more strongly than other areas in church life.

-- Church is usually a more loving environment than school, and choir at church brings kids together and creates friendships across grade levels.

-- I can’t tell you how many times I am approached by our senior members and told that the work done by children in choirs here matters to them and is greatly appreciated. I would surmise you would lose membership if music took a nosedive in quality and the children’s choirs disappeared. Your website shows a vibrant community with healthy music offerings. I would expect to see that wilt without strong professional leadership.

-- Youth choirs are a feeder program for adult choirs, teen select choirs in our schools, for the UU Players musical, for Christmas Pagaent, and for a life long relationship with music and the arts. Presenting your contribution in front of an audience (akin to public speaking) is practiced in a safe environment. Children build confidence in themselves to try, and you can’t underestimate the lifelong influence of that.

-- Skills from working in a musical ensemble include responsibility, cooperation, and the very tangible evidence of what can be produced by hard work as a team.

-- The experience of singing for service tells kids that they are respected, they have a voice in this church, and their contributions matter. Do you mean to tell them otherwise?

Two of the children in the Youth Choir have spoken out directly. Here's what they had to say:

Gabriela Smith-Rosario
Kiernan Majerus-Collins