OUTREACH
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Partnership
The Fort Wayne Children’s Choir moved its administrative offices to the new Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Rhinehart Music Center in March 2008. The move has enhanced the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir programming by allowing direct access to IPFW state-of-the-art resources, a permanent home for rehearsals, and improved ability to work and collaborate with new neighbors, the Foundation for Arts and Music Education (FAME) and the Unity Performing Arts Foundation (UPAF). In turn, IPFW benefits from this partnership through student internships, training opportunities, observations of rehearsals, and potential students.
Choral Music Educator’s Workshop
Each fall, the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir hosts the Choral Music Educator’s Workshop for teachers from Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. This program brings dozens of educators together to learn a variety of music education methods from well-known clinicians. The Concert Choir may be utilized for demonstrations and reading sessions. Held in the Rhinehart Music Center on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, music students are invited to participate in the workshop free of charge.
IPFW Three Rivers Choral Festival
Every fall, the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir collaborates with Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne to host the annual Three Rivers Choral Festival. Local and regional high school choirs participate in this day-long festival made up of rehearsals, social time, and training by a guest clinician. Mr. Tim LaCroix, director of the Fort Wayne Youth Chorale amd Dr. Cyril Myers, choral instructor and director of IPFW University Singers, assist the visiting choirs in perfecting their music selections. The day concludes with a public performance by each of the choirs in the IPFW Auer Auditorium.
Young People’s Concert
Each spring, between 600 and 800 third graders from Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio are invited to participate in the Young People’s Concert held in IPFW’s Auer Auditorium. The four, unchanged voice choirs perform one or two songs from their repertoire. Throughout the concert, the directors interact with the audience in vocal warm-ups, educate them on solfege, and teach them a song they can sing along with the choir. Teachers are given follow-up packets to distribute to their students that include music activity sheets reinforcing what the students were taught at the performance. Teachers are also given recruitment information about the FWCC.
Collaborative Efforts
Fort Wayne Children’s Choir singers are often called upon to be a part of community celebrations and other ceremonies. These collaborations include annual performances with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Holiday Pops and Fort Wayne Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Other collaborations include Heartland Chamber Chorale, Fort Wayne TinCaps, FAME, IPFW University Singers, and many more. The FWCC frequently performs at social service agencies, nursing homes, universities and churches. FWCC members also participate in exchanges with other community choirs from Indiana, Ohio, and Canada. These exchanges are similar to that of the high school choir festival. Singers participate in individual and group rehearsals, social time, music activities, and conclude the day with a public performance.