What concerts are planned for the holidayseason?
MCC is very busy in December. Our primary concert isour own. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, we present “A Festival of Winter Spirit” atthe South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. We encourage everyone to escape thehustle and bustle of December and enjoy a winter festival with us.
In addition, we sing at every performance of theMilwaukee Ballet’s Nutcracker. We arealso returning to one of our favorite concerts: Festival City Symphony’s “PajamaJamboree.” And we’ll be caroling too, sending singers and their families to the“Christmas in the Ward” breakfast with Santa at the Skylight Opera, a St.Benedict the Moor community meal, the Shops of Grand Avenue with the HolidayLights Jingle Bus, Candy Cane Lane,and between performances of The BestChristmas Pageant Ever at First Stage Children’s Theater. We are alwaysbusy, but especially during the holidays.
How does the choir focus on developing kids’academic and life skills through music?
I am glad you asked this question, since I thinkpeople don’t always consider all of the ways singing in a choir can benefitchildren. A recent review of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) learning targetsrevealed that MCC participation involves many MPS learning targets at eachgrade level. Choral singing is a mind and body activity. In addition toaddressing music education, choral singing emphasizes the importance ofphysical health and healthy choices. Especially in younger choir levels, itemphasizes movement and games and activities. All choral singing involveslistening carefully, following direction and exhibiting self-control. Itrequires respect of oneself and others, and depends on teamwork. Choral singinginvolves mathematical patterns. It requires reading with expression and usingphonics to learn unfamiliar words. Because MCC repertoire comes from differentcultures and historical periods, choir teaches children how cultures influencecommunities, how history is connected to culture, and how history and cultureaffect all of us.%uFFFD
How does the choir reach out to children inareas that are underserved by arts organizations?
We want MCC to be open to all area children, and wewant to represent the entire area. Years ago MCC determined that it needed todo outreach to children in areas that lacked adequate arts programming. Today wehave programs in Milwaukee Public Schools both in and out of the classroom,reaching almost 200 students. And we have a very liberal tuition aid policy.We’ve never turned away a child for financial reasons. As a result, the lasttime we measured our data we learned that our choir members come from more than60 ZIP codes and more than 150 schools.
