Looking for something fun to do tomorrow night? Come see YCCO perform! It’s our annual winter concert and we’ve been hard at work creating beautiful music for your enjoyment. The show will be Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Bend High School. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 and seating is general admission.
Don’t miss this chance to see a wonderful performance by our talented choristers!
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Whew! Were the holidays as much of a whirlwind for you as they were for us at YCCO? We enjoyed bringing our beautiful voices to various parts of the community and adding to your holiday celebrations. Check out part of our performance at Sunriver -
We’ve got some fun things planned for the new year, so stay tuned!!
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If you’d like to learn more about YCCO or hear our choristers sing, there are two opportunities coming up.
Tonight is the premier of YCCO’s England Tour DVD at 6:30 p.m., Bend High. The DVD features behind-the-scenes tour footage, photos, and highlights from our fantastic England Tour to Canterbury and London. This event is free and open to the public.
Mark your calendars for next week when YCCO will be performing at the Grand Illumination at Sunriver Resort. The festivities begin at 4:00 p.m on Friday, November 25th. Our choristers are working hard and are excited to be a part of this holiday tradition.
Come see us!
We here at YCCO are getting in the Christmas spirit a bit early. We’ve been practicing a few Christmas songs and planning our holiday events, but we’re also finishing up our annual wreath sale. Not only are the wreaths fresh and beautiful, but the sales support YCCO so we can continue to teach great kids and bring wonderful events to the community. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you can contact your favorite chorister, the YCCO office or follow this link for information – http://www.ycco.org/wreathsale2011.htm.
The sale is ending very soon, get your order in so you don’t miss out!
The choristers have no rehearsal next week so they can focus on their Halloween activities and candy-collecting. In the meantime, check out what these choirs did for the holiday.
Be safe everyone!!
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As a new parent of a YCCO student, I’ve had a few questions. My daughter is spending quite a bit of time in rehearsals and I am spending quite a bit of time to get her there. I wanted to know more about this group so I went straight to the source and sat down to interview Beth Basham, the artistic director of YCCO, to ask her my questions. Beth was wonderful to talk to and her enthusiasm for what she does with her choir kids is infectious.
Meet Beth Basham
Beth Basham with the kids in a rehearsal.
Me: How did you get started with the Youth Choir?
Beth: I’d been teaching in Bend for many years. In 1990, the Cascade Festival of Music called me and wanted me to start a musical outreach program, a children’s choir. I directed that single choir for four or five years, and then decided to break off from under the Cascade Festival umbrella and become our own non-profit choral organization. The choir used to have a membership of 4th through 8th graders. The kids would cry when they got done with 8th grade. They didn’t want to stop singing, so I decided to let them continue singing all the way through high school. We have grown so much that we now have THREE choirs with singers in grades one to twelve.
Me: What do you like best about being the director?
Beth: The kids give me energy! Choir is different every week. Young people are so full of good stuff that I feel like there’s a deep well of their talent and knowledge and enthusiasm ready to be sent out into the world. I get to create something beautiful with them.
Me: How does choir instruction differ from being a teacher?
Beth: I have a different relationship with the students. The atmosphere is more relaxed, but at the same time, more intense. The students are all high-achieving people. They like being with other kids at the top of their game. They like the challenge. They respect each other and me, so I can push them to their maximum potential.
Me: What do you like best about being part of YCCO?
Beth: I love the kids and their creativity. There is a big difference from the beginning of the season to the end as far as the level of performance goes. I love to see their feelings of joy and pride in what they accomplish. Their actual part of a performance is 20 minutes. Singing is NOT about the actual performance. It’s about the work- the daily rehearsal work. Music is a layering of knowledge. If you have a blooper during the performance, oh well. It’s about the rehearsals, the hard work each time they meet, seeing results layer upon layer. Baby steps. That’s music. We build brick by brick by brick. Great musicians work really hard. Singers come into the room and they’re tired, they have a lot on their minds after a long day, but they start singing, they feel better and they’re glad they came to rehearsal. I tell them, “Take all the bad stuff that happened today, throw it in the worry basket and focus here. One student told me, ” Singing is letting your insides come out.”
Me: What is your most memorable experience with YCCO?
Beth: We were in England in 2000 in a cathedral workshop with a master choral director. He was talking to my singers about singing with a certain color or tone. Is it blue, pink purple? The tone changed and they started to sing so well that they started crying. Singers were crying because of the beauty of that moment. The master conductor and I were crying. He said to them, “You have just experienced something that many people never will experience. Some singers NEVER have this moment when everything seems perfect and you know it.” For them to experience the feeling of , ”I will never forget this, this was the ultimate.” was very gratifying to me. Former choristers have told me that having THAT specific experience was one of their all time life changing moments.
Me: What have you learned from your time with YCCO?
Beth: Over the past 22 years I have learned to continue to be patient, to be kind, and to use humor. Every week the students teach me. They are the greatest people. Choir is interactive. Singers make decisions with me. “How do you think the mood should be, what is the color, should we trail off here? ” We are partners in music making. Sometimes I have to say no to their ideas and sometimes I let them decide. I’m the facilitator. They create with me.
Me: What are you looking for in an audition?
Beth: A child who has a passion for singing and wants to sing at a high level. Can they be trained, can they match pitch, can they sing in tune?
Me: How can you tell if they’re passionate about it?
Beth: I ask them questions about themselves, what they feel like when they sing. Why do they want to do an extra activity like Youth Choir ? You wouldn’t do this extra activity if it’s not something you want to pursue deeply and passionately.
Me: What do you want your choristers to learn?
Beth: I want singers to learn to express themselves and not just sing the notes. It’s about expressing themselves through the music, communicating to the audience. We are not cardboard people on stage. We need to engage the audience, bring them into our world of music at that moment.
I want my singers to improve musically, to learn self discipline,responsibility and teamwork as well as the JOY of music making. All of this is preparing them for adulthood when they have to go to a job interview, perhaps give a speech, how to work with colleagues, run a business meeting, lead a choir themselves.
Me: What else do you want people to know about the Choir?
Beth: I hear people say, “I had no idea they could be so good. I just thought they’d sing a few songs.” Most family members attend their children’s concerts. The average person has no idea the depths to which these kids go in order to accomplish what they do. This summer after a very moving performance in a cathedral in England with a full orchestra, a parent came to me and said, ” My daughter and the members of this choir have now experienced excellence, not average, but the peak of excellence this evening.” I want people to realize how hard these young people work, how much heart and soul they put into their music making and what great results they can get when they work together for a common passion.
Another thing I want people to know is that I have never turned away a talented singer because they couldn’t financially afford to be in the group. I’m very proud of the fact that if a singer has the talent, we can find a way to have them sing with our organization.
Beth and choir during a performance.
What I think came through the most during my discussion with Beth is how much this really means to her. She even said to me, “I know I am meant to do this. I know every day when I wake up that I need to drive to that school and be with those kids. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” This is someone I want to teach my own child, someone who I want to be a part of her life. I’m looking forward to her next few years with YCCO and seeing how she grows and what she learns.
If you’re interested in getting your own child involved, I highly encourage it. Rehearsals are open to the public and Beth really wants you to know this. You can drop in and listen to their voices and watch them in action. All rehearsals are on Mondays. The Debut group rehearses from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. and the Premiere choir goes from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Oh, and that way they’ve found to include all talented kids? That is done through scholarships which can’t happen without support from the community. If you’d like to donate and see where your money is going, come to rehearsal. Come and catch the enthusiasm!
What does the Youth Choir of Central Oregon do? Well, singing is just a part of it. We also build relationships and prepare kids for their futures. In a nutshell, it’s about changing lives.
Below is a quick breakdown of each section within the choir. If you want to learn more, contact us at 541-385-0470, visit us on Facebook or at http://www.ycco.org.
Singers’ School: serves 1st through 4th grade students in a creative, yet structured, small-class environment. Music and movement activities and beginning vocal skills are presented in a choral music framework. The program is designed to build confidence and teamwork. Older singers also prepare for Debut Choir auditions.
Debut Choir: serves 5th through 8th grade students. The Debut Choir is dedicated to growing musicianship. It contributes to the choristers’ musical learning experience by using developmentally appropriate techniques. Note reading, vocal training and performance skills are emphasized. Debut is an auditioned choir that rehearses weekly. Debut performs in YCCO’s major public concerts, travels to Eugene each spring for the Oregon Children’s Choral Festival and occasionally performs locally for other events.
Premiere Choir: serves advanced singers in grades eight through twelve. Premiere emphasizes excellence of musicianship and performance. Premiere is also auditioned and rehearses weekly, but performs more frequently than Debut. Summer touring further broadens these choristers’ maturity, both personally and musically. Touring is optional but strongly encouraged.
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Are you new to Youth Choir of Central Oregon? I am. I had heard about it peripherally in the past, but this year my daughter’s high school teacher specifically referred her to the program so we had to check it out. Devon went through an audition and was in the Premiere group and started before we knew it!
The first weekend they went on a retreat in Christmas Valley. The carpools were already organized so my help wasn’t needed. I just dropped her off at the grocery store parking lot Friday afternoon and picked her up Sunday afternoon. I got one phone call over the weekend from one very exuberant, happy girl. She was “jamming” on a guitar and swimming in the lake and had made a bunch of new friends.
She was no less exuberant when I picked her up. She regaled me with stories about the talent show she participated in, the food she ate, the sleeping arrangement, the stories the girls shared. It was exactly the experience I had hoped she’d have. You know, one of those moments that we as parents live for.
I have high hopes for her future with the choir because of this retreat. She, of course, is already completely in love and at home with it. Of course, I think it’s best heard from the horse’s mouth, so I asked her to share her story with you. Here it is:
When I first heard about this retreat I was pretty excited, but as the day came closer I started feeling a little iffy about it. When I found out I was going there in a car with a mom I had never met before and two other girls I didn’t know at all, I was a little frustrated since I was expecting to go with my mom. The whole car ride there I didn’t talk much and I felt awkward. When we pulled up to the lake house I started to think, “This could be fun!” My good friend Kaydn and I were in the same room together, along with a friend of mine from ballet who is also in Youth Choir. I thought it was going to be the party room!
That night we played some games to get to know each other and it was really fun! There was lots of laughter and smiles and I felt very welcomed into the choir. We had a campfire and ate smores after playing the games and all the seniors of the choir linked arms and one by one said why they wanted to be choir president and when they were all done I couldn’t vote for just one so when the time came I voted for all just like everybody else did.
When we were all cozy in our rooms for bedtime, a group of girls from my room were sitting on the bed and one of the seniors was talking to them about her best friend being mad at her and she began to cry and it made me realize that this choir is so close to each other that any one of us knows we can tell the choir about our problems and they will help us through them.
The next morning I woke up pretty tired, but ready to have fun with my new choir! We ate a delicious breakfast and then had the first choir rehearsal of the retreat. I fell in love with the songs we sang and we sounded so good! After that we had some free time and a few of us went down to the lake and Kadyn and I canoed a while and then a bunch of girls came down with bathing suits on and jumped in the lake, despite the clouds and chilly weather. I decided to jump in too and as soon as I hit the water, my body went numb because it was so cold! I sat in there for about five minutes and then had to get out since I didn’t want to get hypothermia. After that I went back to my room where a very talented girl, Taylor, was playing her guitar and singing. Her voice is amazing! A few of us gathered around her listening in awe and then she started playing some songs we knew and we had a little sing-along.
That night we had a talent show and Kadyn and I got the courage to play the guitar and sing for everyone. All the girls that are new to the choir performed and we all had a great time! Everyone is so talented!
The next day I was really sad knowing we had to leave. At our final rehearsal of the retreat, we sang two really sad songs and almost started crying after hearing about them. The car ride back was very different. The four of us girls and Morgan’s mom talked and told each other about our experience at the retreat. When we reached Bend and my mom came and got me, I told her all about the retreat. I almost started crying because it was just so amazing to bond with all of those amazing girls.
I really feel Youth Choir of Central Oregon is my new second family and I know they won’t judge me for anything I do and they will support me no matter what and I now know that I belong there.
