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CHORTEACH
Lifting Up the Littles:

ARTICLE
Highlighting Your Youngest Singers

Through Commissioned Works, Effective Rehearsal,

Performance Opportunities, and Student Composition

by Jess Edelbrock

Editor’s note: This article was originally printed in ChorTeach us do every day. All of the conductors involved in this
Vol 15, no. 1 (2022). It is reprinted with an updated section concert were so proud to showcase the depth of artistry
from the author: “Student Composition for Young Choirs.” that all ages are capable of, and we hope this multi-age
approach can serve as a model for national conferences
and other high-profile performances to come.
Our youngest singers can do amazing things. They In this article we will explore ideas and practical ap-
are keenly connected to their inner sense of musicali- plications for highlighting your youngest singers, setting
ty, they want to be challenged and uplifted, and they them up for success, and showcasing their immense ca-
deserve opportunities to shine just as much as choirs pabilities throughout your community.
that sing the most complex repertoire. These are some First, a confession. I was incredibly nervous about
of the sentiments I hoped to communicate when the bringing the Bees to the retreat and how they would
Tucson Girls Chorus Bumblebee Singers performed at be received. I was worried that the audience (other
the ACDA National Children’s & Community Youth conductors, in this case!) would see the performance
Choir Conductors’ Retreat in January 2022. as introductory or cutesy, simply due to the age of the
The “Bees” are TGC’s K/1 choir, and the center- choir and the developmentally appropriate repertoire
piece of their set was “Now We Have Rivers,” com- and tone. The concept of “choral excellence” and
missioned specifically for the Bumblebee Singers. The its apparent definition throughout the profession was
whole retreat concert was intended to showcase singers looming in my mind every rehearsal. However, I was
from all ages—from the Bees to the Cadet Choir from also so confident in the importance of showcasing the
Phoenix Boys’ Chorus (grades 2-3), to the middle school work of the Bees, and each week they reminded me
groups from Chandler Children’s Chorus and Tucson how eager and capable they were to dig into hard work
Boys Chorus, up through the high school singers from and artistry.
the TGC and Phoenix Children’s Chorus. It was an After the performance, several conductors shared
honor to be a part of a concert that was so intentionally that they felt validated in what they do, which was the
crafted to accurately demonstrate the work so many of absolute best compliment I could have imagined. It is

CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2025 Volume 66 Number 4 31