Fifth Graders To Perform Own Songs At MASTER CHORALES WITHIN, 11/16

Inspirational people and landmarks in Boyle Heights are the subject of 12 songs that have been composed by fifth grade students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy in North Hills and Sheridan Street Elementary School in Boyle Heights as part of the Los Angeles Master Chorale's Voices Within education program. The songs will receive their premiere performances at the schools on Wednesday, November 16 (Carlos Santana Arts Academy) and Thursday, November 17 (Sheridan Street Elementary School.)

The concerts are the culmination of the 12-week program that brings a composer, a lyricist, and a singer into the schools to teach around 60 students how to tap into their creative voices by introducing them to key ideas such as pitch, rhythm, melody, lyrics, and how to apply these concepts to songwriting. The teaching artists collaborate with the classroom teacher to integrate arts learning with other academic subjects.

After choosing a theme the students work in groups to create six songs. This year Carlos Santana Arts Academy students selected six "dreamers and doers" who inspire them to be the subject of their songs. The people selected were conductor Gustavo Dudamel, inventor Elon Musk, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, ballet dancer Michaela DePrince, architect Maya Lin, and inventor William Kamkwamba.

Sheridan Street Elementary chose to write songs about landmarks located in its home neighborhood of Boyle Heights. The students subsequently wrote songs about Linda Vista Hospital, the Breed Street Shul, Mariachi Plaza, Evergreen Cemetery, the Boyle Heights Murals, and the Metro Gold Line.

The students will be joined on stage by members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale for the 45-minute performances. The performances are open to the public and free to attend.

Voices Within is an educational artists' residency program developed for the Los Angeles Master Chorale by Marnie Mosiman in collaboration with Bernardo Solano, Penka Kouneva, David O, and Doug Cooney. The first residency was held in 2000 and the program has subsequently been awarded Chorus America's Education Outreach Award.

Los Angeles Master Chorale Education Programs Manager Lesili Beard says the program is very popular with partner schools for the breadth of skills it teaches children.

"Voices Within was designed to be a very interactive program. The exercises the students take part in encompass movement and foster team work and collaboration alongside providing them with specific songwriting skills. The resulting songs are always a delightful culmination of this teamwork, and there is a great deal of excitement and energy around these performances."

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

The Los Angeles Master Chorale is one of the country's leading professional choruses and one of Southern California's most vibrant cultural treasures. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale is led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. It is a founding resident company of The Music Center and the choir-in-residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Chorister positions are highly sought-after and the professional choir is a diverse and vocally dynamic group showcasing the many voices of L.A.

Presenting its own concert series each season, the Master Chorale performs choral music from the earliest writings to contemporary compositions striking a balance between innovation and tradition. It also regularly performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Praised for its definitive performances, the choir is committed to recording the choral repertoire and has also featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of many major motion pictures. It is further heard beyond the concert hall via broadcasts by Southern California's Classical KUSC.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale serves more than 30,000 audience members of all ages annually and provides education outreach to some 9,000 students each year. In addition to Voices Within, the Master Chorale presents an annual High School Choir Festival in Walt Disney Concert Hall, and works with high school students on an Oratorio Project.