News and Notices
NEW WORLD SINGERS win The American Prize
The Rhode Island Children’s Chorus Chamber Choir placed second.
The Salem Youth Chorus of Salem, OH, placed third.
The American Prize judging panel commented on selections by the New World Singers: “most impressed with the choir’s intonation…with the uniformity of tone quality…diction is very clear…exceptional repertoire.”
The New World Singers is the top ensemble of the Columbus and Central Ohio Children’s Chorus Foundation, formed as a non-profit foundation in 1995. The choir has toured in the U.S., Russia, Eastern Europe, and Canada. They have performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. In 2007 they were selected to perform at the national conferences of the American Choral Directors’ Association and the Organization of American Koda?ly Educators. www.columbuschildrenschoir.org
Congratulations to the New World Singers, the Rhode Island Children’s Chorus Chamber Choir and the Salem Youth Chorus for their outstanding achievement, ranked among the finest youth choirs in the country.
ROOMFUL OF TEETH wins THE AMERICAN PRIZE
VOX: The Rob Seible Singers, of Houston, Texas, placed second.
In making their decision, the judging panel commented that ROOMFUL OF TEETH exhibited “accurate pitch/intonation…with seamless transitions…really unique…stunning.”
Roomful of Teeth is an eight-voice vocal ensemble that embraces the full spectrum of vocal practices and, through an on-going commissioning project, develops new compositions using the fullest possible range of vocal techniques. Launched in 2009, the ensemble of young, classically-trained singers studies with international experts in vocal techniques ranging from Tuvan throat singing to yodeling. The ensemble commissions composers to write music utilizing their ever-expanding palette of vocal colors.
Congratulations to both ROOMFUL OF TEETH and the VOX: The Rob Seible Singers, for their outstanding achievement, ranked among the finest professional choruses in the country.
Bravo.
David Katz, chief judge
The American Prize
Baha’i choir gives first performance in India

B.C. Choral Federation awards go to Donnelly and Booker


More research correlating music study with academic success
Researcher Barbara Helmrich of Baltimore’s College of Notre Dame examined a sample of 6,026 ninth-graders enrolled in six Maryland school districts. All had completed an introductory algebra course in either eighth or ninth grade and taken the HSA, a test that assesses how well they learned the subject.
Helmrich divided the students into three groups: Those who had received formal instruction on a musical instrument during the sixth, seventh and eighth grades; those who received choral instruction during those same years; and those who received no formal musical training.
She found the students who studied music significantly outperformed their peers. “Formal instrumental instruction impacted algebra scores the most,” she reports. “Choral instruction also affected scores, but to a lesser extent.”