Peace4Youth
Long Beach Camerata Singers Peace4Youth
Music is an essential learning skill for young people’s healthy brain development. Our Peace4Youth program brings choral music with a message into the schools. Peace4Youth partners with the existing choral program to allow the students to sing with our professional chorus and consider important values and issues.
Background
Christine Whipp, head of arts curriculum for Long Beach Unified School District, tell us that many programs exist for students for instrumental music programs. Choral music, however, is a neglected area. Long Beach Camerata Singers decided to address this deficit with Peace4Youth This series starts with our exciting Camerata Peace concert and shapes it for presentation in the schools. The narration is adjusted to be age appropriate and the concert program includes the school’s chorus on stage with LBCS. Student narrators perfect their public speaking skills in addition to learning music.
The 2023 Peace Project addresses questions of Environmental Justice in a concert called “The Worth of Water.” All repertoire in the concert is about our relationship to water, both physical and metaphysical. Student narrators will be invited to introduce each piece and its composer; other i nspirational readings and poetry will further reinforce the theme. A master class for the school’s chorus will be held before the concert, and a final wrap up conversation with students will seek their reaction to the music and themes.